Month: January 2022

Open Payments Program Year 2020 Data Refresh

Date: January 25, 2022

The Open Payments data has been updated to reflect changes to the data that took place since the last publication in June 2021. The updated dataset is now available for viewing at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) refreshes the Open Payments data at least once annually to include updates from disputes and other data corrections made since the initial publication of the data. The refreshed Open Payments Data Set includes:

  • Record Updates: Changes to non-disputed records made on or before November 15, 2021, are published.
  • Disputed Records: Dispute resolutions completed on or before December 31, 2021 are displayed with the updated information. Records with active disputes that remained unresolved as of December 31, 2021 are displayed as disputed.
  • Record Deletions: Records deleted before December 31, 2021 were removed from the Open Payments database. Records deleted after December 31, 2021, remained in the database, but will be removed during the next data publication in June 2022.

The following is not included in the data refresh:

  • Any records submitted to the Open Payments system for the first time after the close of the Program Year 2020 submission window (March 31, 2021). 
  • Any records disputed and for which dispute resolution resulted in a change to the covered recipient.

Updates not included in the refresh are due to the requirement that covered recipients must have an opportunity to review their attributed data for accuracy. For more information about the Open Payments Program timeline, visit www.cms.gov/openpayments

Applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) submitted the Open Payments financial data; CMS publishes the data as received and does not alter the data in any way.

Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 Payment Rollout

Date: January 25, 2022

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is making more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers across the country this week. With this funding, more than $18 billion will have been distributed from the Provider Relief Fund and the American Rescue Plan Rural provider funding in the last three months. 

These payments come on the heels of the nearly $9 billion in funding that was already released by HHS in December 2021. With today’s announcement, a total of nearly $11 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments has now been distributed to more than 74,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories and approximately 82 percent of all Phase 4 applications have now been processed.

NRHA’s New Rural Health Advocacy Guide

Date: January 25, 2022

The National Rural Health Associations’ (NRHA) goal is to connect you and hundreds of rural health stakeholders to help members of Congress, the executive branch, and federal staff understand what is needed to improve rural health and health care.

NRHA created a new advocacy 101 guide to help members more effectively amplify their voices through information and tools provided by the association and make the most of every opportunity to educate Capitol Hill on the power of rural.

Engagement in activities including the association’s virtual 33rd Rural Health Policy Institute Feb. 8-10 and ongoing grassroots campaigns allows NRHA members to actively participate in advocacy efforts to bring about needed rural health policy and legislation.

Learn more

NRHA encourages all rural health stakeholders to review this guide and plan to attend NRHA’s Advocacy 101 workshop Feb. 9 by registering for the association’s 33rd Policy Institute at the discounted virtual rate of $260 or $130 for students.

One thing everyone can agree on is that rural should be a priority. But does Congress know what’s next for rural health? As NRHA navigates the new normal, direct advocacy is how NRHA can make sure elected officials know what unique rural communities need.

NHRA looks forward to collaborating at the biggest rural advocacy event in the country and in your rural health advocacy efforts throughout the year.

Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Coding & Billing Bootcamp

Date: January 24, 2022

Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Coding & Billing Bootcamp

Webinar Date: March 15-16

Time: 10:00 AM ET

Register

This VIRTUAL LIVE Bootcamp series covers what revenue cycle and coding/billing staff in CAHs need to know related to their documentation, professional and facility coding, and medical billing processes. 

ArchProCoding will describe the vital areas that affect all members of the CAH workforce related to CPT, HCPCS-II,& ICD-10-CM coding and billing; focusing on their impact on revenue, facility mission, population, and public health reporting.

  • Coders/billers who have come from “traditional provider offices or hospitals” or are new to the unique nature of billing for the services of CAHs and/or Small Rural Hospitals will benefit by gaining a better understanding of the CAH designation and CAH-specific rules for coding/billing.
  • Managers who hire staff, manage people and policies, supervise the coding/billing staff will benefit by gaining a high-level overview of CAH designation criteria and the systems/processes required to main CAH status with emphasis on coding/billing.
  • Providers who create clinical documentation (e.g. MD/DO/PA/NP) will benefit by gaining a better understanding of the coding/billing nuances that are specific to different hospital service areas.

Session #1 – March 15, 2022

  • Introduction and Testing Details
  • Overview of CAH Designation and Cost-Based Reimbursement
  • Introduction/Review of Coding Manuals
  • Swing Bed and Inpatient Coding
  • Outpatient/Ancillary Facility Coding
  • Emergency Department Facility and Professional Fee Coding

Session #2 – March 16, 2022

  • Same-Day Surgery and Anesthesia Coding
  • Hospital Professional Fee Coding
  • Billing and reimbursement overview for Swing bed, Inpatient facility, Hospital Outpatient facility, and hospital professional fees
  • The Method I, Method II, and CRNA Pass-through payment option
  • Revenue codes and their relationship to CPT codes, Billing, Compliance, and cost reporting
  • Guidance on how improving current billing practices and systems can translate into increased revenues
  • Identification of common issues that impact denials
  • COVID-19 Coding/Billing Updates

School-Administered Loan Programs Informational Webinar and Q&A Session

Date: January 24, 2022

The Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) invites public schools and educational institutions to take advantage of its School-Administered Loans. These programs provide schools with funding to offer low, fixed-rate loans to students pursuing health care careers. 

Webinar Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Time: 1:30P – 3:00P ET

For dial-in only:

  • Phone Number: 833-568-8864
  • Meeting ID: 160 145 8254
  • Passcode: 87805195

This webinar will:

  • Review eligibility requirements
  • Provide information about the application process
  • Share timelines for the application review process
  • Provide answers to frequently asked questions and respond to questions in real time

Applications accepted until:

  • Tuesday, February 15, 11:59P ET.

