This year, thousands of individuals in Southern California were impacted by the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire. The fires were the second and fourth most destructive in the state’s history.[1] In 2024, millions of individuals in the southeastern United States were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. These hurricanes made landfall less than two weeks apart, establishing a new record for the shortest interval between two significant hurricanes in Florida.[2] The Southern California wildfires and Hurricanes Helene and Milton exemplify the pattern of increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters attributed to a changing climate. Such climate-related disasters have profound implications for healthcare systems, underscoring the necessity for coordinated efforts between federal and state governments to ensure the continuity of healthcare services and access to medical care. As a result of the Southern California wildfires, over 700 people were evacuated from nursing homes and other care facilities.[3] In Florida alone, over 350 healthcare facilities were evacuated as a preventative measure against Hurricane Milton.[4] Hundreds of other healthcare facilities throughout the region faced evacuations, closures, and damage as result of the hurricanes. Preparedness and swift response measures at all levels of government are essential to safeguard lives in the face of natural disasters.
Continue Reading The Role of Federal and State Governments in Maintaining Healthcare During Natural DisastersHealthcare Providers Who Engage in Information Blocking Will Face Disincentives Described in an HHS Final Rule
By Donna Reuter & Tai Williams on
On June 24, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) released a final rule (“Disincentives Final Rule”) establishing disincentives for certain healthcare providers that have committed information blocking. The information blocking disincentives directly impact Medicare-enrolled healthcare providers or suppliers including hospitals, critical access hospitals, MIPS-eligible clinicians, and ACOs. The Disincentives Final Rule has been submitted to the Office of the Federal Register for publication and will become effective 30 days after Federal Register publication.
Continue Reading Healthcare Providers Who Engage in Information Blocking Will Face Disincentives Described in an HHS Final RuleNew CMS Incentives for Remote Patient Monitoring and Patient Access
By Maya Uppaluru on
Posted in Digital Health
CMS has issued its 2019 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule, containing highly anticipated new reimbursement policies for telehealth, remote monitoring, and other uses of digital tools, as well as updates to health IT requirements in the Quality Payment Program, with a stronger focus on patient access to health information. Comments are due September 10 at 5pm.
Continue Reading New CMS Incentives for Remote Patient Monitoring and Patient Access
CMS Issues Final Rules on MACRA Quality Payment Program Implementation
By Stephanie Willis on
Posted in Medicare
On November 2, 2016, the final rule with comment period (the “Final Rule”) implementing provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) relating to the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs) will be published in the Federal Register. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also…
Congress Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring
By Crowell & Moring on
Last week, Democrats and Republicans from both chambers introduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act (S. 2484, H.R. 4442), which would improve health care quality and realize cost savings by eliminating current restrictions on telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Click here to read our …