Policy and Legislation
Providers need time to prepare to implement the final rule, scheduled to go in effect Jan. 1, 2021, at a time when they are facing the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting financial issues.
Persistent flaws in the ability to accurately ID and match patient records are hindering two must-haves on the road to reopening: contact tracing and, eventually, vaccine administration.
$12 billion is going to 395 hospitals that provided inpatient care for 100 or more COVID-19 patients.
New funds should not be used to cover the cost of treating the uninsured, though Congress needs to address that, providers say.
The rules move the healthcare system from an environment built by providers and payers to one in which patients are in control, Rucker says.
The National Coordinator for Health IT will offer details about the interoperability and information blocking final rules, and highlight how the current pandemic is an example of why they matter.
The groups support opening a special enrollment period for the health insurance marketplaces of the Affordable Care Act.
The ACA promised the funds for three years to make up for any losses by insurers for jumping into the market and keeping premiums relatively low.
In total, $40-plus billion will be distributed to hospitals, pay for uninsured and target hot spots, rural providers and Indian Health Service.
The funds will go to 1,779 small rural hospitals and 14 Telehealth Resource Centers.