Advancing Health Equity among Hispanic/Latino Populations Webinar Series – Part 3

Date: January 24, 2022

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HRSA IEA) invites you to the 3rd session in the series titled Improving Digital Health Literacy among Hispanic/Latino Populations.

 Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Time: 12:00pm – 1:15pm CST 

 Session Objectives:

  • Explain the importance of digital health literacy, digital equity, and telehealth in improving access to care in underserved communities
  • Describe barriers to digital health literacy in Hispanic/Latino communities
  • Identify best practices and resources to advance digital health literacy among Hispanic/Latino populations

Featured Speakers:

  • Dr. Ana Maria Lopez, Professor and Vice Chair of Medical Oncology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Chief of Cancer Services at Jefferson-Health New Jersey, and President-Emeritus of the American College of Physicians
  • Meghan Garcia, MPH, FNP, APRN, Community Health Center, Inc.
  • Joelle Isidor, Program Manager, Connecticut River Valley Farmworker Health Program/ Community Health Center, Inc. Branch
  • Nancy Rios, Regional Administrator, HRSA IEA Region 7 – Kansas City

 Moderator:

  • Veronica Roa, Public Health Analyst, HRSA IEA Region 1 – Boston

Registration is available here.

HRSA IEA will broadcast the session in Spanish with live language interpretation to English. Prior to the session, registrants will receive a copy of the presentation in English with instructions for accessing the interpretation services and closed captioning.

For more information about the session, please contact Veronica Roa at VRoa@hrsa.gov.

For information about HRSA programs, resources, and HRSA IEA, please visit hrsa.gov and https://www.hrsa.gov/about/organization/offices/hrsa-iea.

This Learning Series is being coordinated by HRSA’s Offices of Intergovernmental and External Affairs in Region 1- Boston, Region 6- Dallas, Region 7- Kansas City, and Region 2- New York.

CMS Special Open Door Forum – A Deep Dive for Providers on Balance Billing Under the No Surprises Act

Date: January 24, 2022

The next CMS Special Open Door Forum will be a deep dive for providers on the balance billing provisions of the No Surprises Act

Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM ET

Please dial-in at least 15 minutes before call start time.

Conference Leaders: Eugene Freund, MD, MSPH and Elyse Mowle, PhD

Please send questions in advance with the Subject Line “Questions for 1/26 Open Door Forum” to Provider_Enforcement@cms.hhs.gov. CMS may not be able to answer all questions individually but will incorporate them into future communications, FAQs and guidance.

Resources: You can find the slide deck for this talk at: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/a274577-1a-training-1-balancing-billingfinal508.pdf, which is on https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/Policies-and-Resources/Provider-requirements-and-resources. 

Also see https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

This call will be Conference Call Only.

To participate by phone:

  • Dial: 1-888-455-1397
  • Reference Conference Passcode: 5109694

Persons participating by phone do not need to RSVP. TTY Communications Relay Services are available for the Hearing Impaired.  For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880. A Relay Communications Assistant will help.

Instant Replay: 1-800-308-7855;

Instant Replay is an audio recording of this call that can be accessed by dialing 1-800-308-7855 and entering the Conference Passcode beginning 1 hours after the call has ended. The recording is available until January 28, 2022, 11:59PM ET.

Long COVID and Fatiguing Illness Recovery Program

Date: January 20, 2022

Long COVID &Fatiguing Illness Recovery Program (LC&FIRP) ECHO Webpage: https://hsc.unm.edu/echo/partner-portal/programs/covid-19-response/us-covid19/long-covid-fatiguing-illness-recovery/

Registration: https://echo.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bahjLohdT42ZKuVEEsHD5w

The LC&FIRP ECHO is intended for primary care providers but patient lived experience experts and advocates are welcomed.

Family Health Centers of San Diego, the ECHO Institute, University of Washington, and University of Colorado have collaborated to provide a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded monthly webinar-style ECHO learning session to rapidly disseminate Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-COV-2 infection (PASC) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) findings and emerging best practices. This large-scale national monthly ECHO webinar series will offer didactic presentations by subject matter experts, examples of emerging best practices and models of care, and a facilitated Questions & Answers. This program is open to all healthcare professionals and all Long COVID and ME/CFS patient-lived experience experts interested in learning more about the treatment of Long COVID and ME/CFS.

Next session: February 10, 2022.  

Watch: Expanded Eligibility Allows More Rural Clinicians to Qualify for Loan Repayment Webinar

Date: January 20, 2022

There is still time to apply to a National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs (NHSC LRPs)

Accepting applications through February 3, 2022

APPLY NOW

Learn more about the three LRPs accepting applications:

Additional Resources:

NRHA Supports Actions to Protect CAHs, Train Rural Physicians

Date: January 20, 2022

Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.) recently sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting to reverse a policy that puts vulnerable hospitals at risk of losing their Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status. “Ensuring that these vital, lifeline hospitals are able to maintain their payment status during and beyond the COVID-19 public health emergency is critical to the wellness of rural Americans,” says the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Chief Executive Officer Alan Morgan. NRHA also supports the bipartisan Medical Student Education Authorization Act, which would reauthorize and expand the Medical Student Education Program for five years. “Programs like [this] are critical to ensuring rural communities have the workforce they need to provide services for their residents,” Morgan says. Physician Irfan Asif of the University of Alabama at Birmingham also offers tips for strengthening America’s health system, including growing the primary care pipeline. Your community perspective is needed to enact NRHA’s plans to ensure rural equity in federal health policy at NRHA’s virtual 33rd Rural Health Policy Institute Feb. 8-10.