NEWS ALERT
April 13, 2020
Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the 2019 Novel
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 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 13, 2020 at 11:30 a.m.
Trump Administration Acts to
Ensure U.S. Healthcare Facilities Can Maximize Frontline Workforces to
Confront COVID-19 Crisis
CMS temporarily suspended a number of rules so that
hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities can boost their
frontline medical staffs as they fight to save lives during the COVID-19
pandemic. These changes affect doctors, nurses, and other clinicians
nationwide, and focus on reducing supervision and certification
requirements so that practitioners can be hired quickly and perform work to
the fullest extent of their licenses. The changes will ensure that
healthcare facilities across the nation can expand their staffs and
organize them in the most efficient way possible to handle the incoming
surge of COVID-19 patients.
Trump Administration Announces
Expanded Coverage for Essential Diagnostic Services Amid COVID-19 Public
Health Emergency
CMS, together with the Departments of Labor and the
Treasury, issued guidance to ensure Americans with private health insurance
have coverage of COVID-19 diagnostic testing and certain other related
services, including antibody testing, at no cost. This includes urgent care
visits, emergency room visits, and in-person or telehealth visits to the
doctor’s office that result in an order for or administration of a COVID-19
test. As part of the effort to slow the spread of the virus, this guidance
is another action the Trump Administration is taking to remove financial
barriers for Americans to receive necessary COVID-19 tests and health services,
as well as encourage the use of antibody testing that may help to enable
health care workers and other Americans to get back to work more quickly.
Removal of Non-Invasive
Ventilator Product Category from DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program
CMS is removing the non-invasive ventilator (NIV) product
category from Round 2021 of the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program due to
the novel COVID-19 pandemic, the President’s exercise of the Defense
Production Act, public concern regarding access to ventilators, and the NIV
product category being new to the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program.
Applicability of Diagnoses from
Telehealth Services for Risk Adjustment in Medicare Advantage
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgency to expand the
use of virtual care to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. CMS is
stating that Medicare Advantage Organizations and other organizations that
submit diagnoses for risk adjusted payment are able to submit diagnoses for
risk adjustment that are from telehealth visits when those visits meet all
criteria for risk adjustment eligibility. It is important for enrollees in
Medicare Advantage to be able to receive clinically appropriate services
via telehealth, and CMS appreciates all the necessary steps Medicare
Advantage Organizations are taking to help providers and members cope with
the pandemic.
CMS Approves Additional State
Medicaid Waivers and Amendments to Give States Flexibility to Address
Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS approved its 50th COVID-19 Medicaid
emergency waiver to Utah delivering urgent regulatory relief to
ensure the State can quickly and effectively care for their most vulnerable
citizens. CMS also approved a COVID-19 related Medicaid Disaster
Amendment that brings relief to Arizona. 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 in Georgia.
These approved flexibilities support President Trump’s commitment to a
COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed, and federally
supported.
All told, CMS has approved 50 emergency waivers, 27 state
amendments, 8 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.
1915(c) Appendix K Waivers
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