In Washington…
House adopts patient’s bill of rights…
A patient’s bill of rights was finally passed by the House on August 2. The measure differs significantly from the Senate version of the bill. The House bill limits the amount of punitive and pain and suffering damages that could be awarded.
New Medicaid waiver flexibility announced …
President Bush and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, both former governors, have announced plans to simplify the rules for state Medicaid expansions. Among other items, states will be permitted to vary benefit packages for families that have been added to Medicaid under the state waiver program. No changes could be made to basic Medicaid benefits.
HHS issues guidance on EMTALA compliance for provider-based entities...
As the federal government has increased enforcement of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), hospitals have worked hard to comply with expanded interpretations of the law. Last year, as part of Medicare's outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) regulation, the Health Care Financing Administration (now known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS) expanded the scope of EMTALA to cover entities that operate off of the main campus of the hospital. Last week, CMS issued some important clarifications of that new expansion to help hospitals and emergency departments comply with the law.
Worth noting…
- President Bush recently announced his decision for limited federal support for existing stem cell research in a televised address at from his ranch in Texas.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly HCFA, now CMS) announced last week that the Medicare inflation update for inpatient care will be 2.75 percent in FY 2002.
And on Beacon Hill…
(Italic) The state budget stalemate continues…
The Senate continues to work in tandem with the House to advance a fourth interim budget to Governor Jane Swift's desk. The bill allows the State to pay its bills while negotiators work on a fiscal 2002 budget. Facing their biggest challenge in years, Beacon Hill budget negotiators have been unable to decide how to proceed with several major spending initiatives including election financing and health care.