- 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
- Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation of the Medicare Program (Executive Order 14192) - Request for Information
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Shares Vision for CMS
- CMS Refocuses on its Core Mission and Preserving the State-Federal Medicaid Partnership
- Social Factors Help Explain Worse Cardiovascular Health among Adults in Rural Vs. Urban Communities
- Reducing Barriers to Participation in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB-TCOC) Models and Supporting Primary and Specialty Care Transformation: Request for Input
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
- 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule
- Rural America Faces Growing Shortage of Eye Surgeons
- Comments Requested on Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit Draft
Trump Declares COVID-19 Emergency, Asks Hospitals to Activate Emergency Plans
On March 16, 2020, President Donald Trump asked hospitals to activate their emergency preparedness plans and declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency, which will allow HHS to give providers more flexibility. “I’m also asking every hospital in this country to activate its emergency preparedness plan so that they can meet the needs of Americans everywhere,” Trump said.
Ambassador Debbie Birx, the Trump administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, said that hospital emergency preparedness plans could include delaying elective procedures to ensure availability of hospital beds.
The emergency declaration, in conjunction with the administration’s prior designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency on January 31, frees up to $50 billion in federal disaster relief funding, Trump said, and provides the HHS secretary with more authority to waive some Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements.
Trump highlighted that the HHS secretary will have authority to waive several requirements hospitals had voiced concerns about, including the 3-day hospital stay requirement for skilled nursing facility coverage; limits on numbers of beds and length of stay in Critical Access Hospitals; requirements that providers have a license in the state in which they are providing services if they have an equivalent license in another state; HIPAA requirements that could be an obstacle to telemedicine accessibility; and easing restrictions on where certain patients can be treated within a hospital.
“We’ll remove or eliminate every obstacle necessary to deliver our people the care that they need, and that they’re entitled to. No resource will be spared, none whatsoever,” Trump said.
It is unclear precisely how much money would be available for which purposes, but the government has wide discretion in how federal emergency funds are spent, said Georgetown University adjunct law professor and Avalere consultant Nick Diamond.
“The law affords a lot of flexibility for funds to be used in concert with some of the waivers, so there is a possibility for reimbursement for services provided by providers in some of their response efforts,” Diamond said.
The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association on Thursday wrote a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus response effort, asking for an emergency declaration.
“Physicians, nurses, first responders, and other healthcare professionals across the country are on the front lines in this effort, and streamlining critical processes is vitally important to prevent the further spread of COVID-19,” AMA President Dr. Patrice Harris said in a statement.
Trump also said the administration is in discussions with pharmacies and retailers to set up drive-through testing sites in locations determined by public health officials.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a former Florida governor and health system executive, said he told President Donald Trump on a phone call Thursday that Scott wanted an emergency declaration to provide funding for mobile COVID-19 testing sites to minimize exposure for healthcare workers in primary care and hospital settings who may not have sufficient personal protective equipment.
“I have talked to a lot of hospitals inside and outside the state, and their main concern is how do we make sure they don’t lose their workers?” Scott said.CMS Administrator Seema Verma said Friday that the agency will issue guidance instructing nursing homes to restrict all visitors and non-essential personnel, with exceptions including end-of-life situations.
Senate Democrats had also called upon the administration to declare a national emergency under the Stafford Act.
“Calling for a national emergency under the Stafford Act would free up lots of FEMA’s resources to help states and localities. Why he hasn’t done it is a mystery. We need him to do it, and do it now,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor on Thursday.
Additional guidance on what types of waivers the Trump administration will allow is expected soon. Similar authorities to those outlined by Trump were invoked in the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
HHS COVID-19 Primary Resources for Faith and Community Organizations
- For updates on the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) dedicated website. Also available in Spanish. CDC.gov/Coronavirus/2019-ncov
- For local information and for recommendations on community actions designed to limit exposure to COVID-19, check with your state and local public health authorities https://go.usa.gov/xdFg4
- For guidance and instruction on specific prevention activities relative to your faith community’s tradition and practices, refer to your national and regional denominations.
Additional Resources
- Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission.
- Interim Guidance: Get Your Mass Gatherings or Large Community Events Ready for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Interim Guidance: Get Your Community- and Faith-Based Organizations Ready for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities including guidance for homes, schools, and workplaces
- Track efforts by the federal government, the following websites have been launched:
- English: USA.gov/Coronavirus
- Spanish: https://gobierno.USA.gov/Coronavirus
Guidance to Prepare Homeless Shelters
People experiencing homelessness are an especially vulnerable population. CDC released guidance on March 9, to help homeless shelters plan, prepare, and respond to COVID-19. The guidance can be found here.
Guidance for School Settings UPDATED
CDC’s Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) interim guidance for school settings.
CMS: Pricing for CDC and Non-CDC COVID-19 Testing
On March 16, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is posting a fact sheet to the CMS.gov website to aid Medicare providers with information relating to the pricing of both the CDC and non CDC tests. You can find the fact sheet here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mac-covid-19-test-pricing.pdf
Additionally, CMS will be tweeting about this new information. Tweets can be found below. We encourage relevant stakeholders to retweet.
