NEWS ALERT
April 23, 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, click here 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 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.
CMS Issues
Guidance Allowing Independent Freestanding Emergency Departments to Provide
Care to Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Public
Health Emergency
CMS issued critical guidance allowing
licensed, independent freestanding emergency departments (IFEDs) in
Colorado, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Texas to temporarily provide care to
Medicare and Medicaid patients to address any surge resulting from
COVID-19. This action by the Trump Administration increases hospital
capacity to ensure these states can quickly and effectively care for their
most vulnerable citizens. Current law does not recognize IFEDs as a
certified Medicare provider, meaning they cannot bill Medicare and Medicaid
for services. However, during this public health emergency, these entities
can be temporarily certified as a hospital to increase healthcare system
capacity as part of each state’s pandemic plan.
Trump
Administration Launches New Toolkit to Help States Navigate COVID-19 Health
Workforce
Challenges
CMS and the Assistant Secretary of
Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released a new toolkit to help state and
local healthcare decision makers maximize workforce flexibilities when
confronting COVID-19 in their communities. Developed by the Healthcare
Resilience Task Force as part of the unified government’s response to
COVID-19, the toolkit includes a full suite of available resources such as
information on funding flexibilities, liability protections, and workforce
training, to maximize responsiveness based on state and local needs. For
example, state and local communities will be able to see how and where
workforce waivers can be applied based on information from other areas. The
resource builds on the Trump Administration’s commitment to a COVID-19
response that is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported.
Compliance
Flexibilities Announced for Implementation of Interoperability Final Rules
Due to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 public
health emergency, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health
IT (ONC), in conjunction with the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG),
announced a policy of enforcement discretion to allow compliance
flexibilities regarding the implementation of the interoperability
final rules announced on March 9, 2020. ONC,
CMS, and OIG will continue to monitor the implementation landscape to
determine if further action is needed.
Updated Guidance Available for Plan
Issuers on Prior Authorization, CARES Act Implementation
CMS issued guidance to issuers of
individual, small group, Medicare Advantage, and Part D plans, addressing
the flexibilities available related to utilization management and prior
authorization during the COVID-19 public health emergency. New guidance for
individual and small group health plans encourages issuers to utilize
flexibilities related to utilization management processes, as permitted by
state law, to ensure that staff at hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies can
focus on care delivery and ensure that patients do not experience care
delays.
Updated guidance for Medicare
Advantage and Part D plans allows them to implement a number of additional
flexibilities to support efforts that can help curb the spread of the virus
and to help ensure MA and Part D enrollees do not experience disruptions in
care or disruptions in pharmacy and prescription drug access. The guidance
also implements important provisions of the Families First Coronavirus
Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act regarding coverage for COVID-19 testing and testing related services.
CMS
Releases Additional Waivers for Long-Term Care Hospitals, Rural Health
Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and Intermediate Care
Facilities
CMS continues to release waivers for
the healthcare community that provide the flexibilities needed to take care
of patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency. CMS recently
provided additional blanket waivers related to caring for patients in
Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), temporary expansion locations of Rural
Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs),
staffing and training modifications in Intermediate Care Facilities for
individuals with intellectual disabilities, and the limit for substitute
billing arrangements (locum tenens).
CMS Gives
States Additional Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS approved its first Medicaid
COVID-19 emergency demonstration, making the state of Washington the first
to receive approval. The approval provides new flexibility and resources so
the state of Washington can deliver the most effective care to their
Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition to new payment and reimbursement
arrangements, the demonstration allows the state to target services based
on geography and population needs and to triage access to long-term
services and supports (LTSS) based on highest need.
To date, CMS has approved more than
115 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
including recent approvals for Colorado, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington,
Wyoming, and Puerto Rico. These approvals help to ensure that states have
the tools they need to combat COVID-19 through a wide variety of waivers,
amendments, and Medicaid state plan flexibilities, including for programs
that care for the elderly and people with disabilities. CMS developed a toolkit
to expedite the application and
review of each request and has approved these requests in record
time. 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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Contact: CMS Media Relations
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