COVID-19

Coronavirus update for April 20, 2020. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  CMS has issued guidance on providing non-essential non-COVID-19 care to patients without symptoms of COVID-19 in regions with low and stable incidence of COVID-19. It views this guidance as part of phase one of the administration’s plan to reopen the U.S. economy.  See CMS’s news release on this guidance here and the guidance itself here.  Under this guidance, individual states will determine for themselves when it is appropriate to begin the “reopening” process.  As a practical matter, only Oklahoma, Texas, and Alaska, to our knowledge, have identified concrete [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17. The White House President Trump has unveiled “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again,” a three-phase approach to reopening the economy.  Find that plan here. President Trump has signed a memorandum authorizing the use of the National Guard by governors in five more states to help with their response to the COVID-19 emergency, with the cost of National Guard assistance to be assumed 100 percent by the federal government.  The five states are Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Vermont.   Centers [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of Wednesday, April 15 at 4:00 p.m. The White House Yesterday President Trump announced the creation of the Dynamic Ventilator Reserve program through which health care providers with a surplus of ventilators will be able to share their reserves with hospitals that need additional ventilators.  Hospitals, the president noted when discussing this program, are already doing this, and he said the federal government will develop a reserve of ventilators [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from federal regulators and others as of 4:00 pm. on Tuesday, April 14. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has posted a new FAQ on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). Among other subjects, this FAQ addresses the emergency period described in the Families First law; the new optional Medicaid eligibility group; benefits and cost-sharing for COVID-19-related testing and diagnosis; implications for the CHIP program; implications for the basic health program; changes in federal medical assistance matching funds (FMAP) adopted [...]

The following is the latest information from federal regulators as of 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services See an updated list of the section 1135 waivers CMS has granted to help states and health care providers respond to the COVID-19 crisis. National Institutes of Health The NIH has announced the launch of a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults hospitalized with COVID-19. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has issued guidance that authorizes pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests, including serology tests. The Department of [...]

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from federal regulators as of 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has issued a news release announcing that it has approved approximately $34 billion for providers through its Accelerated and Advance Payment Program, which was created in the CARES Act. Department of Health and Human Services The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $1.3 billion to 1387 health centers to help communities detect, prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19.  See an interactive map that shows the centers awarded grants here. Food and Drug Administration The FDA [...]