CHA has submitted its comment letter in response to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) proposed rule to revise safe harbors under the anti-kickback statute (AKS) and civil monetary penalty (CMP) rules regarding beneficiary inducements. The proposed rule would create new safe harbors for value-based arrangements and patient engagement, and would expand other existing safe harbors.
CHA has submitted its comment letter on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule to modernize regulations under the physician self-referral law – also known as the Stark Law. While CHA generally supports many of the provisions outlined in the proposed rule, additional changes are needed to advance the shared goals of care coordination and reduced administrative burden.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will hold a stakeholder meeting Jan. 10 at 2 p.m. to discuss the development of certified nurse assistant and home health aide criminal clearance regulations. The department requests that participants be prepared to provide feedback on a set of questions specifically related to the regulations.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals this week ruled the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is unconstitutional. The court did not invalidate the entire law, but sent the case back to a Texas district court for a decision about whether other provisions can exist without the mandate. In response, CHA issued a media statement denouncing the ruling and reaffirming its support for the Affordable Care Act.
Registration for CHA’s annual Hospital Compliance Seminar is now open. The event will be held Feb. 13 in Sacramento and will also be live streamed, enabling attendees to join the seminar from the comfort of their office or conference room and invite colleagues to participate. The one-day seminar will review changes in state and federal law and provide insights to help protect hospitals and their staff.
California birthing hospitals are invited to participate in the Hospital Quality Institute’s (HQI) Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Learning Community, aimed at helping hospitals strengthen approaches to mental health in the perinatal period. Download a program description and application, and register for an informational webinar on Jan. 15, 2020.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Office of Inspector General, and Health Resources and Services Administration issued the following updates this week:
Payment for Outpatient Clinic Visit Services at Excepted Off-Campus Provider-Based Departments: Updated
OIG Report on Incorrect Medicare EHR Incentive Payments
HHS Issues Proposed Rules on Organ Procurement
Covered California this week released new data at the halfway point of its current open-enrollment period. As of Dec. 16, about 230,000 consumers had selected a plan, representing an increase of approximately 16% over the same time last year. In addition, more than 1 million people have renewed their plans for the upcoming year.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) confirmed with CHA this week that the state fiscal year 2018-19 Hospital Fee Program managed care pass through payments will be paid to Medi-Cal managed care plans with their February 2020 capitations. As a result, DHCS will issue the associated hospital fee invoices to hospitals at the end of this month, with an expected due date to DHCS of Jan. 21, 2020.
Yesterday, CHA submitted recommendations to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) on its California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative proposal, the state’s multi-year initiative to redesign the Medi-Cal delivery system.
