COVID-19

COVID-19 update for Monday, May 18 as of 2:30 p.m. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has posted a compendium of COVID-19-related flexibilities it has authorized for ambulance services during the COVID-19 crisis. CMS has updated its collections of COVID-19-related waiver flexibilities for several types of health care providers. For health care providers, a new section on ambulance services and the Medicare ground ambulance data collection system (p. 29). For hospitals, new provisions addressing specific life safety code matters for hospitals (p. 3); expanded ability for hospitals to offer long-term-care services (swing beds) (p. 6); hospitals classified as sole-community [...]

Coronavirus update for Thursday, May 14 as of 3:00 p.m. Department of Health and Human Services HHS is sending out its largest distribution of remdesivir this week. As of this week, HHS will have sent out 40 percent of its current supply.  The drug is being sent to state health departments, which will distribute it to hospitals.   Hospitals are being asked to update their data on COVID and suspected COVID inpatients and ICU patients on a weekly basis via the teletracking portal.  The next deadline is Monday, May 18 at midnight.  Once the federal supply is exhausted the federal government will not receive any additional donated doses [...]

Coronavirus update for Monday, May 11 as of 2:30 p.m. Department of Health and Human Services HHS has announced its allocation plan for the distribution of the prescription drug remdesivir to treat patients with COVID-19. The initial shipments were to Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey.  The drug is being shipped to state health departments, which will decide how it will be distributed among hospitals. HHS will base future distribution of remdesivir on hospitals’ active COVID-19 cases. For this reason, it is asking hospitals log on to the COVID-19 Web Portal at https://teletracking.protect.hhs.gov, using the same login information [...]

Coronavirus update for Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration, which is administering the program through which providers can be reimbursed for COVID-19-related services they provide to uninsured patients, has posted information on how to batch enter patient roster information. HRSA has posted a list of billing vendors and clearinghouses that have committed to submitting claims as part of the program for providers to seek payment for care provided to uninsured COVID-19 patients. HRSA has posted information about timing expectations for COVID-19 claims processing.   Department of Health and Human Services/Office [...]

Coronavirus update for Tuesday, May 5 as of 3:00 p.m. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has updated its FAQ for state Medicaid and CHIP programs.  Among the issues the FAQ addresses are emergency preparedness and response, eligibility and enrollment flexibilities, benefit flexibilities, cost-sharing flexibilities, financing flexibilities, managed care flexibilities, information technology and  data reporting.  A separate document includes only the new questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The CDC has posted guidance for nasal (anterior nasal) specimen collection for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. The CDC has updated its interim guidance for collecting, handling, and testing clinical specimens from persons with COVID-19. The CDC has [...]