January 14, 2022
Information about Boulder County Fires

COLORADO RESPONDS - https://www.coloradoresponds.org 

Colorado Responds is the leading resource for individuals giving and agencies seeking help in the face of a disaster. There is an expected need for donations & volunteers soon. As responding agencies begin to take action, more information will become available on what materials and volunteers are needed. Sign up to learn how best to help individuals impacted by the Boulder County Fires here.

DONATIONS: www.Boulderoem.com
 
CALL CENTER FOR INFORMATION REQUEST: (303) 413-7730
Supreme Court Upholds Vaccine Rule, Blocks OSHA Vaccine-or-Test Rule 


On January 13, the Supreme Court, in separate opinions:
a) Ruled that CMS is not prohibited from implementing its vaccine mandate for Medicare-funded facilities. 
b) Held that OSHA may not enforce or implement its vaccine-or-test Emergency Temporary Standard for employers with 100 or more employees. 

The rulings reversed decisions by the federal Courts of Appeal in the Fifth and Eighth Circuits, which had blocked CMS’s requirements, as well as the Sixth Circuit, which had lifted prior injunctions on OSHA’s vaccine-or-test ETS.

Under the CMS rule, home health agencies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities must ensure staff are fully vaccinated or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Stay tuned for more information about the availability of COVID tests and payment from private insurance companies.
PAYMENT RATES CONFUSION CONTINUES

In case you missed it, Erin Thatcher, Participant Directed Programs Supervisor, Office of Community Living, on Wednesday, January 12, provided the following information in response to questions about the current HCBS rates expiring March 31, 2022.

On July 1, 2021, provider rates increased across the board by 2.5% as approved by the legislature. On November 4, 2021, the Department published OM 21-072 announcing a temporary 2.11% increase to rates applied retroactively from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. The January 1, 2022 rate increases for the base wage will remain in place following expiration of the 2.11% on March 31, 2022. The base wage increase is currently approved through April 15, 2023, however the Department has a pending budget request that would remove this end date and make this permanent.

The Department published a draft rate sheet in November which can be found here: Base Wage Rate Increases-DRAFT-November 17, 2021. We hope you find this document helpful in explaining the impact of the rate change initiatives on specific service rates. 

The Department will inform providers of any changes to rates via the Memo Series and the Provider Rates and Fee Schedule. 



Sick Leave and Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA)

Many questions have been received from stakeholders about the Jan. 3 sick leave reminder.

As of January 1, 2022, no employers — public or private, and any size or industry — are exempt (other than the federal government), and no employees are exempt either (other than some railroad employees). HFWA provides two types of leave: public health emergency leave and accrued leave. CDLE created a press release on January 6 that clarifies details for both employers and employees. READ THE CDLE PRESS RELEASE HERE


CHC VIRTUAL CLASSROOM
SOFTWARE UPDATE TO CONTINUE THROUGH JANUARY

The CHC Virtual Classroom update started on January 8 and is expected to have small yet ongoing changes throughout the month.

PURCHASES will continue on www.getcompliant.us until further notice.

Thank you for your patience and understanding up to this point as well as through future changes.
Thank you for reading!
connie@chctrain.com ~ (303) 548-4310
www.homehealthcerts.com ~ www.getcompliant.us