Health Law Advisor

On May 13, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an aggressive nationwide crackdown on fraud—with the start of six-month moratoria on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies (HHAs) and on changes in majority ownership that would require a new enrollment under 42 C.F.R. §450(b).

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) recently announced a voluntary, 10-year Medicare payment and service delivery model: Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) Model.

The ACCESS Model tests whether a new payment methodology, Outcome Aligned Payments (OAPs) can better support technology-enabled care, improve health outcomes, and lower overall Medicare spending for high-prevalence, high-cost chronic conditions that affect more than two-thirds of people enrolled in Medicare.

The ACCESS Model will focus on chronic conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and depression.

On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a coordinated law enforcement action against 14 telehealth executives, physicians, marketers, and healthcare business owners for their alleged fraudulent COVID-19 related Medicare claims resulting in over $143 million in false billing.[1] This coordinated effort highlights the increased scrutiny telehealth providers are facing as rapid expansion efforts due to COVID-19 shape industry standards.

Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOJ has prioritized identifying and prosecuting COVID-19 ...