The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- CMS has updated its list of Medicare Administrative Contract prices for COVID-19 tests.
- To support clinicians during the COVID-19 public health emergency, CMS has extended the 2020 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Exception application deadline to February 1. Go here for further information.
- CMS has updated its list of hospitals approved to participate in its Acute Hospital Care at Home program.
- CMS has updated its Medicare COVID-19 Data Snapshot, which reports COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations data for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19.
Department of Health and Human Services
- In a letter to state governors, acting HHS Secretary Norris Cochran wrote that the COVID-19 public health emergency is likely to remain in place through the rest of 2021 and that when the time to end it comes, HHS will give states 60 days’ notice of its termination.
- HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has published a collection of vaccine-specific plans, tools, templates, and other immediately implementable resources to help with COVID-19 preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.
- HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has posted a toolkit for hospitals on COVID-19 patient fatality management.
HHS and CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls
HHS Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice
HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response sponsors COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice that are interactive virtual learning sessions that seek to create a peer-to-peer learning network in which clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes. These webinar topics are covered every week:
- EMS: Patient Care and Operations (Mondays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
- Critical Care: Lifesaving Treatment and Clinical Operations (Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
- Emergency Department: Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
Go here for information about signing up to participate in the sessions and go here for access to materials and video recordings of past sessions.
CMS Office of Minority Health
CMS’s Office of Minority Health is holding listening sessions to discuss the continuing impact of COVID-19 on populations that face health disparities, including racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, people with limited English proficiency, and rural populations. The next session will be held on Thursday, January 28 at 2:00 (eastern). Go here to more information and to register.
CMS Physicians, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum
CMS will hold a Physicians, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Open Door Forum on Wednesday, January 27 at 2:00 (eastern). This session will address documentation requirements reminders for physicians ordering repetitive, scheduled non-emergency ambulance services; updates to the 2021 physician fee schedule from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; and information on COVID-19 vaccines. Go here for further information about the session and for instructions on how to join the call.
CMS 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.
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls
Tuesday, February 2 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4956655
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, February 23 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2528725
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, March 16 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4177586
Audio Webcast link: go here
Tuesday, April 6 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM (eastern)
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2769397
Audio Webcast link: go here
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The CDC has updated its guidance on the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, including updated recommendations on intervals between the first and second doses of those vaccines.
- The CDC has published information about allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, after receipt of the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
- The CDC has updated its strategies for optimizing health care facilities’ supply of isolation gowns.
Food and Drug Administration
- The FDA has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico on a country-wide import alert to help stop products that appear to be in violation from entering the U.S. until the agency is able to review the products’ safety. Learn more here.
National Institutes of Health
The NIH announced that in a clinical trial, full-dose blood thinners decreased the need for life support and improved outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Learn about the clinical trial and findings here.