CMS NEWS ALERT -
April 21, 2020
Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the 2019 Novel
Coronavirus (COVID-19), as part of the ongoing White House Task Force
efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in
response to COVID-19, visit www.coronavirus.gov.
For information specific to CMS, please visit the CMS News Room
and Current
Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on an
ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of
April 21, 2020 at 12:00 p.m.
CMS Issues Recommendations to Re-Open
Health Care Systems in Areas with Low Incidence of COVID-19
As the United States continues to face the unprecedented
public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic, the tide is turning and
some areas throughout the country are seeing a decline in cases. As states
and localities begin to stabilize, CMS is issuing guidance on providing
essential non-COVID-19 care to patients without symptoms of COVID-19 in
regions with low and stable incidence of COVID-19. This is part of Phase 1
in the Trump Administration’s Guidelines
for Opening Up America Again. The recommendations update
earlier guidance provided by CMS on limiting non-essential surgeries and
medical procedures.
Trump Administration Announces New Nursing
Homes COVID-19 Transparency Effort
CMS announced new
regulatory requirements that will require nursing homes to
inform residents, their families, and their representatives of COVID-19
cases in their facilities. In addition, as part of President Trump’s
Opening Up America, CMS will now require nursing homes to report cases of
COVID-19 directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This information must be reported in accordance with existing privacy
regulations and statute. This measure augments longstanding requirements
for reporting infectious disease to State and local health departments. CMS
will also require nursing homes to fully cooperate with CDC surveillance
efforts around COVID-19 spread.
Trump Administration Champions Reporting of
COVID-19 Clinical Trial Data through Quality Payment Program, Announces New
Clinical Trials Improvement Activity
CMS is encouraging clinicians who participate in the Quality
Payment Program (QPP), such as physicians, physician assistants, nurse
practitioners, and others, to contribute to scientific research and
evidence to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians may now earn credit in
the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), a performance-based track
of QPP that incentivizes quality and value, for participation in a clinical
trial and reporting clinical information by attesting to the new COVID-19
Clinical Trials improvement activity. This action will provide vital data
to help drive improvement in patient care and develop innovative best
practices to manage the spread of COVID-19 within communities.
RHC & FQHCs: Telehealth and Virtual
Communications Flexibilities During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
To support Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Federally Qualified
Health Centers (FQHCs), and their patients, Congress and CMS made changes
to requirements and payments during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency,
including:
- New payment for telehealth services, including how
to bill Medicare
- Expansion of virtual communication services
- Revision of home health agency shortage requirement
for visiting nursing services
- Consent for care management and virtual
communication services
- Accelerated/advance payments
CMS Amends Certain Activities Related to
the Health Insurance Exchange Quality Rating System, QHP Enrollee
Experience Survey, and Quality Improvement Strategy
CMS is easing burden on Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) during
the Public Health Emergency. CMS directed plans that are eligible to report
for the Quality Rating System and the Quality Improvement Strategy programs
to discontinue collecting clinical quality measure data. Eligible QHPs can
discontinue reporting in June 2020 for display on Exchange websites for the
2021 Open Enrollment period. CMS will continue to accept QHP Enrollee
survey data submissions for this year, given that the survey administration
is already underway.
CMS Approves Additional State Medicaid
Waivers and Amendments to Give States Flexibility to Address Coronavirus
Pandemic
CMS has approved 53 COVID-related emergency waivers, 39 state
amendments, 16 COVID-related Medicaid Disaster Amendments and one CHIP
COVID-related Disaster Amendment in record time. States are using a toolkit CMS
developed to expedite the application and approval of Medicaid state
waivers and State Plan Amendments.
CMS recently approved an additional COVID-related emergency
Medicaid waiver for Wisconsin, delivering urgent regulatory relief to
ensure the state can quickly and effectively care for its most vulnerable
citizens. CMS also recently approved COVID-19 related Medicaid Disaster
Amendments that bring relief to Guam, Louisiana, Maryland, and Minnesota.
These approvals help to ensure that states have the tools they need to
combat COVID-19 through a wide variety of state plan flexibilities. CMS
continues to authorize amendments to ensure emergency flexibilities in
programs that care for the elderly and people with disabilities, including
most recently for the District of Columbia, Florida, Mississippi, Nebraska,
Utah, and Virginia. These approved flexibilities support President Trump’s
commitment to a COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed,
and federally supported.
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