Mid-Atlantic Health Law TOPICS

1. The Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) is accepting applications on a rolling basis for a portion of the new $10 million Long-Term Care Partnership Grant Program. This program provides funds for hospitals and their long-term care/congregate living partners whose patients are most frequently seen in the hospital’s emergency room to focus on collaboration in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant recipients will use the funds to focus on one or more of three key areas:

• Resource sharing,
• Quality improvement consultation and
• Data analytics.

Hospitals awarded funds will need to leverage their expertise and resources to support tasks, such as screening and treating patients in long-term care facilities, using the hospital supply chain to secure protective equipment, providing hospital lab testing for coronavirus testing, sharing training on infection prevention best practices, and tracking and monitoring tools. Grant funding will only be available from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, on a first-come, first-served basis. All hospitals that submit an application justifying the reasonableness and appropriateness of the request will receive money from the program until the fund is depleted.

2. In June, the HSCRC approved new hospital rates for fiscal year 2021 (though the HSCRC continues to make certain temporary adjustments, at least through July 31, 2020, to account for the impact of COVID-19). Maryland hospitals’ revenues will be permitted to rise 3.52% (inclusive of an uncompensated care increase and deficit assessment reduction), resulting in a 3.35% per capita revenue increase for hospitals under global budget revenues. For non-global budget hospitals, such as psychiatric hospitals and Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, the HSCRC approved an update of 2.77%.

Alexandria K. Montanio
410-576-4278 • amontanio@gfrlaw.com