On March 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) implemented a telehealth waiver (the “Waiver”) under the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020, which allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to temporarily waive certain Medicare restrictions and requirements regarding the delivery of telehealth services during the coronavirus public health emergency (the “Emergency”). Under the Waiver, CMS is expanding Medicare coverage for telehealth visits. CMS has…

The federal government continues to develop responses to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and now turns toward combatting COVID-19 related fraud. Attorney General Barr issued a memo on March 16, 2020 calling on all U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) attorneys to prioritize the detection, investigation, and prosecution of wrongdoing related to COVID-19. Following Attorney General Barr’s instruction, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois appointed a federal prosecutor to lead the district’s crackdown of…

On March 25, the Senate passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES”). The House is expected to vote on the legislation on March 27, 2020. The following is a summary of the significant provisions impacting the health care industry. Medicare CARES would provide for a Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment system add-on payment for COVID-19 patients during the COVID-19 emergency period (“Emergency Period”). The add-on payment would be a 20% increase in…