- CMS: Medicare Program; Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- CMS: Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2026
- Public Inspection: CMS: Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- VA: Solicitation of Nominations for the Appointment to the Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs
- GAO Seeks New Members for Tribal and Indigenous Advisory Council
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- Telehealth Study Recruiting Veterans Now
- USDA Delivers Immediate Relief to Farmers, Ranchers and Rural Communities Impacted by Recent Disasters
- Submit Nominations for Partnership for Quality Measurement (PQM) Committees
CMS NEWS ALERT May 11, 2020
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 11, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
CMS Releases Additional Waivers for Hospitals and Other 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 (PHE). CMS recently provided additional blanket waivers for the duration of the PHE that:
- Expand hospitals’ ability to offer long-term care services (“swing beds”);
- Waive distance requirements, market share, and bed requirements for Sole Community Hospitals;
- Waive certain eligibility requirements for Medicare-Dependent, Small Rural Hospitals (MDHs); and
- Update specific life safety code requirements for hospitals, hospice, and long-term care facilities.
Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers
Telehealth Video: Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services
CMS updated a video that answers common questions about the expanded Medicare telehealth services benefit during the COVID-19 public health emergency. New information includes how CMS adds services to the list of telehealth services, additional practitioners that can provide telehealth services, and the distant site services that Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) can provide. Further, the video includes information about audio-only telehealth services, telehealth services that hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies can provide, along with how to correctly bill for telehealth services.
Medicare Pharmacies and Other Suppliers May Temporarily Enroll as Independent Clinical Diagnostic Laboratories to Help Address COVID-19 Testing
CMS published information for pharmacies and other suppliers that wish to enroll in Medicare temporarily as independent clinical diagnostic laboratories to help address the need for COVID-19 testing. Interested pharmacies and suppliers will need to apply for a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificate. CMS wants to ensure that laboratories located in the United States applying for a CLIA certificate are able to begin testing for COVID-19 as quickly as possible.
CMS Gives States Additional Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS has approved over 175 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alabama, Alaska, California, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. 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 support 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.
1915(c) Waiver Appendix K Amendments
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 5/11/20
CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.
Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. You are welcome to share this invitation with your colleagues and professional networks. These calls are not intended for the press.
Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page at: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern)
Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to:
- Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls;
- Rapidly Expand the Healthcare Workforce;
- Put Patients Over Paperwork; and
- Further Promote Telehealth in Medicare
This week’s Office Hours:
Tuesday, May 12th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 8968295
Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=7284b5e6-2ed1bc36-728484d9-0cc47a6a52de-d8cf01adf6a4f976&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2000
Thursday, May 14th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5688374
Audio Webcast link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=8e984964-d2cc5018-8e98785b-0cc47adc5fa2-09e654c541269c0b&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2112
Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern)
Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters.
This week’s Lessons from the Front Lines:
Friday, May 15th at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 877-251-0301; Access Code: 8983296
Weekly COVID-19 Care Site-Specific Calls
CMS hosts weekly calls for certain types of organizations to provide targeted updates on the agency’s latest COVID-19 guidance. One to two leaders in the field also share best practices with their peers. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters if time allows.
Home Health and Hospice (Tuesdays at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Tuesday, May 12th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 9503927
Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=f55f72e4-a90a7bf7-f55f43db-0cc47adb5650-1c0b21c06c679912&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=1877
Nursing Homes (Wednesdays at 4:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, May 13th at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2675207
Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=e2c79f73-be9296a3-e2c7ae4c-0cc47a6a52de-790ece838430947d&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2024
Dialysis Organizations (Wednesdays at 5:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, May 13th at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 6772827
Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=0b50982f-5705913c-0b50a910-0cc47adb5650-129c86a45284e40f&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2102
Nurses (Thursdays at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Thursday, May 14th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4279137
Audio Webcast Link: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=c68eebd6-9adbe2c5-c68edae9-0cc47adb5650-907c909196c9b9a2&u=https://engage.vevent.com/rt/cms2/index.jsp?seid=2107
To keep up with the important work the White House Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=36fa2226-6aae0b0d-36fa1319-0cc47a6d17cc-2d06c219f858d641&u=http://www.coronavirus.gov/. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.
