WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2019)—The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued a proposed rule significantly revising the nondiscrimination regulations that implemented Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The revisions are intended to reduce burden, eliminate redundancy with several other nondiscriminatory regulations, and provide clarity in the application of nondiscrimination requirements.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2019)—Performant, the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), has received approval to audit blood glucose test or reagent strips (A4253) as of June 14, 2019. This is a national complex review and the description of the review states: “The quantity of glucose test strips (A4353) that are covered depends upon the usual medical needs of the diabetic patient.

AMSTERDAM (June 18, 2019)—Royal Philips, a provider of health technology, announced the company’s SmartSleep Deep Sleep Headband will be used in research funded by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), a virtual institute empowered by the NASA Human Research Program, for two unprecedented studies evaluating the relationship between sleep and cognitive performance for behavioral health.

ATLANTA (June 18, 2019)—Providers looking for the absolute lowest price to attend Medtrade 2019 can now take advantage of SmartSaver rates.

With SmartSaver rates, attendees can purchase an Educational Conference Pass for $109. An Educational Conference Pass provides access to all educational sessions and automatically includes access to the Expo Hall. A SmartSaver Expo Pass is available for $25.

HARTFORD, Conn. (June 13, 2019)—A line item in the Connecticut state budget is causing concern for the state’s homecare agencies. If passed, Section 305 would ban noncompete and nonsolicitation clauses between homecare agencies and caregivers. The provision would apply only to homemaker, companion or home health services.