This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued all facilities letter (AFL) 20-32.2, which provides updated information regarding regulatory enforcement of specified skilled nursing facility (SNF) requirements during the current public health emergency. Specifically, the AFL extends the existing waiver for change of service, space use, increase in capacity until June 1, 2021, and rescinds all temporary COVID-19 staffing waivers, effective March 1, 2021.
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 27, the House of Representatives passed a modified version of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319), a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that focuses on vaccines, testing, and public health, while also providing assistance to individuals and families, among other provisions. The Senate will consider the bill this week and is expected to further modify the legislation.
Key health care provisions include:
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On March 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PT), the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) will hold the first meeting of its Hospital Diversity Commission, which is comprised of representatives from health care, procurement, and other stakeholders.
The No Surprises Act was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. It addresses surprise medical billing for federally-regulated plans and in states without surprise billing laws. Most sections of the legislation are effective Jan. 1, 2022. As the name implies, this Act prohibits patients from getting surprise bills in certain out-of-network situations. The Departments of Health & Human Services, Treasury and Labor will issue regulations and guidance to implement numerous provisions.
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
On Feb. 26, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury updated guidance related to COVID-19 testing. The clarifications should improve access to no-cost-sharing COVID-19 testing for both the insured and uninsured. However, it stops short of requiring health plan coverage of COVID-19 testing for public health surveillance.
The updated guidance clarifies that under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act health plans:
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Feb. 26 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, after increasing for 13 years, the U.S. suicide rate dropped overall by 2% between 2018 and 2019. But the report cautioned those figures do not account for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
CHA will host a webinar with Hooper, Lundy, & Bookman, PC, on March 3 from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. (PT) to review the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requirements for 340B self-audit of fee-for-service claims data, and to discuss developments to date. DHCS announced in July it would send letters to every 340B provider/covered entity demanding they conduct a self-audit.
While some hospitals have already received these letters, most have not. That is expected to change soon, and this complimentary, members-only webinar will help hospitals prepare by answering these questions:
The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every Thursday and is at the core of CHA benefits. In addition, it is also home to resources such as toolkits and talking points designed to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of […]
This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
Updated Implementation Timeline Announced for Statewide Vaccine Network
Today, the state of California and Blue Shield of California announced in a press release that on March 1:
