Articles and Blogs

CMS issued a memo update announcing additional blanket waivers for providers, including hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This memo includes several service enhancements and waivers for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”). CMS issued the hospital and SNF waivers to address potential skilled nursing bed... READ MORE

Over the past several months, the federal government has issued copious amounts of new regulations, provided waivers to longstanding laws and made large sums of money available to health care entities. OIG published the “OIG Strategic Plan: Oversight of COVID-19 Response and Recovery” on May 26, 2020 to transparently let the health care industry... READ MORE

CMS issued explanatory guidance in reference to blanket waivers of the sanctions under 1877(g) of the Social Security Act. The guidance answered lingering questions about rental compensation arrangements that would allow for repayment to occur beyond the end of the term of the emergency waivers, such as emergency rent abatement arrangements. The explanatory guidance... READ MORE

On April 6, 2020, HHS Office of Inspector General issued a report summarizing OIG’s interviews with hospital administrators across the country on COVID-19. The interviews focused on three key issues facing hospitals during the current crisis, including: 1) challenges responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) strategies to mitigate the challenges; and 3) needs for... READ MORE