(June 9, 2023) – CMS Issues Guidance on Discharge Planning
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance on hospital discharge planning requirements when transferring patients to post-acute providers. The guidance is effective immediately.
FDA Approves Paxlovid for Treatment of COVID-19 in Adults
The Food and Drug Administration on May 25 announced the agency's approval of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use), the first oral antiviral for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. Paxlovid manufactured and packaged under the emergency use authorization and distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue to be available to ensure continued access for adults, as well as treatment of eligible children ages 12-18 who are not covered by the FDA's approval. Paxlovid is not approved or authorized for use as a pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of COVID-19.
Updates to Requirements for Buprenorphine Prescribing
As announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in January 2023, clinicians no longer need a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Clinicians are still required to register with the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency to prescribe controlled substances.
Beginning on June 27, the DEA registration will require applicants – both new and renewing – to affirm they have completed a new, one-time, eight-hour training. Exceptions for the new training requirement are practitioners who are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, and those who graduated from a medical, dental, physician assistant or advanced practice nursing school in the U.S. within five years of June 27, 2023.
Rural Health Clinics still have the opportunity to apply for a $3,000 payment on behalf of each provider who trained between Jan. 1, 2019, and Jan. 25, 2023 (when Congress eliminated the waiver requirement). Approximately $900,000 in program funding remains available for RHCs and will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. Send questions to DATA2000WaiverPayments@hrsa.gov.
Congress and Biden Agree on Debt Ceiling Extension
President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which extends the debt ceiling to Jan. 1, 2025. H.R. 3746 also includes discretionary spending limitations, rescinds certain unobligated COVID-19 funds and places work requirements on certain federal assistance programs. Although Medicare spending is considered non-discretionary, which prevented Medicare reductions, the package is structured so that increasing Medicare funding will be more difficult.
OSHA Considers Workplace Violence Standard
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently convened a panel of small businesses to discuss a possible workplace violence standard for the health care and social assistance industries. The potential standard would apply to a variety of settings, including hospitals and ambulatory outpatient clinics. Public comments on the panel's final report and other materials will be accepted until Monday, July 3.
UHC Revises Gastroenterology Service Prior Authorization Policy
United Healthcare recently announced a gastroenterology endoscopy policy requiring prior authorization of non-screening colonoscopy services. Due to significant pushback by many stakeholders, UHC is revising the policy by replacing the prior authorization requirement with an Advance Notification process for nonscreening GI procedures. The AN process will provide an opportunity for physician education and allow UHC to collect more data within their 2024 Gold Card administrative simplification program. According to UHC, administrative denials for failure to submit advance notification will not be issued. The revised policy is effective as of June 1.
MLN Connects Provider eNews Available
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the following updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews: