Wednesday, April 15 Recap
Note – We believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time, but it is subject to change as circumstances warrant. Also, all finalized resources can be found on the COVID-19 Resource Center page of Hall Render’s website.
CMS Administrator Says More CARES Funds Coming This Week
- CMS Administrator Seema Verma said this afternoon that the second tranche of money from the $100 billion for health care providers in the CARES Act will be released before the end of this week. She said a portion of this tranche will be focused on hotspots. It may also include funds for high Medicaid and some rural providers.
Congressional Outlook
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer resumed negotiations over an interim spending bill intended to shore up funds in the Paycheck Protection Program, which is expected to run out of funds today. Senator Schumer’s staff told participants in a telephone call today that he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are also holding firm on adding an additional $100 billion for hospitals and $150 billion for state and local governments to any such spending bill. The staff said the measure could be passed by voice vote in the Senate on Monday.
CMS Increases Medicare Payment for High-Production COVID-19 Lab Tests
- CMS announced Medicare will nearly double payment for certain lab tests that use high-throughput technologies to rapidly diagnose large numbers of COVID-19 cases.
AHA and AMA Release Cybersecurity Guide for Physicians Working from Home
- The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association released cybersecurity recommendations for physicians and hospitals to enhance cybersecurity protections in the remote work environment.
CMS Postpones 2019 Benefit Year HHS-Operated Risk Adjustment Data Validation
- CMS postponed the 2019 benefit year HHS Risk Adjustment Data Validation (“HHS-RADV”) process.
CMS Updates the Medicaid & CHIP Guidance on CARES Act
- CMS recently updated Frequently Asked Questions on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act for Medicaid and CHIP guidance.
For more information, please contact:
- John Williams III at (202) 370-9585 or jwilliams@wp.hallrender.com;
- Andrew Coats at (202) 370-9587 or acoats@wp.hallrender.com;
- Abby Kaericher at (202) 780-2989 or akaericher@wp.hallrender.com; or
- Your regular Hall Render attorney.
Hall Render’s attorneys and professionals continue to maintain the most up-to-date information and resources at our COVID-19 Resource page, through our 24/7 COVID‑19 Hotline at (317) 429-3900 or by contacting your regular Hall Render attorney.
Hall Render blog posts and articles are intended for informational purposes only. For ethical reasons, Hall Render attorneys cannot—outside of an attorney-client relationship—answer specific questions that would be legal advice.