- Medicare will be covering #COVID19 tests, and there is generally no copay for original #Medicare – deductible applies. @CMSGov is also permitting #MedicareAdvantage plans to waive cost sharing for these tests.
- #Medicare’s initial payment for the @CDCgov test will be about $36 & non-CDC tests will be around $51. These prices may vary slightly depending on the local Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). View the full price by MAC list here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/mac-covid-19-test-pricing.pdf
Earlier CMS actions in response to the COVID-19 virus, are part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work CMS is doing in response to COVID-19, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.
CMS: COVID-10 Guidance Issued for Visitors to Nursing Homes
On March 16, 2020, as part of the broader Trump Administration announcement on Friday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced critical new measures designed to keep America’s nursing home residents safe from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The measures take the form of a memorandum and is based on the newest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It directs nursing homes to significantly restrict visitors and nonessential personnel, as well as restrict communal activities inside nursing homes. The new measures are CMS’s latest action to protect America’s seniors, who are at highest risk for complications from COVID-19. While visitor restrictions may be difficult for residents and families, it is an important temporary measure for their protection.
You can find the press release here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-new-measures-protect-nursing-home-residents-covid-19
And the Memo Nursing Home Guidance QSO-20-14 –NH here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/3-13-2020-nursing-home-guidance-covid-19.pdf
This guidance, and earlier CMS actions in response to the COVID-19 virus, are 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 Current Emergencies Website
CMS: COVID-19 Emergency Declaration
On March 16, 2020, the Trump Administration announced aggressive actions and regulatory flexibilities to help health care providers and states respond to and contain the spread of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking several actions following President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19 earlier today.
A press release outlining CMS announcement can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-takes-action-nationwide-aggressively-respond-coronavirus-national-emergency
A fact sheet outlining these actions can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid19-emergency-declaration-health-care-providers-fact-sheet.pdf
From Kentucky to New York, Appalachia’s Hemp Industry is Growing Strong
Over a hundred years ago, hemp was a major commercial crop in Kentucky, and the Commonwealth was one of the nation’s leading hemp producers. By mid-century, Kentucky’s commercial hemp production market started to drop. Now, decades later, local businesses and entrepreneurs are driving initiatives to renew growth and production of the versatile crop. Hemp can be used to manufacture over 25,000 products from clothing and food to building materials and pharmaceuticals. A recent USDA report, found that Kentucky and Tennessee were among the top six states nationwide in hemp production, with many other Appalachian states not far behind.
Across the region, communities are seriously pursuing hemp. New York, for example, launched its Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot program in 2015, which allowed a limited number of education institutions to research and produce industrial hemp. With ARC support, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany County in partnership with the Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board, regional New York State Farm Bureau, and other local partners are developing an integrated economic development strategy to position southwestern New York as an industrial hemp cluster economy. Included in the scope of work is research on storage, processing and marketing needs, and testing of different varieties of industrial hemp cultivars that will inform planting strategies for the region. The partnership is also planning for a Southern Tier Hemp Expo and Trade Show which will provide a networking opportunity for manufacturers, farmers and landowners interesting in the hemp industry. Over the next two years, these efforts are anticipated to serve 60 businesses, create 12 new businesses, as well as create 60 jobs.
Rural Mothers Face Physical and Mental Health Issues
A recent study out of Washington State University revealed how chronic depression impacts the lives of rural mothers and their children. Mothers with chronic depression experience more physical health issues, while also distrusting the health professionals who would treat them. They also struggle to manage their children’s health, often exacerbated by the lack of childcare options and loss of employment. Dr. Yoshie Sano, the lead author of the study, explains that “there’s a huge stigma around mental health, especially in rural areas.” When rural mothers are depressed, their family and community are also affected. It is essential to support the physical and mental health of rural mothers.
Projected Effects of New Hospital Price Transparency Rules
A recent Health Affairs blog detailed the short-term consequences of the hospital price transparency rule, which requires hospitals to disclose standard prices for procedures. The blog asserts that the rule may have severe repercussions for reimbursement rates for rural hospitals who are already battling insufficient reimbursement. The transparency rules take away the hospital’s negotiating power with private payers, who often pay a higher price to recover losses from public programs. As a result, rural hospitals may continue to lose revenue. Forty-seven percent of rural hospitals already operate in negative margins, prior to the implementation of the hospital price transparency rule. The final rule is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2021.
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Process Opens
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has opened applications for three of its loan repayment programs: the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, the NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program and the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. NHSC encourages all eligible clinicians passionate about helping patients in underserved communities to apply. All programs use one application, but applicants can only apply to one program. The applications will remain open until April 23. NHSC will host several Q & A sessions to review program requirements and answer application questions.
Legislation Introduced to Extend Frontier Community Health Integration Program (FCHIP)
Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and John Hoeven (R-ND) recently introduced legislation to extend the Frontier Community Health Integration Program (FCHIP), which expired last summer. Under this program, ten Critical Access Hospitals across Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota would test new health care delivery and reimbursement models. Specifically, FCHIP allows additional Skilled Nursing Facility or Nursing Facility beds, supports telehealth expansion, and reimburses ambulance service expenses. The announcement comes amid an accelerating hospital closure crisis where 47% of rural hospitals are vulnerable. You can follow this bill via the National Rural Health Association Legislative Tracker.