Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:
Health Affairs Publishes CMS Analysis that Shows Substantial Progress of Hospital Price Transparency Practices
February 14: CMS is making sure hospitals are moving in the right direction to provide consumers and stakeholder with required information on hospital charges. In a recent Health Affairs article called, “Hospital Price Transparency: Progress and Commitment to Achieving its Potential,” CMS outlines a new assessment of how hospitals have put price transparency requirements, that became effective on January 1, 2021, into practice and agency efforts to improve compliance.
CMS Analysis Provides Insight into Skilled Nursing Facility 3-Day Waiver in ACOs
February 17: A new CMS analysis describes trends in use and outcomes associated with waiving the three consecutive day inpatient stay requirement at an acute care hospital before discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). The 3-day waiver for certain accountable care organizations (ACOs) allows providers to admit patients to certain SNFs directly from the community or after only one to two days in a hospital. The analysis finds shorter SNF lengths of stay and higher rates of discharge-to-home for waiver stays as well as lower or similar rates of adverse outcomes relative to non-waiver stays.
CMS Seeks Participants for the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced Model
February 21: CMS seeks applications from Medicare-enrolled providers, suppliers and Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) for the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) Advanced Model Year 7, which will begin January 1, 2024. Under the BPCI Advanced Model, participating entities ensure that the patient’s entire health care team – including the providers from all health care settings – communicate and collaborate on the quality and total cost of the patient’s care. CMS released a request for applications, which are due May 31, 2023, and opened the portal for interested organization to apply. CMS anticipates selecting the new participants in December 2023.
CMS Releases New Information to Help Health Care Providers Prepare for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency on May 11
February 23: To help health care providers prepare for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023, CMS published updates about how the Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Marketplace programs will be affected at the conclusion of the PHE. CMS is taking these steps to keep health care providers informed as standards for compliance with CMS requirements are restored and other provider waivers will conclude as described in the updates. CMS’s approach aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority for an orderly, predictable transition leading into the close of the COVID-19 PHE.
February 21: To ensure that information about the ending of the COVID-19 PHE is accessible for people with Medicaid/CHIP coverage who have limited English proficiency or disabilities, CMS released information and resources to states about current language access requirements.
New Asthma Quality Improvement Resources from CMS Help States Better Serve Individuals Managing this Common Chronic Illness
February 23: CMS released new quality improvement resources from the Improving Asthma Control Affinity Group and hosted a webinar spotlighting several state projects. Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the U.S., especially among children. Even though there is no cure for asthma, it can be effectively managed. CMS continues to offer quality improvement technical assistance to help states improve asthma control for people in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs.
Other Recent Releases
February 13: Biden-Harris Administration Continues Unprecedented Efforts to Increase Transparency in Nursing Home Ownership
February 14: HHS Secretary Responds to the President's Executive Order on Drug Prices
February 15: CMS Proposes Benefit Expansion for Mobility Devices, Advancing Health Equity for People with Disabilities
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CMS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serves the public as a trusted partner and steward, dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes. The agency protects public health by administering the Medicare program and working in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, CHIP, and health insurance portability standards.
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