Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

CARES Act Offers Additional Funds to Healthcare Providers Offering Care, Diagnoses, or Testing Related to COVID-19

Client Alert
April 8, 2020

In order to help prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, a $100 billion fund, run through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), has been made available to cover non-reimbursable costs attributable to COVID-19 under the CARES Act. This fund has been designed to get money into the health care system as quickly as possible. As such, applications will be reviewed, and payments will be made, on a rolling basis. HHS has been given significant flexibility in determining how the funds are to be allocated, as opposed to operating under a mandated formula or process for awarding the funds. While the Secretary of HHS has not yet released guidance on the application process, this is expected in the near future. BMD will provide updates as soon as this information becomes available.

Who is eligible under the PHSSEF Fund?

Eligible entities include hospitals, public entities, and Medicare- or Medicaid-enrolled suppliers and providers that provide COVID-19 related diagnosis, care, or testing.

What expenses qualify for funding?

This funding is meant to cover non-reimbursable costs and expenses related to COVID-19. Examples include:

  • Building or retrofitting new ICUs
  • Increased staffing or training
  • Leasing of properties, medical supplies, and equipment, including personal protective equipment and testing supplies
  • Building of temporary structures
  • Forgone revenue from cancelled procedures

It is important to note that expenses reimbursed or obligated to be reimbursed by insurance or other mechanisms are not eligible. The Secretary of HHS has been instructed to establish a reconciliation process under which payments will have to be returned to the fund if other sources provide reimbursement for expenses.  

BMD will continue to educate health care providers as additional information and further guidance on COVID-19 become available. For questions, contact any Member of BMD's Healthcare & Hospital Law group.

CARES ActProvidersHealthcareHealthcare LawCOVID-19PHSSEF Fund
Client Alert

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s Latest Batch of Rules: What Providers Should Know

January 15, 2024The Ohio Board of Pharmacy released several new rules and proposed amendments to existing rules over the past month that will significantly impact pharmacy operations. Topics range from updates to the Terminal Distributor of Dangerous Drugs license to mobile clinics to mandatory rest breaks for pharmacists of outpatient pharmacies. A summary of the proposed changes is below, along with instructions for commenting on the rules. Your BMD healthcare attorney can help write comment letters and submit the comments on your behalf as well.Client Alert

Employee or Independent Contractor? New Guidance Issued by the Department of Labor

January 10, 2024On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited final rule — effective March 11, 2024 — revising its prior interpretation of worker classifications under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new final rule rescinds the standard previously established in 2021, in turn, shifting the analysis of whether a worker is an employee (versus an independent contractor) of a business from a more streamlined “economic reality” test to a more complex “totality of the circumstances” standard.Client Alert

Increased Medicaid Rates to Take Effect This Month for Ohio Providers

January 5, 2024As required by House Bill 33, Ohio’s 2024-2025 operating budget bill, reimbursement rates paid by the Ohio Department of Medicaid will increase for a wide range of providers starting on January 1, 2024.Client Alert

Corporate Transparency Act Update

December 27, 2023The Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), with an effective date of January 1, 2024, is set to impose strict reporting guidelines on business owners throughout the country. The following provides a brief update on two aspects of the CTA ahead of its effectiveness next week.Client Alert

The Second Wave of UnitedHealthcare's Prior Authorization Cuts Started in November

December 11, 2023In August 2023, UnitedHealthcare released its plan to eliminate roughly one-fifth of its then-current prior authorization requirements. The first round of prior authorization cuts took effect on September 1, 2023. In that round, UnitedHealthcare eliminated the necessity for some prior authorizations for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage, UnitedHealthcare commercial, UnitedHealthcare Oxford and UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange plan members. The second and final round of prior authorization cuts began on November 1, 2023. The November 2023 Prior Authorization Cuts apply to the same plans as well as community plans (i.e., Medicaid managed care plans).
Older posts
Newer posts