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CMS NEWS ALERT: May
19, 2020 (COVID-19)
As part of the
ongoing White House Task Force efforts taken in response to coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19), following is a summary of recent Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) actions. To keep up with the important
Task Force work being done 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 May 19, 2020 at 4:00 pm ET.
Trump
Administration Issues Guidance to Ensure States Have a Plan in Place to
Safely Reopen Nursing Homes
CMS announced new guidance for state and local
officials to ensure the safe reopening of nursing homes across the country.
The guidance released is part of President Trump’s Guidelines for Opening Up
America Again. It details critical steps nursing homes and communities should
take prior to relaxing restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of
COVID-19, including rigorous infection prevention and control, adequate
testing, and surveillance. The recommendations allow states to make sure
nursing homes are continuing to take the appropriate and necessary steps to
ensure resident safety and are opening their doors when the time is right.
CMS Releases
Additional Waivers for Hospitals and Ground Ambulance Organizations
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 (PHE). CMS recently provided
additional blanket waivers for the duration of the PHE that:
Medicare Payment
for COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests
Earlier this year, CMS took action to ensure
America’s patients, health care facilities, and clinical laboratories were
prepared to respond to COVID-19. To help increase testing, CMS developed two
codes that laboratories can use to bill for certain COVID-19 lab tests,
including serology tests. CMS has updated its guidance to include payment
details for additional CPT codes created by the American Medical Association.
There is no cost-sharing for Medicare patients.
CMS Gives States
Additional Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska,
Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah,
and Virginia. These approvals help to ensure that states have the tools they
need to combat COVID-19. This is done through a wide variety of waivers,
amendments, and Medicaid state plan flexibilities, including support for
programs that care for the elderly and people with disabilities. CMS also
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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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent this
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Update. To contact Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) go to our contact
us page.
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To be a Medicare Agent's source of information on topics affecting the agent and their business, and most importantly, their clientele, is the intention of this site. Sourced from various means rooted in the health insurance industry - insurance carriers, governmental agencies, and industry news agencies, this is aimed as a resource of varying viewpoints to spark critical thought and discussion. We welcome your contributions.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
CMS NEWS ALERT: May 19, 2020 (COVID-19)
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