July 20, 2020 Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing guidance to ensure that recipients of federal financial assistance understand that they must comply with applicable federal civil rights laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national […]
HHS To Begin Distributing $10 Billion in Additional Funding to Hospitals in High Impact COVID-19 Areas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 17, 2020 Contact: HHS Press Office 202-690-6343 media@hhs.gov HHS To Begin Distributing $10 Billion in Additional Funding to Hospitals in High Impact COVID-19 Areas Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing it will begin distributing $10 billion in a […]
Some states cement COVID-19 telehealth expansions
July 08, 2020 SHELBY LIVINGSTON Some states that expanded telehealth access and coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic are moving to make those changes permanent. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill on Monday that expands telehealth access by barring insurers from requiring that patients have a pre-established relationship with a virtual care provider or imposing […]
CMS: Permanent telehealth changes coming to home health
June 25, 2020 MICHAEL BRADY CMS wants to make permanent changes to telehealth flexibilities for home health providers, the agency said Thursday. The Trump administration loosened telehealth restrictions for home health providers during the COVID-19 pandemic but now wants them to go beyond the public health emergency. According to the proposed rule, CMS is looking […]
Hospitals lose HHS lawsuit over price transparency
June 23, 2020 MICHAEL BRADY A federal judge sided with the Trump administration Tuesday, saying that HHS can force hospitals to reveal the prices they negotiate with insurers. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington D.C. wrote that HHS had the right to issue the rule because it considered the concerns of providers and payers, acknowledged conflicting information […]
Telehealth explosion points to need for more research on quality of care provided
June 18, 2020 02:57 PM MARIA CASTELLUCCI As telehealth adoption takes off in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, quality analysts and health systems claim much is still unknown about the quality of these virtual visits. Telehealth is often touted for its ability to improve access to care and lower healthcare spending, but those assertions haven’t […]
COVID-19 reshapes healthcare utilization
June 10, 2020 ALEX KACIK Healthcare professional services utilization dropped by nearly 70% in April year over year, resulting in a 50% decline in revenue, according to Fair Health’s new analysis of 31 billion commercial claims. COVID-19 hit the Northeast the hardest as utilization of professional services—defined as any service provided by a practitioner instead of being billed […]
Hospitals continue to shed jobs in May as healthcare bounces back
June 05, 2020 TARA BANNOW Healthcare hiring began to bounce in May, but hosptial still shed jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic affected their finances. Hospitals shed 26,700 jobs in May, which is not as steep as the BLS’ estimate that they lost 135,000 jobs in April. Several health systems including UW Medicine in Wisconsin and Cape […]
Next phase of telemedicine to move beyond video visits
JESSICA KIM COHEN May 23, 2020 In the wake of COVID-19, Modern Healthcare moved its annual Transformation Summit online. The five-part webinar series brought together healthcare and technology leaders to discuss topics like innovation in times of emergency, patient-centered care and mental health. The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the U.S. may have given telemedicine adoption a […]
Top 10 Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities
May 18, 2020 Recently the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an alert identifying the top 10 cybersecurity vulnerabilities routinely exploited by foreign malicious actors. OCR is sharing this alert with our listserv to raise awareness of these vulnerabilities so organizations can take appropriate actions to […]