- Rural Hospitals Built During Baby Boom Now Face Baby Bust
- Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
- CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Texas
- CMS Proposes New Payments for Digital Health Under CY2025 PFS Draft Rule
- Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
- Biden Harris Administration Proposes Policies to Reduce Maternal Mortality, Advance Health Equity, and Support Underserved Communities
- Nearly Half of U.S. Counties Don't Have a Single Cardiologist
- Randolph County, Ill. Turns Unused Part of Nursing Home Into State-Of-The-Art Behavioral Health Center
- Rural RPM Program Is a Lifeline for Pregnant Women
- Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
- Expert: Rural Hospitals Are Particularly Vulnerable to Increasing Cyberattacks Targeting Healthcare Facilities
- Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $200 Million to Help Primary Care Doctors, Nurses, and Other Health Care Providers Improve Care for Older Adults
- AJPH Call for Papers Special Section on Intersections of Public Health And Primary Care
- NIH HEAL Initiative Turns Attention to Pragmatic Trials in Rural Communities
- Limited Continuing-Care Options in Rural Virginia Create Challenges for an Aging Population
House Appropriations Committee ‘Pumps the Breaks’
The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) will likely pursue a less ambitious timeline than previously hinted to pass the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bills before the September 30th deadline. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had outlined a plan to complete bill markups by the end of June, and Politico is reporting, “That timeline has slipped as top Democrats raced to draft this month’s $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, which passed on May 15. And now leaders of the House Appropriations Committee say they won’t move to marking up its bills until Congress can agree on another massive infusion of federal coronavirus relief, which may be weeks down the line.” Thus far, no appropriations bills have been released or considered by committees.
CMS Update: COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing
On May 27, 2020, CMS issued updated FAQs. Among other topics, CMS noted that the RHC productivity limits may be waived during the COVID period at the discretion of the MACs (page 31). Based on this FAQ, if an RHC expects to have difficulty meeting the productivity guideline because of COVID, they should proactively consult with their MAC.
Another FAQ notes the treatment of telehealth costs on the cost reports (page 32). This FAQ response is consistent with current cost reporting instructions – as non-reimbursable costs excluded from the all-inclusive rate calculation. Other RHC FAQs are on pages 31-33.
The FAQs are attached and available at the following link.
The FAQs in this document supplement the previously released FAQs: 1135 Waiver FAQs, available at https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/Downloads/MedicareFFS-EmergencyQsAs1135Waiver.pdf.