Health Care Advocate: July 25, 2024

Table of Contents HHSC Investigates Allegations of Illegal Medicaid Billing for Gender-Affirming Care State health officials have launched an investigation into whether any Texas providers have illegally billed Medicaid for gender-affirming care on minors. On July 19, Cecile Young, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and Raymond Charles Winter, HHSC’s inspector general (OIG), sent a…

Health Care Advocate: July 18, 2024

Table of Contents Feds Grant Waivers to Assist Hospitals With Beryl Response Following the federal declaration of a public health emergency in Texas due to Hurricane Beryl, the federal response to the storm reached a new and important phase on Monday as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) activated important waivers for Texas hospitals and other providers affected…

Health Care Advocate: July 11, 2024

Table of Contents Texas Hospitals Grapple With Beryl Aftermath The storm has passed, but serious challenges remain for Texas hospitals that were in the path of Hurricane Beryl. THA has been working closely with state officials this week as decisions are made regarding shelter operations, power and connectivity assistance, transport issues and other hospital-related matters. Texas hospitals are working to…

Health Care Advocate: July 3, 2024

Table of Contents Cyberattack Reporting Rule Contains Heavy Burdens, THA Says In response to proposed rules by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to require that certain hospitals report cyberattacks, THA submitted a public comment letter sharing several concerns over the cost and burden on hospitals. The rule proposal would require large hospitals, critical access hospitals and certain other…

Health Care Advocate: June 27, 2024

Table of Contents THA Beats Federal Government in Suit Over Tracking Software Use THA, the American Hospital Association and two hospital systems were victorious late last week in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over the government’s attempt to restrict the use of third-party tracking software on health care provider websites. THA, AHA, Texas…

Health Care Advocate: June 20, 2024

Table of Contents Payment Program for Change Cyberattack to End in Mid-July The Accelerated and Advance Payment Program to help providers address the February cyberattack on Change Healthcare will end on July 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week. The attack on Change – which is owned by UnitedHealth Group and handles about 15 billion…

Health Care Advocate: June 13, 2024

Table of Contents THA Backs Latest Federal Push to Crack Down on Prior Auth in Medicare Advantage THA and the American Hospital Association are supporting a renewed push for a bipartisan federal bill to reduce prior authorization burdens and care impediments in Medicare Advantage. The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act – which previously passed the U.S. House of…

Health Care Advocate: June 6, 2024

Table of Contents Texas Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Law Challenge, Offers Detail on ‘Medical Judgment’ In rejecting a challenge to Texas’ broad ban on abortion late last week, the Texas Supreme Court nonetheless definitively ruled that a pregnant woman’s death does not need to be imminent for an abortion to be legally performed under the state’s exception for the mother’s…

Health Care Advocate: May 30, 2024

Table of Contents Phelan, Gonzalez Among HOSPAC-Backed Runoff Winners Tuesday’s pivotal runoff election featured victories for several key candidates endorsed by HOSPAC, THA’s political action committee, including Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and both HOSPAC-endorsed members of the U.S. House who faced a runoff challenger. However, other HOSPAC-endorsed candidates, including several key incumbents, lost on Tuesday, ending their campaigns…

Health Care Advocate: May 23, 2024

Table of Contents THA’s Abortion-Rule Comments Push Back on Burdensome Documentation Commenting on the Texas Medical Board’s (TMB) proposed rule on exceptions to the state’s abortion ban, THA offered suggestions to refine TMB’s medical definitions and expressed concern over the proposal’s mandates for medical record-keeping – calling them “at best, an overly burdensome new administrative requirement for physicians.” “At worst…