Creating a Roadmap for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plays an important role in protecting the health and safety of all Americans as they journey through the health care system. This is especially true during a pandemic, natural disaster, or other emergencies. Throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), CMS has used a combination of emergency authority waivers, regulations, enforcement discretion, and sub-regulatory guidance to ensure access to care and give health care providers the flexibilities needed to respond to COVID-19 and help keep people safer. Many of these waivers and ... August 30, 2022 CMS, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health Care System Resiliency: Preparing the Health Care System for Operation After the Public Health Emergency Preparing the Health Care System for Operation After the Public Health Emergency: Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra extended the existing COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) through October 15, 2022 – and has committed to providing states, health care providers and other stakeholders a 60-day notice before ending the PHE. At the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS used emergency waiver authorities and various regulatory authorities to enable flexibilities so providers could rapidly respond to people impacted by COVID-19. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ... August 23, 2022 CMS, COVID19, Public Health Resiliency 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA report shows physician Medicare revenue down 19% over first half of 2020 The economic impact of COVID-19 on health care continues to reveal itself through reductions in patient volume and revenue and in higher practice costs. As the pandemic stretches on, physician practice viability remains under threat. Financial impacts were assessed with a claims-based analysis of changes in Medicare physician spending for the first six months of 2020 and a nationwide survey of physicians in July and August of 2020. Medicare physician spending The report “Changes in Medicare Physician Spending During the COVID-19 Pandemic” provides an in-depth look at impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic ... March 4, 2021 AMA, CMS, COVID19, Medicare AMA, COVID-19, Medicare, Report 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS holds physicians harmless from MIPS penalties amid COVID-19 PHE CMS to Apply MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy for the 2020 Performance Period in Response to COVID-19; Reopens Application Today, CMS announced it will hold physicians harmless from up to 9% MIPS penalties due to the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 public health emergency on physician practices’ performance in 2020. The Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Hardship Exception policy will be automatically applied to ALL MIPS eligible clinicians who do not submit any MIPS data for the 2020 performance period and avoid a 2022 payment penalty. CMS is also reopening the ... February 25, 2021 CMS, COVID19, MIPS CMS, COVID-19, MIPS 0 0 Comment Read More »
A Letter to Doctors from CMS Administrator Seema Verma In a letter addressed to doctors, CMS Administrator Seema Verma reaffirmed the federal agency’s commitment to “turning the tide” of rising rates of physician burnout and reducing clinical documentation requirements to cut provider burden. A Letter to Doctors from CMS Administrator Seema Verma Dear Doctor, Thank you for the difference you make in your patients’ lives. Many of our nation’s best and brightest students go into medicine – the competition is intense for every spot. To become a practicing physician, you had to put in years of training, hours of studying, and ... July 17, 2018 CMS, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
