CMS Releases 2022 Final Home Health and End Stage Renal Disease Rules

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final 2022 rules for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and Home Health on November 8 and 9 respectively, each with an effective date of January 1, 2022. WSHA will provide hospital-specific analyses of the home health rule to the CFO or designated finance person for member hospitals that provide these services in the coming weeks. These rules affect hospitals providing renal dialysis, home health, home infusion, hospice and long-term care. The final home health rules make permanent selected blanket waivers related to home health aide supervision that were issued to Medicare home health agencies during the COVID-19 public health emergency and establishes survey and enforcement requirements for hospice programs as set forth in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. It also finalizes revisions to the infection control requirements for long-term care facilities that will extend the mandatory COVID-19 reporting requirements beyond the current COVID-19 PHE until December 31, 2024. (Andrew Busz, AndrewB@wsha.org).