Crowell Health Solutions

In late November, HHS proposed long-awaited changes to regulations at 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (“Part 2”) governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder (“SUD”) records as required under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Generally, HHS is attempting to align Part 2 requirements with the HIPAA (“Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act”) Privacy Rule. The most significant changes are those to the rules governing consent for entities subject to Part 2’s restrictions to use, disclose, and redisclose Part 2 records with respect to treatment, payment, and health care operations (“TPO”) activities.Continue Reading HHS Proposed Changes Would Align Part 2 Regulations on Substance Use Disorder Records with HIPAA

CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and CMS Innovation Center Director Elizabeth Fowler continue to forge ahead with the Biden-Harris Administration’s plans to evaluate and streamline the alternative payment models being tested at the Innovation Center. The most recent example, announced late last month, includes the redesign and renaming of the controversial Global and Professional Direct Contracting (GPDC) model that aims to introduce value-based payment arrangements in traditional Medicare. The newly announced model, renamed the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) Model, aligns with CMS’s restated goals for the Innovation Center—as outlined in its October 2021 “strategic refresh” white paper—to drive accountable care, advance health equity, support care innovations, improve access by addressing affordability, and partner to achieve system transformation.
Continue Reading CMS Innovation Center Redesigns Direct Contracting Entity Model, Launches ACO REACH