The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an alert about a fraud scheme that uses phishing fax requests, which falsely claim to be from CMS staff, to obtain medical records and documentation for auditing purposes.
CMS does not initiate audits by requesting medical records via fax, and if you receive a suspicious request, do not respond. If you have additional questions about this alert, please reach out to Karissa Bjorkgren of CMS via email.
The House Energy & Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on June 24, 2025, regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget. The hearing will begin at 10:00 am, and Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is expected to serve as witness and provide testimony on the President’s proposed budget.
The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed online using the link above.
The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on May 7, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. In addition to the presentations, the agenda and a document that provided follow-up items from the LTSS Subcommittee meeting on April 2, 2025, were provided.
Members should take time to review the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:
The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for June 4, 2025. The meeting will be held from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Forest Room at the Commonwealth Keystone Building, which is located at 400 North Street in Harrisburg, PA. The option to participate virtually is also available.
If attending virtually, please register here. The option to call in is also available by dialing (415) 655-0052, access code 886-801-808#.
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) notified single county authorities (SCA) that it will continue to distribute federal COVID-related grant funding to SCAs while the US District Court considers a 23-state lawsuit seeking an emergency temporary restraining order against US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for abruptly terminating COVID-grant funds that were appropriated for use for states until September 30, 2025. Those grant funds include a supplemental to the Substance Use Disorder Block Grant. The lawsuit was filed on April 1.
Though not confirmed, media reports suggest the termination of grants could cost the Pennsylvania Department of Health $301 million, along with an additional $28 million or more hit against DDAP.
DDAP had been using these grant funds to expand testing and provide resources for COVID; support providers and help meet local needs during the pandemic; and expand the substance use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support services continuum, including various evidence-based services and supports for individuals, families, and communities.
Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania are listed along with 22 other plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in US District Court in Rhode Island, requesting an emergency temporary restraining order against US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for abruptly terminating COVID-grant funds, including a supplemental to the Substance Use Disorder Block Grant, that were appropriated for use for states until September 30, 2025.
Though not confirmed, media reports suggest the termination of grants could cost the Pennsylvania Department of Health $301 million, along with an additional $28 million or more hit against the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP).
DDAP had been using these grant funds to expand testing and provide resources for COVID; support providers and help meet local needs during the pandemic; and expand the substance use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support services continuum, including various evidence-based services and supports for individuals, families, and communities.
DDAP is examining its options to maintain the full array of services offered by single county authorities and their providers to ensure Pennsylvanians continue to receive the lifesaving supports they need.
The factual allegations and legal background in the lawsuit state that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress appropriated substantial funds to strengthen public health programs that were not tied to the duration of the public health emergency. HHS and Congress continued to make these public health funds available after the end of the pandemic.
On Monday, March 24, with no advance notice, HHS abruptly terminated $11 billion in grants and cooperation agreements funded by appropriations from COVID-related laws. States were notified through letters from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). The letters indicated the grants were issued for a limited purpose: to ameliorate the effects of the pandemic. The end of the pandemic provides cause to terminate COVID-related grants. Now that the pandemic is over, the grants are no longer necessary.
The lawsuit goes on to state the terminations have caused and will continue to cause irreparable harm and asks the court to vacate and set aside the termination of the funding and any other further actions taken by US HHS to implement or enforce them, among other requests.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced yesterday that the public health emergency declaration addressing the nation’s opioid crisis has been renewed, allowing sustained federal coordination efforts and preserving key flexibilities that enable HHS to continue leveraging expanded authorities to conduct certain activities in response to the opioid overdose crisis.
The public health emergency, first declared under President Trump in 2017, was set to expire on March 21, 2025. The renewal extends the emergency for 90 days.
More information about the declaration is available on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) website.
As RCPA previously communicated, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), jointly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended the temporary COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2025. These flexibilities enable prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine. As such, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ (DDAP) suspension of 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4), which allows an initial evaluation for a person who will be treated by an opioid treatment program (OTP) with buprenorphine to be completed via telehealth, is also extended.
DDAP’s complete Information Bulletin 03-2024 is available here.
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