Lawmakers have introduced a new bill to reform prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage plans.
Here are seven updates from the federal government for ASC leaders:
1. HHS is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to keep in place a lower court ruling that cuts the Medicare reimbursement rate for certain hospital-owned outpatient departments.
2. The IRS issued guidance May 18 on expanded COBRA subsidies under the American Rescue Plan.
3. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill to reform prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage plans.
4. CMS further delayed a final rule that aims to speed up FDA approval for Medicare coverage of breakthrough medical devices and technologies.
5. The Senate has confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as the next CMS administrator.
6. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled May 17 that HHS unlawfully changed the Medicare reimbursement calculation for physician training; as a result, hundreds of healthcare facilities across the U.S. will see a boost in Medicare reimbursements for training physicians in their residency programs.
7. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration May 14, alleging that its decision to revoke a state Medicaid funding waiver was an unlawful "power grab."