Tag: Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
HHS-OIG details latest fraud activities
December 4, 2023HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – The HHS-OIG’s Fall 2023 Semiannual Report to Congress highlights more than $3.44 billion in expected recoveries resulting from audits and investigations conducted during fiscal year 2023.
In FY 2023, HHS-OIG reported 707 criminal enforcement actions against individuals and entities suspected of engaging in crimes targeting HHS programs and the people they serve. They also reported 746 civil actions, which include false claims and unjust-enrichment lawsuits filed...
HHS extends PHE
October 18, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days from Oct. 18. There are a number of HME-related provisions tied to the PHE, including Medicare’s 75/25 blended rates for non-rural, non-competitive bidding areas, and telehealth and other policy waivers. Becerra will next consider an extension in January 2022.
Biden names acting CMS administrator, HHS secretary
January 21, 2021HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - Liz Richter has been named acting administrator of CMS and Norris Cochran has been named acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Richter is an agency veteran who has worked at CMS since 1990, most recently as deputy center director for the Center for Medicare. She began in the Bureau of Policy Development working on inpatient hospital payment policy. She subsequently worked on a variety of Medicare payment issues. She has...
New relief funding available
October 6, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Department of Health and Human Services has announced additional funding for health care providers through the Provider Relief Fund. Providers that already received their relief of 2% of net patient revenue through the $50 billion Phase 1 and 2 of General Distribution are again eligible for the new $20 billion Phase 3 of General Distribution, AAHomecare reports. Additionally, providers that started servicing patients in 2020 that were previously ineligible for the General Distribution...
HHS renews public health emergency
October 6, 2020HME News Staff
WASHNGTON - Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has renewed the COVID-19 national public health emergency.
The renewal is effective Oct. 23 for another 90 days. The PHE has been in place since Jan. 27.
Several relief efforts related to HME are tied to the duration of the PHE, including:
50/50 blended reimbursement rates for rural areas;
75/25 blended reimbursement rates for non-rural, non-bid areas; and
the elimination of the coverage criteria and...
GM passes torch to Ventec, after completing order
September 2, 2020HME News Staff
KOKOMO, Ind. - General Motors and Ventec Life Systems delivered its 30,000th V+Pro critical care ventilator to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Aug. 31.
The two companies completed the full federal order in just 154 days, completing one vent about every seven minutes.
“Our drive to put critical care ventilators into production was fueled by thousands of people at GM, Ventec and our suppliers, who all wanted to do their part to help saves lives during the pandemic,”...
HHS ends vent contracts with Philips, Vyaire, Hamilton
September 2, 2020HME News Staff
AMSTERDAM - Royal Philips announced Monday that it has received notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that its contract to deliver 43,000 bundled EV300 ventilator configurations through December 2020 has been partially terminated.
Philips delivered 12,300 bundled vent configurations to the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of August, but it will no longer supply the remaining 30,700 Philips EV300 vents.
“To date, we have delivered on our commitments...
HHS reopens relief funding
August 4, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The Department of Health and Human Services has reopened applications for Medicare-based relief funding and extended the application deadline for Medicaid-based relief, according to AAHomecare.
The news is especially welcome for providers that did not apply for the $20 billing Tranche 2 funding from the Medicare-based relief fund, the association says.
“We heard from HME suppliers who were excluded from substantial Medicaid-based relief and reached out to HHS...
HHS budget proposes bid process for rural areas
February 13, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The budget for the Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2019 proposes two tweaks to Medicare's competitive bidding program for DME.
First, HHS proposes eliminating the requirement that CMS pay a single payment amount based on the median bid amount and, instead, pay contract suppliers at their own bid amounts. Second, the agency proposes expanding the actual bidding process to all areas of the country, including rural areas.
“Expanding competitive bidding...
Azar hearing set for Tuesday
January 4, 2018HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - The confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Alex Azar will be held before the Senate Finance Committee Jan. 9.
President Trump nominated Azar, a former pharma exec and chairman and founder of Seraphim Strategies, which provides strategic consulting and counsel on biopharmaceutical and health insurance industries, in November.
In addition to the hearing, Azar has been meeting with committee members in their offices this week, according to The VGM Group,...