HHS Renews Public Health Emergency, Keeping Key Home Health Waivers in Place

Home Health Care News / By Robert Holly
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday opted to renew the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), keeping in place several regulatory waivers that have been critical lifelines for home health and hospice operators since the start of 2020.
 
While the extension itself is not surprising, it offers further stability as operators struggle with workforce shortages and general inflation, among other challenges. On top of that, the move gives hospital-at-home stakeholders extra time under the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, as they work on gaining support for corresponding legislation in both the House and Senate.
 
The PHE has been repeatedly renewed since implemented by the Trump administration over 24 months ago.
 
Without action from HHS and the Biden administration, it was set to expire on April 16.
 
“With more than two years having passed since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, questions are being raised about when to end the public health emergency declarations made by the federal government early on, with some advocating for their extension and others calling for their expiration,” Kaiser Family Foundation experts wrote in a recently released issues brief. “There are numerous implications to ending these emergency declarations.”
 
Wednesday’s extension is for another 90 days, which will carry the PHE into July.
 
Under the PHE, federal regulators have waived or modified normal requirements for Medicare and Medicaid providers, plus private health insurers. While some waivers have focused on reducing reporting and supervision requirements, others have revolved around new telehealth allowances and funding support.
 
Medicare-certified home health agencies, in particular, have had access to a long list of waiver flexibilities…

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