Programs

Regulatory Updates

Total of 168 Records Returned

State: All

CMS Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Quality Measure Fact Sheet

Program: Hospice

CMS updated the Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Quality Measure Background and Methodology Fact Sheet during January 2024.  This fact sheet helps providers understand the key care measures that are captured in this measure and how the measure is calculated.

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State: All

Hospice Provider Enrollment Reminder

Date Posted : 02/7/2024

Date Effective : 01/1/2024

Program: Hospice

CMS has issued a revised version of MLM Matters number MM13333.  In this revision, CMS notes all Medicare providers and suppliers must report all current managing employees, including the medical director and administrator.  Hospices who may not have previously reported this information must do so now.

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State: Iowa

Iowa – Practice of Respiratory Care Practitioners

Date Proposed : 01/24/2024

Program: Sleep

Provides Iowans, licensees, and their employers with definitions relevant to the practice of respiratory care and polysomnography, including the code of ethics, guidance on intravenous administration and the setup and delivery of respiratory care equipment, the role of students, requirements for the location of the practice of polysomnography, and services provided by each profession. These rules articulate practice standards and provide a scope of practice for the profession.

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State: All

Refillable DMEPOS Documentation Requirements

Date Posted : 01/18/2024

Date Effective : 01/1/2024

Program: Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies, Pharmacy

Affected Providers

  • Suppliers
  • Other providers billing Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for DMEPOS services they provide to Medicare patients Action Needed
Make sure your staff knows about:
  • Updated documentation requirements for refillable DMEPOS
  • The requirement to contact the patient before refilling DMEPOS

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State: All

DME – Predictive Risk-Scoring Algorithm Pilot Program

Date Proposed : 01/18/2024

Program: Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies

Establish a pilot program for testing the use predictive risk-scoring algorithm to provide oversight of payments for durable medical equipment and clinical diagnostic laboratory tests under the Medicare program.

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State: California

California Senate Bill (SB) 302 – Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act

Date Effective : 01/1/2023

Program: Acute Care Hospital, Home Health, Hospice

​Patients Over 65 With a Chronic Disease

Effective January 1, 2023, a patient over the age of 65 who has received a physician's assessment declaring that they have a serious medical condition, as defined by Health and Safety Code (HSC) section 11362.7 (h), and that the use of medicinal cannabis is appropriate must be allowed use of medicinal cannabis by a SNF, CLHF, SH, HOFA, or HHA. Patients over 65 with a chronic disease and a physician's recommendation for medicinal cannabis use must provide the health care facility a copy of their medical marijuana card or written documentation of the physician's assessment and recommendation. GACH patients over 65 with a chronic disease are excluded from the bill's medicinal cannabis authorization; however, terminally ill GACH patients may continue to use medicinal cannabis. No patient receiving emergency services and care may use medicinal cannabis.

Inclusion of HHA Patients

SB 302 adds HHAs to the Act's definition of health care facilities; therefore, they must allow both terminally ill patients and those over 65 with a chronic disease to use medicinal cannabis. This bill exempts HHA patients from the prohibition against smoking or vaping medicinal cannabis but requires each HHA to prohibit cannabis smoking or vaping immediately before or while HHA staff are present in the patient's residence. The bill also exempts HHAs from the following Act requirements:
  • Secure storage of the medicinal cannabis. 
  • Development and dissemination of written guidelines for the use and disposal of medicinal cannabis.
  • Removal and disposal of remaining medicinal cannabis by the health care facility after a patient's discharge.

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