CMS helps expand testing capacity and monitoring for COVID-19 in nursing homes and other settings with high volume testing needs

Under President Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced Medicare will nearly double payment for certain lab tests that use high-throughput technologies to rapidly diagnose large numbers of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. This is another action the Trump Administration is taking to rapidly expand COVID-19 testing, particularly for those with Medicare, including nursing home residents who are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 and most affected by COVID-19 outbreaks across the country.

“CMS has made a critical move to ensure adequate reimbursement for advanced technology that can process a large volume of COVID-19 tests rapidly and accurately,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “This is an absolute game-changer for nursing homes, where risk of Coronavirus infection is high among our most vulnerable.”

Medicare will pay the higher payment of $100 for COVID-19 clinical diagnostic lab tests making use of high-throughput technologies developed by the private sector that allow for increased testing capacity, faster results, and more effective means of combating the spread of the virus. High-throughput lab tests can process more than two hundred specimens a day using highly sophisticated equipment that requires specially trained technicians and more time-intensive processes to assure quality. Medicare will pay laboratories for the tests at $100 effective April 14, 2020, through the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency.

Increasing Medicare payment for these tests will help laboratories test in nursing home communities that are vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. On March 30, 2020, CMS announced that Medicare will pay new specimen collection fees for COVID-19 testing for homebound and non-hospital inpatients, to help facilitate the testing of homebound individuals and those unable to travel. As a result of these actions, laboratories will have expanded capability to test more vulnerable populations, like nursing home patients, quickly and provide results faster.

For other COVID-19 laboratory tests, local Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) remain responsible for developing the payment amount in their respective jurisdictions. MACs are currently paying approximately $51 for those tests. As with other laboratory tests, there is generally no beneficiary cost-sharing under Original Medicare.

This announcement builds upon recent CMS actions to expand testing for COVID-19. On March 30, 2020, CMS announced that hospitals, laboratories, and other entities can perform tests for COVID-19 on people at home and in other community-based settings outside of the hospital. This will both increase access to testing and reduce risks of exposure. Additionally, CMS took action to allow healthcare systems, hospitals, and communities to set up testing sites to identify COVID-19-positive patients in a safe environment.

Increasing Medicare payment for tests that use high-throughput technologies, and earlier CMS actions in response to COVID-19, are part of the ongoing White House Coronavirus Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, visit www.coronavirus.gov. For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, and other information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.

For more information on this payment announcement, please visit: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-2020-01-r.pdf

There are more than 19,000 COVID-19 cases in the state as of midnight today with numbers expected to continue increasing, highlighting an even greater need to ensure that Pennsylvania’s hospitals are equipped to care for patients and workers. To assist, Governor Tom Wolf today announced a new loan program – the Hospital Emergency Loan Program, or HELP – that will provide short-term financial relief to Pennsylvania’s hospitals as they prepare for the growing surge of individuals infected with COVID-19 and the economic fallout of the nationwide pandemic.

“The combination of increased costs and reduced revenue has hurt many hospitals financially,” Gov. Wolf said. “We must support our hospitals through this unprecedented time. When this pandemic finally ends, we’re going to need hospitals to care for our regular medical needs, like heart attacks and broken bones. This new loan program will provide immediate relief to our hospitals, which are on the frontlines of this pandemic.”

The $450 million loan package will be available to the commonwealth’s hospitals to provide immediate financial support for working capital to ensure that these facilities have sufficient personnel, equipment, and personal protective equipment.

The funding was dispersed by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) and will be administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development through the Pennsylvania First Program (PA First). It was approved by Treasurer Joe Torsella, who played a crucial role in the expedited release of this emergency funding.

“Hospitals across Pennsylvania should be focused on saving lives, not worrying about how to make ends meet until federal relief funds arrive months from now,” said Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella, whose office must approve any investments made by the PENNVEST board. “I am proud to approve this prudent investment that will provide immediate, low-cost, and direct financing to enable hospitals to sufficiently staff their floors, purchase treatment supplies and protective equipment, and successfully prepare for the surge of COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks. I commend the PENNVEST board for taking this step, and Governor Wolf for his leadership and continued commitment to protecting Pennsylvanians throughout this crisis.”

Pennsylvania health care facilities licensed as hospitals by the Pennsylvania Department of Health under the Health Care Facilities Act of 1979 that are eligible to receive federal grant funding through the CARES Act are eligible for HELP. The maximum loan size is $10 million per hospital at an interest rate of 0.5 percent.

Applications will be available on DCED’s website starting at 10:00 AM April 13 through April 20. The costs must be incurred between March 1 and Sept. 1.

HELP will allow hospitals to take responsive action now until funding through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, is dispersed completely, with the goal of easing the financial strain of the pandemic and smoothing the transition back into regular health care operation.

Permitted expenses under HELP will mirror those under the CARES Act, allowing hospitals to close out their loan with CARES funding once it is received.

With parents needing to safeguard their children against the coronavirus and Every Kid Healthy Week kicking off on April 24, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care as well as accompanying videos.

In order to determine which states offer the most cost-effective and highest-quality health care for children, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita.

Best vs. Worst

• Massachusetts has the lowest share of uninsured children aged 0 to 18, 1.30 percent, which is 8.2 times lower than in Texas, the highest at 10.60 percent.
• Hawaii has the lowest share of children aged 0 to 17 with unaffordable medical bills, 3.20 percent, which is 5.2 times lower than in Wyoming, the highest at 16.60 percent.
• The District of Columbia has the most pediatricians per 100,000 residents, 43.83, which is 19.7 times more than in South Carolina, the fewest at 2.22.
• Utah has the lowest share of obese children aged 10 to 17, 8.70 percent, which is 2.9 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest at 25.40 percent.

For the full report and to see where your state or the District ranks, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-child-health/34455/

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has put out a document on stigma surrounding COVID-19.

“In public health, stigma occurs when a particular group of people are negatively associated with a specific disease. Fear and anxiety can cause stigma toward certain populations during a public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Stigma, bias, discrimination and other types of aggressions are inappropriate responses to disease. These actions only worsen the threat to public health and make it harder to keep everyone healthy.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has launched a new online job portal. People seeking employment can visit www.PAcareerlink.pa.gov and select the green “PA COVID-19 Jobs – Hiring Immediately” job portal banner to see active job openings. Selecting the “Apply Now” button for a listed position will redirect individuals to the employer’s website or email where they can apply directly with the employer and speed up the hiring process.

Life-sustaining businesses can feature their job openings on the portal through an easy to use online form. Businesses must meet the criteria of a life-sustaining business and must have more than 10 job openings.  The PA COVID-19 job portal is updated daily so businesses in need are spotlighted and people searching for employment have the latest job information.