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CMS NEWS ALERT: April
13, 2020 (COVID-19)
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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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.
Monday, April 13, 2020
CMS NEWS ALERT: April 13, 2020 (COVID-19)
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