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Section 3710 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act directs the Secretary to increase the weighting factor that would otherwise apply to the assigned diagnosis-related group by 20 percent for an individual who is diagnosed with COVID-19 and discharged during the COVID-19 public health emergency period. We will audit whether payments made by Medicare for COVID-19 inpatient discharges billed by hospitals complied with Federal requirements.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act appropriated $175 billion for the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration began distributing the funds through general distributions to Medicare providers based on 2018 net patient revenue and targeted distributions for certain provider types (e.g., providers in areas particularly impacted by COVID-19, skilled nursing providers, and providers in...

CDC has stated that beneficiaries with serious underlying medical conditions, such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Regardless of the current pandemic, dialysis patients are at high risk of infection because of weakened immune systems, coexisting conditions such as diabetes, and treatments requiring frequent use of catheters or insertions of needles to access the bloodstream. ESRD facility conditions for coverage regarding infection control and emergency preparedness are defined in 42 CFR 494 Subpart B. On March 30, 2020, CMS issued a...

The Protect.HHS.gov ecosystem and the U.S. Healthcare COVID-19 portal are both critically important systems contributing to the Federal pandemic response. The data collected by these systems are utilized in the response to COVID-19 by, for example, tracking the movement of the virus, identifying potential stresses in the health care delivery system, and provide information about the distribution of supplies. Without proper cybersecurity, the integrity and availability of the data are at risk and the impact to public health efforts could be significant if decisionmakers cannot rely on COVID-19...

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged three Florida men in a financial fraud conspiracy that allegedly involved stealing identities in order to fraudulently obtain credit, tax refunds, and COVID-19 stimulus checks. Several of the victims of their alleged scheme resided in the Southern District of Ohio.

A New Jersey attorney was arrested today and charged with fraudulently obtaining approximately $9 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey.

PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts man who failed to appear in federal court in Rhode Island and who allegedly faked his own death after being charged and arraigned on fraud and conspiracy charges for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to file bank loan applications fraudulently seeking more than a half-million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Providence.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Casey David Crowther (35, Fort Myers) with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, Crowther faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.