January 10, 2025

HIPAA Security Rule Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Electronic Protected Health Information, Comment by March 7

On January 6, 2025, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule to strengthen cybersecurity protections for electronic protected health information.

The proposal will strengthen the Security Rule’s standards and implementation specifications with new proposals and clarifications. This rule will impact hospitals, providers, health plans, and any other entity that use or transmit electronic protected health information. Comments are due by March 7, 2025.

Click Here to Read More and Make Comment

January 3, 2025

Application Now Open for Rural Community Hospitals to Participate in Demonstration Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting new applications for the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration. The demonstration tests cost-based reimbursement for Medicare inpatient services for small rural hospitals with fewer than 51 beds that are not eligible to be Critical Access Hospitals.

As part of a broader rural strategy initiative, CMS hosted a Rural Health Hackathon in August 2024 to collaboratively produce creative, actionable ideas to address health care challenges facing rural communities. This Request for Applications (RFA) is one effort to help address these challenges.

The RFA is open and available on Rural Community Hospital Demonstration webpage. Hospitals interested must apply by 11:59 Eastern Standard Time on March 1, 2025. Hospitals currently participating in the demonstration do not need to complete a new application.

For the latest information on the demonstration, visit the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration webpage.

If you have questions about the demonstration, please email RCHDemo@cms.hhs.gov.

January 3, 2025

Public Comment Period Now Open: Screening for Cervical Cancer USPSTF Draft Recommendation, Draft Evidence Review, and Draft Modeling Report, Comment by January 13

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 21 to 65 get screened regularly for cervical cancer and seeks comments on the following documents:

• Draft Recommendation statement
• Draft Evidence Review, and
• Draft Modeling Report.

Note the public comment period has been expanded from the standard four weeks to five weeks to account for the holidays. Comment by January 13, 2025.

To comment, click on the title of the draft document Here

December 20, 2024

Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model to End after Calendar Year 2025

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design Model (VBID) is ending on December 31, 2025.

CMS is ending the model due to negative financial performance. Through the model, participating MA plans have had greater flexibility in serving high needs and underserved beneficiaries, and many of the lessons learned from the model have been incorporated into the MA program as a whole. Upon the model’s end, some beneficiaries in VBID MA plans may need to select a new MA plan or go back to traditional Medicare in 2026.

Click Here to Learn More

December 20, 2024

CMS Guidance on Co-location Arrangements in CAHs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released guidance providing clarity on how Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) may leverage space sharing arrangements with other healthcare entities, such as private physician practices, to increase access to care and services within the community, while maintaining independent compliance with all applicable Conditions of Participation (CoPs).

Because CAHs must maintain a specified distance from another hospital or CAH, they cannot share space with these types of facilities. This guidance explains how a CAH may share space with other types of health care providers through either a ‘time share’ arrangement or a ‘leased space’ arrangement and meet requirements of their CoPs.

Click Here to Learn More

December 20, 2024

Rural Health Clinic CY 2025 All-Inclusive Rate

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) all-inclusive rate for calendar year (CY) 2025. The payment limit per visit for independent and provider based RHCs in hospitals with 50 or more beds is $152.00.

The payment limit per visit for specified provider based RHCs, with an April 1, 2021, established payment limit, that continue to meet the qualifications in section 1833(f)(3)(B) of the Social Security Act is the greater of these amounts:

• Your payment limit per visit starting January 1, 2024, increased by 3.5 percent;
• The national statutory CY 2025 payment limit per visit of $152.00.

For more information see:

• Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 9, section 20.2, and
• Instruction to your Medicare Administrative Contractor.

December 20, 2024

CMS Seeking Input to Protect Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting comments to inform future decision-making regarding how the agency can best protect Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) and Medicare beneficiaries.

MBIs have been targeted by individuals seeking to commit Medicare fraud, including the use of MBI lookup tools to commit MBI theft. CMS is seeking input and information related to the following topic areas:

• Organizations that operate an externally controlled MBI lookup tool;
• Users of MBI lookup tools, both CMS-operated and externally controlled;
• Potential benefit or impact of prohibiting or restricting externally controlled MBI lookup tools;
• Safeguards or best practices from inside or outside healthcare that CMS should consider for preventing MBI theft and misuse.

Click Here for more information and the full list of questions.

To provide comments, Click Here and fill out and submit the survey by Monday, February 17.