HHS seeks input on making COVID-19 regulatory flexibilities permanent.

The Department of Health and Human Services seeks comments for 30 days from health care providers and other stakeholders on the need to make permanent any regulatory flexibilities the agency has implemented in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. “Looking to the future, HHS intends that some of these regulatory changes (inclusive in this context of Agency guidance) will remain temporary and some will be made permanent, or permanent with modification,” the request for information states.

“It may not be possible to make some of these changes permanent absent statutory changes, but HHS is still interested in comments to help us gauge the need for such changes. HHS will also consider phasing out or discontinuing regulatory changes that commenters show through evidence have negative impacts that outweigh the benefit of the regulatory change on a temporary basis or would have negative impacts that outweigh the benefits if continued beyond the PHE.”