Master the upcoming ICD-10 code and IPPS changes! Prepare your team for the upcoming changes taking effect on October 1. Discover the benefits of IPPSPalooza and how it can drive your success. Click here >

Turmoil and Trouble Buffets Washington

Vaccine mandates expand; transparency faces new lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ordered its healthcare employees to get the COVID vaccine, making it the second federal agency to do so, after the Veterans Administration (VA) a few weeks ago.

President Biden has already required federal workers and contractors to either be vaccinated or wear masks and social distance – the difference here is that the VA and HHS have now made vaccination mandatory for their healthcare workers, and they are not giving unvaccinated employees the option to simply wear masks and social distance.

The Pentagon then announced that all U.S. military personnel will be required to be vaccinated, starting Sept. 15.

At the state level, Washington State followed California last week by requiring most of their state employees and all government healthcare workers to be vaccinated by mid-October.

In response to hospitalization spikes due to COVID, the governor of Texas last week asked hospitals in the state to voluntarily postpone elective procedures. Texas is also recruiting out-of-state healthcare workers to help, while the governor of Arkansas announced that there were only eight intensive care beds available in the entire state.

Back in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed suit against HHS about the healthcare price transparency rules. As listeners may remember, there are several different price transparency requirements that both healthcare providers and payers must  implement.  

First, the hospital price transparency rules – which have been in effect since January of this year – require hospitals to post the prices of more common procedures in what are called machine-readable files, including the prices they have negotiated with specific insurers. Remember that the American Hospital Association (AHA) fought these requirements in court, but ultimately lost to the Trump Administration. 

This latest suit by the Chamber of Commerce centers on the transparency rules that apply to healthcare payers. Like the hospitals’ requirements, the Transparency in Coverage rules require payers to post their negotiated rates.

The argument the Chamber is making in the lawsuit is that these publicly posted rates will not be helpful to consumers, because they’ll be on huge, unwieldy spreadsheets – and based on codes that most consumers will not understand. Therefore, the lawsuit argues, these machine-readable files do not meet their statutory intent of making healthcare prices transparent to consumers. Even the regulators admit that these files will be pretty much unreadable by anyone’s naked eye.

Unfortunately, this is the same argument that the AHA used against the hospital transparency rules, and, as we know, the hospitals lost that argument. The current administration’s defense in this newest lawsuit will be the same the previous administration used against the hospitals; that is, releasing reams of unreadable pricing data, they say, will provide other entities, like third-party app developers and data companies, the opportunity to make this information usable and useful for consumers. Think of how app developers now use databases full of airline data to make travel information usable by consumers.

We’ll see how the lawsuit fares; in the meantime, payers have until Jan. 1 to get these machine-readable files up on their websites, and the Biden Administration has promised enforcement against both hospitals and payers that refuse to post the data.

Programming Note: Listen to Matthew Albright and his Legislative Update sponsored by Zelis, Monday on Monitor Mondays, 10 Eastern.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

Matthew Albright

Matthew Albright is the chief legislative affairs officer at Zelis Healthcare. Previously, Albright was senior manager at CAQH CORE, and earlier, he was the acting deputy director of the Office of E-Health and Services for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Related Stories

Leave a Reply

Please log in to your account to comment on this article.

Featured Webcasts

Mastering the Two-Midnight Rule: Keys to Navigating Short-Stay Admissions with Confidence

Mastering the Two-Midnight Rule: Keys to Navigating Short-Stay Admissions with Confidence

The CMS Two-Midnight Rule and short-stay audits are here to stay, impacting inpatient and outpatient admissions, ASC procedures, and Medicare Parts C & D. New for 2024, the Two-Midnight Rule applies to Medicare Advantage patients, requiring differentiation between Medicare plans affecting Case Managers, Utilization Review, and operational processes and knowledge of a vital distinction between these patients that influences post-discharge medical reviews and compliance risk. Join Michael G. Calahan for a comprehensive webcast covering federal laws for all admission processes. Gain the knowledge needed to navigate audits effectively and optimize patient access points, personnel, and compliance strategies. Learn Two-Midnight Rule essentials, Medicare Advantage implications, and compliance best practices. Discover operational insights for short-stay admissions, outpatient observation, and the ever-changing Inpatient-Only Listing.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
September 19, 2023
Secondary Diagnosis Coding: A Deep Dive into Guidelines and Best Practices

Secondary Diagnosis Coding: A Deep Dive into Guidelines and Best Practices

Explore comprehensive guidelines and best practices for secondary diagnosis coding in our illuminating webcast. Delve into the intricacies of accurately assigning secondary diagnosis codes to ensure precise medical documentation. Learn how to navigate complex scenarios and adhere to coding regulations while enhancing coding proficiency. Our expert-led webcast covers essential insights, including documentation requirements, sequencing strategies, and industry updates. Elevate your coding skills and stay current with the latest coding advancements so you can determine the correct DRG assignment to optimize reimbursement, support medical decision-making, and maintain compliance.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
September 20, 2023
Principal Diagnosis Coding: Mastering Selection and Sequencing

Principal Diagnosis Coding: Mastering Selection and Sequencing

Enhance your inpatient coding precision and revenue with Principal Diagnosis Coding: Mastering Selection and Sequencing. Join our expert-led webcast to conquer the challenges of principal diagnosis selection and sequencing. We’ll decode the intricacies of ICD-10-CM guidelines, equipping you with a clear grasp of the rules and the official UHDDS principal diagnosis definition. Uncover the crucial role of coding conventions, master the sequencing of related conditions, and confidently tackle cases with equally valid principal diagnoses.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
September 14, 2023
2024 IPPS Summit: Final Rule Update with Expert Insights and Analysis

2024 IPPS Summit: Final Rule Update with Expert Insights and Analysis

Only ICD10monitor delivers what you need: updates on must-know changes associated with the FY24 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Final Rule, including new ICD-10-CM/PCS codes, plus insights, analysis and answers to questions from the country’s most respected subject matter experts.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
2024 IPPS Summit Day 3: MS-DRG Shifts and NTAPs

2024 IPPS Summit Day 3: MS-DRG Shifts and NTAPs

This third session in our 2024 IPPS Summit will feature a review of FY24 changes to the MS-DRG methodology and new technology add-on payments (NTAPs), presented by senior healthcare consultant Laurie Johnson, with bonus insights and analysis from two acclaimed subject matter experts

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
August 17, 2023

Trending News