- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly; Correction
- 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: Fiscal Year 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
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- CMS: Request for Information; Health Technology Ecosystem
- CMS: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments; and Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status; Corrections and Correcting Amendment
- VA: Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program Funding Opportunity
- State: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: J-1 Visa Waiver Recommendation Application
- HHS: Request for Information (RFI): Ensuring Lawful Regulation and Unleashing Innovation To Make American Healthy Again
- Public Inspection: CMS: Request for Information: Health Technology Ecosystem
Pennsylvania BLS Ambulance Staffing Exceptions Bulletin Published
Act 17 of 2020 amended the EMS System Act to permit the Department of Health to grant exceptions to the ambulance staffing standard for Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances for agencies not licensed to provide service higher than the BLS level. The Bureau of EMS has established a process and criteria for accepting and reviewing these exception requests from EMS agencies.
The BLS Ambulance Staffing Exceptions Bulletin from the Pennsylvania Department of Health can be accessed below.
EMSIB 2020-27 Act 17 of 2020 BLS Ambulance StaffingExceptions
Pennsylvania Hospital Transitions HRSA-Funded Program to Online Services and Addresses COVID-19 Stress
by Allee Mead
Butler Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania received a HRSA Rural Health Care Services Outreach grant to develop a program for chronic disease patients. Partway through the grant cycle, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The hospital shares how it was able to transition its program services to an online format and develop new initiatives to address stress in the healthcare workforce and the larger community.
Access the full article here.
CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – July
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 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, July 7th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 3048844
Additional Office Hours:
Tuesday, July 14th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2550919
Tuesday, July 21st at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7477995
Tuesday, July 28th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1492795
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 (twice a month on Tuesday at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Tuesday, July 7th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 9480618
Tuesday, July 21st at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 6080197
Nursing Homes (twice a month on Wednesday at 4:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, July 8th at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2997138
Wednesday, July 22nd at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1143564
Dialysis Organizations (twice a month on Wednesday at 5:30 PM Eastern)
Wednesday, July 8th at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 8481378
Wednesday, July 22nd at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7692208
Nurses (twice a month on Thursdays at 3:00 PM Eastern)
Thursday, July 9th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 9386539
Thursday, July 23rd at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7971869
Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (twice a month on 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.
Next Lessons from the Front Lines:
Friday, July 17th at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Code: 3096434
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=50c582c2-0c908b12-50c5b3fd-0cc47a6a52de-d2b3787f2fc1a6db&u=https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=1c9266c7-40c76fd4-1c9257f8-0cc47adb5650-f1f55d7f990cafab&u=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.
2020 Census Rural Count Adapts to Covid-19
By Donna Kallner
Making sure rural areas are counted accurately is a challenge in the best of times. In 2020, the U.S.Census Bureau’s operations have had to adapt.
Analysis: How Covid-19 in Prisons and Jails Threatens the Surrounding Community
By Michael Ollove
Rural counties with prisons have seen some of the highest coronavirus infection rates in the United States. Protecting the incarcerated population is also an important step toward protecting the health of nearby communities.
HHS Releases Millions for RHCs Left Out of Initial Provider Relief Fund Distribution
On June 25, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services released more than $50 Million dollars in Relief Fund payments to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) that were left out of the original May 1 RHC distribution. This money is in addition to the more than $500 Million distributed to all other RHCs in early May.
“We are pleased that our advocacy efforts on behalf of these RHCs has paid off,” said Bill Finerfrock, Executive Director of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
On April 22nd, the Secretary Alex Azar announced that the Department of Health and Human Services was reserving $10 Billion of the $100 Billion authorized by Congress for Provider Relief Payments, for Rural Health Clinics and Rural Hospitals. True to their word, a few weeks later, thousands of RHCs received money from the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund.
It quickly became apparent that due to unknown problems with the way CMS maintained the official list of RHCs and the formula used by HHS to determine RHC eligibility for payments, many RHCs that should have been eligible did not receive any money from this fund. Immediately upon learning of this oversight, NARHC reached out to HHS Leadership to make them aware of the problem and express our desire that HHS correct this oversight.
For the past 6 weeks, NARHC has been working with HHS leadership and senior staff at the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to identify the RHCs that were left out of the original distribution and secure the funds necessary to make Provider Relief Payments to these RHCs.
Each RHC in this 500+ group received, on average, slightly more than $103,000. Payments were distributed to RHCs that have an electronic banking relationship with CMS. RHCs that do not have an electronic banking relationship with HHS should be receiving a check in the mail within 7 – 10 days (depending on mail service). RHCs owned by hospitals in “urban” areas should check with their parent hospital entity to verify that this payment was received.
NARHC would like to thank the leadership at HHS and in particular, the staff at the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), who worked diligently with NARHC to identify those RHCs that were overlooked.
New Brief: Identifying Vulnerable Rural Populations During COVID-19: The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) has released a new Issue Brief: Identifying Vulnerable Rural Populations During COVID-19: The CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index
Social vulnerability refers to a community’s capacity to prepare for and respond to the stress of hazardous events — including natural disasters and pandemics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a multifactor Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) which can be used to identify vulnerable rural populations at greatest risk of impact by hazardous events. The SVI is calculated at two levels — one set of variables for all US counties and a second set for all US census tracts — and updated bi-annually.
The SVI can be useful in planning efforts to prevent and respond to COVID-19 infections in local communities. The NOSORH COVID-19 Data Tool includes the latest SVI data displayed in a visual format. Overlaying the SVI data layers with other available layers aids in the identification of high need areas, assisting in delivery of resources where they are most needed.
Pennsylvania Health Department Releases Revised Guidelines for EMS
The Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council has distributed two guidelines for EMS providers on PPE and the Department of Health’s Universal Face Coverings Orders. Both documents can be accessed below.
National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Extends Query Fee Waiver
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is extending the query fee waiver for one-time queries, continuous queries, and continuous query renewals retroactive from June 1 through September 30. The NPDB previously offered the waiver through May 31. The waiver supports efforts to mobilize and deploy health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing costs and expediting credentialing, hiring, privileging, and licensing processes.
For updated information about the waiver, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information page on the NPDB website.
For technical assistance, contact the NPDB Customer Service Center.
Medicaid/CHIP Provider Relief Fund Payment Forms and Guidance Announced
HHS, through the Provider Relief Fund, expects to distribute $15 billion to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers.
Providers must submit their data by July 20.
Before applying through the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal applicants can watch a webinar about the application process for Medicaid/CHIP providers (registration required).
An additional webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8 at 4:00 pm EDT. Register today.