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HHS Announces Relief Funding for Medicaid & CHIP Providers, Safety Net Hospitals
HHS said Tuesday it expects to distribute about $15 billion through the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to eligible providers who participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Distribution. HRSA will also distribute about $10 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to the nation’s safety-net hospitals, which is expected to happen this week. HHS said it will launch an enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal on Wednesday that is intended to allow eligible Medicaid and CHIP…
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NABH-The Kennedy Forum Op-Ed
In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced some hopeful news when it reported a slight uptick in U.S. life expectancy following years of decline largely due to historic rates of overdoses and suicides. Sadly, COVID-19 has the potential to reverse serious progress made in addressing our nation’s mental health and addiction crises — particularly around overdose rates — unless policymakers mitigate the pandemic’s serious effects on behavioral health in the next stimulus package. Read More
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CMS Expects FY 2021 IPF Payments to Increase by 2.4%
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 10 said it expects payments to inpatient psychiatric facilities to increase by 2.4% in fiscal year 2021, boosting the federal per diem base rate to $817.59 from $798.55. An announcement about CMS’ proposed inpatient psychiatric facility prospective payment system (IPF-PPS) rule said the agency estimates total IPF payments to increase by $100 million next year. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, April 14. According to the proposed rule, CMS will adopt the Office of Management…
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HHS Announces $30 Billion in Covid-19 Relief Funding for Providers
HHS announced on Friday it is distributing $30 billion immediately to healthcare providers fighting the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. The funding is the first portion of the $100 billion allotted to hospitals and other providers as part of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations (CARES) Act that President Trump signed on March 27. The funding will arrive via direct deposit to eligible providers starting on Friday, April 10. HHS’ announcement said the money is in the form of payments, not loans, so the money will not need to be repaid.…
