Hospice Regulatory & Compliance Updates (Week of 03/17/24)

NHPCO

Change Healthcare Updates Timeline for Cyberattack Recovery

In February, Change Healthcare experienced a cyberattack that disrupted several of its network and system operations. Change Healthcare recently updated its timeline for restoring operations in response to a cyberattack, stating that electronic payment functionality will be available beginning March 15 and connectivity to the claims network and software would be reestablished on March 18. In response to this attack and its adverse impact on our nation’s healthcare system, on March 5, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a statement providing instructions to providers impacted by this incident.

Hospice Medical Director and Administrator Reporting Instructions

Last month, the CMS MLN Connects newsletter clarified “that hospice and skilled nursing facility medical directors and administrators are always considered managing employees for Medicare provider enrollment purposes. You must report all current managing employees. If you haven’t reported a medical director or administrator, report them now.” This newsletter suggests that hospices should report any missing hospice medical director or administrator as soon as possible and should not wait for Medicare revalidation. Hospices can obtain information about the Change of Information process for reporting their medical director and administrator on the CMS enrollment website