Federal Register DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of Inspector General 42 CFR Parts 1001 and 1003 Medicare and State Health Care Programs: Fraud and Abuse; Revisions to Safe Harbors Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, and Civil Monetary Penalty Rules Regarding Beneficiary Inducements–This final rule amends the safe harbors to the Federal anti-kickback statute by […]
HOSPICES FACE CHALLENGES OF WORKING WITH PATIENTS WHO USE CANNABIS In “Navigating Medical Cannabis Is Continuing Challenge in Hospice and Palliative Care,” author Larry Beresford examines the difficulties that patients and providers face in using and overseeing the use of cannabis. The article, published by Shively Institute for Palliative Care, explores these challenges, especially the […]
Texas Register TITLE 22. EXAMINING BOARDS PART 9. TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD CHAPTER 174. TELEMEDICINE SUBCHAPTER A. TELEMEDICINE 22 TAC §174.5—The Texas Medical Board (Board) adopts, on an emergency basis, amendments to 22 TAC §174.5, effective November 3, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. On March 13, the Governor of Texas certified COVID-19 as posing an imminent threat of […]
NHPCO ANNOUNCES POLICY AGENDA NHPCO, working with stakeholders, says that the organization will work on a number of policy priorities for the remainder of 2020 and 2021. The priorities focus on leading “person- and family-centered care.” “Throughout 2020,” says Edo Banach, NHPCO President, “NHPCO has strongly encouraged Congress and the Administration to promote the […]
MEDICARE CARE CHOICES MODEL RANKS WELL ON PATIENT SATISFACTION, QUALITY OF END OF LIFE, AND REDUCED COST At the end of the third year of implementation, evaluations of the Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) have been released. In the CMS Perspective, found at the first ink below, readers are reminded that MCCM began because […]
Federal Register DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration 21 CFR Part 1308 Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of Oliceridine in Schedule II–On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug application for oliceridine, chemically known as N-[(3-methoxythiophen-2-yl)methyl] ({2-[(9R)-9-(pyridin-2-yl)-6-oxaspiro [4.5]decan-9-yl]ethyl{time} )amine fumarate. The Department of Health and Human Services […]
SURVEY FINDS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PATIENTS ARE LESS PLEASED WITH END-OF-LIFE CARE THAN TRADITIONAL MEDICARE PATIENTS An increasing number of Medicare beneficiaries choose to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA). How has MA served patients as they die? This is the question asked by researchers who recently reported in JAMA Network Open. The researchers’ survey of […]
Federal News and Information Hospice Visits When Death is Imminent: Measure Validity Testing Summary and Re-Specifications Report The Hospice Visits When Death is Imminent (HVWDII) report analyzes a measure pair focused on visits received by hospice patients in the last days of life, specifically the last week of life. Measure 1 was found to meet […]
HOSPICE PATIENT REFERRAL SITE IMPACTS HOSPICE EXPERIENCE The site from where patients are referred to hospice tends to make a difference in their care. Findings from the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy offer information about the referral site for hospice, and call the findings “an important step toward improving the care experiences of […]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Trump Administration Partners with CVS and Walgreens to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine to Protect Vulnerable Americans in Long-Term Care Facilities Nationwide To meet the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed (OWS) goals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) today announced agreements with CVS […]