The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the following press release on September 20, 2017. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Innovation Center New Direction September 20, 2017 Contact: CMS Media Relations (202) 690-6145 | CMS Media Inquiries Today, the CMS Innovation Center (Innovation Center) issued an informal...
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) are the latest leaders in Washington to propose ACA repeal and replace legislation before October. Here’s the bottom line on the Senate’s latest repeal and replace bill: • All Democrats will vote no: 48 votes • Most Republicans will vote...
Another Critical Access Hospital closed this week, leaving Patrick County, Virginia, with no hospital. According to the University of North Carolina's Cecil G. Sheps Center, 81 rural hospitals have already closed since 2010. "Policy uncertainty in Washington has created fragile times for health care companies," says the...
The University of Chicago's independent research center, Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, recently discussed some of the major factors impeding access to health care in rural areas. Hospital closures, transportation, and physician recruitment are challenges for non-urban communities nationwide as facilities strive to serve...
Since 2010, CMS has not enforced its direct supervision requirements in Critical Access Hospitals and other rural hospitals, according to a draft report released this month by MedPAC. CMS says there have been no patient safety concerns raised to the agency about hospitals using inappropriate...
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) last week began exploring ways in which the federal health program could expand its coverage of a variety of telehealth services. Medicare currently covers certain services like mental health treatment and kidney disease under its traditional fee-for-service program, but...
On Thursday, August 30th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced they will waive of certain requirements for hospitals providing care in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Regarding Critical Access Hospitals, "CMS waives the requirements limiting the number of patient beds to 25, and allows...
Communities in rural America are turning to new methods to attract the physicians needed to serve the needs of their communities. Governing interviewed CEO of Kearny County Hospital in Lakin, Kansas, about the situation his hospital is facing, and provides analysis of physician data across...
The CEO of Carthage Area Hospital spoke with Becker's Hospital Review and shared his story of bringing the Critical Access Hospital from brink of bankruptcy to financial viability. With all of the financial pressures on Critical Access Hospitals today, the work of Carthrage Area Hospital...
The Health Resources and Services Administration announced last week that it expects the new 340B registration system to be released by mid-September, however this will not include to the 340B ceiling-price verification component. HRSA notified users, and put on the registration website, that the current...