The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as 2:30 p.m. on Monday, December 14.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

 

Provider Relief Fund

  • The “Reporting Requirements and Auditing” section of the Provider Relief Fund web page has been updated with a link to a new overview of Provider Relief Fund allowable expenses.  The purpose of this document is to clarify the intent and provide examples of allowable expenses for the use of Provider Relief Fund general and targeted distribution payments.
  • HHS’s Provider Relief Fund FAQ has 13 updates marked “12/11/2020.”  They can be found on pages 2 (two changes), 3, 11, 15, 16 (four changes), 17 (two changes), and 27 (two changes).  Of particular interest to providers, the update on page 11 addresses sharing of Provider Relief Fund grants among related entities; the changes on pages 16 and 17 address allowable expenses and offsets of other revenue; and the change on page 27 addresses allowable costs for vaccine purchase and distribution.

 

CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls 

CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information about the agency’s response to COVID-19.  These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer participants an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

COVID-19 Office Hours Call

Tuesday, December 22 at 5:00 (eastern)

Toll Free Dial In:  833-614-0820; Access Passcode:  3968359

Audio Webcast link:  go here.

Conference lines are limited so CMS encourages interested parties to join via audio webcast.

To listen to the audio files and read the transcripts for past stakeholder calls, go here.

Department of Health and Human Services

 

Food and Drug Administration

The FDA has posted a fact sheet on the administration of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

National Institutes of Health

The NIH has issued a news release reporting that baricitinib plus remdesivir shows promise for treating COVID-19.