Coronavirus update for Monday, June 22 as of 2:30 p.m.
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS has added new questions and answers and modified others in its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Providers should review these changes carefully; they are marked 6/19/2020 and 6/21/2020.
CARES Act Provider Relief Fund – Medicaid and SCHIP-Only Distribution Webcasts
On its Provider Relief Fund web page, HHS has posted the following notice:
HHS expects to distribute $15 billion to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers through the Provider Relief Fund. Join our webcast to learn more about the application process. Please pre-register to reserve a spot on your preferred date:
Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 2 PM ET
Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 2 PM ET
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS has added new questions and modified others in its compendium document “COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing.” Providers should review these changes carefully.
- CMS has updated its instructions to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and Medicare Advantage Plans to cover COVID-19 laboratory tests for nursing home residents and patients. See an announcement about the new instructions here.
- CMS has posted a new FAQ on COVID-19 surveillance testing. This informed is intended for laboratories.
- Last week CMS issued eight section 1135 waivers to give states greater flexibility to serve their Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 public health emergency. It issued waivers to Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Washington.
CMS Stakeholder Calls
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to 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 attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so CMS encourages interested parties to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page, which you can find here.
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls
Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and health care systems to increase hospital capacity, expand their health care workforce, and make greater use of telehealth in Medicare.
Tuesday, June 23 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820;
Access Passcode: 5775248
Audio Webcast link: go here.
Home Health and Hospice
Tuesday, June 23 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820;
Access Passcode: 3676539
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Nursing Homes
Wednesday, June 24 at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820;
Access Passcode: 3089577
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Dialysis Organizations
Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820;
Access Passcode: 6494855
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Nurses
Thursday, June 25 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820;
Access Passcode: 9496814
Audio Webcast Link: go here.
Food and Drug Administration
- On Tuesday, June 23 at 12 noon (eastern) the FDA, along with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), will host a seminar on importing respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The FDA has issued emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for four new commercial COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Find them here, here, here, and here.
- The FDA has issued an EUA for a new commercial COVID-19 serology test. Find it here.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
- The CDC has updated its guidance for nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities to take steps to assess and improve their preparedness for responding to COVID-19.
Federal Funding Opportunities for Hospitals
The National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has prepared a document that collects and presents in one place the various new federal funding opportunities for hospitals resulting from legislation addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency. Find that document here.