Hospitals Losing Billions from Coronavirus
The coronavirus has placed tremendous financial pressure on hospitals across the country. A new report explains that hospitals are suffering from the higher costs associated with treating COVID-19 patients and acquiring personal protective equipment, while also losing revenue from elective procedures stopping, which continue to be postponed in most states. The report estimates the country’s hospitals will be forced to bear $202.6 billion in losses between March 1st to June 30th, or about $50.7 billion per month. Hospitals cannot afford to continue losing revenue, especially rural hospitals who already operated on slim or negative margins.
Small Towns and Rural Hospitals Brace for their Coronavirus Peak, Which Could be Weeks Away
While hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have started to decelerate in some cities, it could take the virus weeks to peak in more rural communities. CNBC reports on the challenges in rural communities, especially the outbreaks happening at factories deemed essential. Health experts worry that once the virus starts to spread in rural areas, it could expand rapidly. The National Rural Health Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs explains in the article that, “Faith-based or community organizations, school activities, everybody goes to the same high school football game. Everybody kind of knows each other and stays in close contact, so it can potentially spread very, very rapidly.”
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rural Hospitals—Adding Insult to Injury
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to tax hospitals throughout the country, there is a growing concern that many hospitals, in particular rural hospitals, may not have the reserve to remain fiscally viable. A new Health Affairs blog explores the vulnerable state rural providers were in prior to the pandemic, and the capacity for rural providers to deal with a surge of patients. Because most rural hospitals operate on razor thin margins, high margin services such as elective surgery keep them afloat. For many rural hospitals, canceling these profitable services to cope with the outbreak may be the tipping point for financial catastrophe.
Tennessee Senators Introduce Legislation to Boost Medicare Payments for Rural Hospitals
Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn have introduced S. 3665 to boost Medicare payments for rural hospitals. Specifically, the bill would establish an appropriate national minimum (0.85) for the Medicare Area Wage Index (AWI) to ensure rural hospitals are paid for the care they provide. There was significant changes to the AWI last year, which provided higher Medicare payments for a majority of rural hospitals, and this legislation will build upon that. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), David Perdue (R-GA) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) are original cosponsors of the bill.
Senators Introduce Bill to Extend Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program
On May 7, 2020, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced S. 3615 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program for five more years. Without action from Congress, the program will expire for all participating hospitals between 2020 and 2021. This important legislation would ensure that essential, rural hospitals do not face further budget instability during this particularly challenging time for hospitals.
The Rural Hospital Closure Crisis Continues
The UNC Sheps Center reports that two rural hospitals in Florida have closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and converted to off-campus emergency departments. Both Shands Live Oak Regional Medical Center and Shands Starke Regional Medical Center were CAHs that were part of a sale and required to cease all non-emergency services by May 1st. Both are now operating as off-campus emergency departments of Lake City Medical Center and North Florida Regional Medical Center. The total number of rural hospital closures since 2010 is now 130, and 2020 is on-track to surpass last year’s record number of closures.
New Rural Health Policy Paper: Considerations for Defining Rural Places in Health Policies and Programs
RUPRI Health Panel: Keith J. Mueller, PhD; Andrew F. Coburn, PhD; Alana Knudson, PhD; Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA; A. Clinton MacKinney, MD, MS; Timothy D. McBride, PhD. Guest Authors – Erin Mobley, PhD; Fred Ullrich, BA; Abigail Barker, PhD
Rural definitions in statute and policy are used to direct resources to underserved peoples. But changes in population behavior and Census processes have led to concern about historic methods of defining rural. This paper identifies key questions; reviews rural definitions; and discusses options for reconsidering rural definitions.
Please click here to read the brief.
USDA Announces Contract Awards for the Farmers To Families Food Box Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the purchase of $1.2 billion of boxed agricultural products as part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP), Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The list of contracts can be found on USDA’s website, and we have requested that USDA provide a list of PA companies – we will be sure to share with you as soon as we get the full list, but congratulations in advance to all PA farms and processors who were awarded funds.