Tag: centers for medicare and medicaid services

This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., led a bipartisan group of Florida congressional members in writing a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure urging the agency to...

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined more than a dozen senators from both sides of the aisle, led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV, in urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services...

This week, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., showcased his support for a proposal which “would ensure patients with serious infections, heart failure, immune diseases, cancer, and other conditions receive the intravenous (IV) medications they...

This week, two members of the Florida delegation on Capitol Hill launched the Infection Prevention and Control in Long-Term Care (IPC-LTC) Caucus “to implement much-needed reforms that became evident during the pandemic and to create meaningful federal policies to control infections in Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities nationwide, with the ultimate goal of protecting senior citizens and enriching their lives.”

The bill will “help ensure Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees who cannot access the video component during telehealth visits are able to access care through audio visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., introduced the bill back in October and he brought it back at the end of last month.

Joining warnings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), FDACS is providing consumer tips and spreading the message to ensure Floridians can avoid these scams.

Specifically, the representatives want the inclusion of the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 (WHCRA), as well as guaranteed coverage of breast reconstruction procedures and products, such as three-dimensional nipple-areolar complex tattoos. The letter also requests CMS encourage state Medicaid agencies to amend their state Medicaid plans to include the WHCRA and update coverage to reflect CMS’s changes to the BRFM NCD, as well as to ensure tattoo artists are eligible providers.

“Breast cancer diagnosis has been on the rise each year," said Hastings on Tuesday. "With increased cases and the number of those who seek reconstruction surgery. This legislation will be vital in their recovery and relief from a life-altering illness. I am proud to have my colleagues join me in supporting a critically important bill to help breast cancer survivors.”

Bilirakis weighed in after the discussion which also includes leaders Baycare, Tampa General, HCA West Florida, AdventHealth and long-term care facilities.

A new report from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that Florida is well below the national average in the per-capita number of nursing home cases and deaths among both nursing homes residents and staff. Even though it is the nation's third most populous state with one of the highest shares of at-risk older residents, Florida does not fall within the 10 highest states for total cases among nursing home residents.

Following a recent request from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new federal flexibility to allow hospitals to bill Medicare for a lower acuity hospital stay or establish a rate that may be used in these instances such as an inpatient rehabilitation facility rate.