- 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
How Do We Integrate COVID-19 Vaccination into Primary Care?
As the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign enters a new, more challenging phase, primary care providers will be key to reaching many of the millions of Americans who have not yet gotten their shots. In a new feature, the Commonwealth Fund offer lessons gleaned from interviews with primary care providers on how to integrate COVID-19 vaccination into their day-to-day work. Practices have faced many challenges, but many have also devised creative ways to assess and meet vaccine demand and respond to patients’ questions and concerns. A recent poll found that 53 percent of unvaccinated people prefer to be vaccinated in their personal doctor’s office. Learn how we can make that an easier option for more Americans.
Most Unvaccinated People Have Low Incomes
More than half of unvaccinated Americans live in households that make less than $50,000 annually. Almost two-thirds of unvaccinated people who make less than $50,000 still say they either “definitely” or “probably” will get the vaccine. Making it easier for the working poor to get the COVID-19 shot could help boost vaccination rates. Vaccination has been politicized, but juggling work schedules and child care could be bigger factors than politics, as could worry about experiencing side effects and having to take unpaid time off.
A New Tool: Vaccine Hesitancy by Zip Code & County
The COVID-19 Collaborative and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine released a new tool that shows data on people’s openness to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine by zip code and county for the entire United States. With more than 30,000 zip codes, compared to only 3,000 counties, this tool offers a ten-fold increase in the localization of data on vaccine intention and will be a significant contribution to vaccine uptake efforts. Current existing visualization maps show only up to the county level. Some vaccine intention rates in counties mask the low level of intention within zip codes in those counties, so it is critical to have this level of data.
Resources Available to Support Workforce Resilience and Mental Health Needs
More than half of public health workers reported adverse mental health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. To help build workforce resilience, health centers may be interested in resources available on the COVID-19 Workforce Resilience/Sustainability Resources topic page. Additionally, check out this self-paced course developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Association of County and City Health Officials to introduce the concept of Psychological First Aid as a leadership tool to build resilience.
Study Quantifies Impact of Vaccination on Death and Hospitalization
As the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 surges in parts of the United States, a new study from Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund finds that the U.S. vaccination campaign has significantly curbed the virus’s death toll, saving as many as 279,000 lives and averting up to 1.25 million hospitalizations. The study examined the impact of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program on the pandemic’s trajectory through July 1, 2021, considering the emergence of more transmissible variants in recent months. The findings demonstrate that the speed of the U.S. vaccination rollout prevented numerous additional COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations. Researchers warn, however, that the Delta variant’s spread among unvaccinated populations could produce a surge in new cases and reverse the downward trend of infections and deaths across the country.
Provider Relief Fund Portal Now Open
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opened the portal on July 1 for providers to report how Provider Relief Fund (PRF) funding was utilized. Providers who received one or more PRF payments exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, during a Payment Received Period must come in and report. The deadline for PRF reporting is September 30, 2021.
Review the updated Reporting Requirements Notice (June 11) and register in the PRF Reporting Portal (if not yet completed).
For additional assistance, reference the following resources:
- Stakeholder Toolkit
- Stakeholder One-pager
- Reporting-specific Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Portal User Guides
- Registration Process
- Submitting Reporting Information
All of these resources and more may be found on the HHS Reporting and Auditing webpage. Real-time assistance is available by calling the Provider Support Line at (866) 569-3522; for TTY dial 711. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.
HHS Provides $398 Million to Small Rural Hospitals for COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation
HHS announced that, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), it provided $398 million in funding through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) to 1,540 small rural hospitals for COVID-19 testing and mitigation. State Offices of Rural Health, which work with small rural hospitals to implement quality and operational improvement efforts, will receive the funding announced today to distribute to eligible small rural hospitals in their state. Hospitals will use the funds to maintain or increase COVID-19 testing, expand access to testing for rural residents, and tailor mitigation efforts to reflect the needs of local communities.
NIOSH COVID-19 Update
As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep our stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH COVID-19 response, here is a summary of new information available
- Making Masks for the Workplace
New information from NIOSH is available for manufacturers to produce Workplace Performance and Workplace Performance Plus masks. This new NIOSH criteria for workplace masks also meets the standard in the ASTM International Specification for Barrier Face Coverings, F3502-21. - Types of Masks
CDC recently updated its Types of Masks webpage to include information that identifies masks that meet a standard, including the ASTM Standard. - Vaccinating Migrant/Migratory and Seasonal Food and Agriculture Workers
CDC published a new webpage to help jurisdictions ensure that migrant and migratory seasonal food and agricultural workers are vaccinated. The webpage addresses the unique challenges and best practices for providing vaccines to these workers.
COVID-19 Vaccination Tools for Long-Term Care Facilities
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, staff in nursing homes have been providing ongoing care to our nation’s most vulnerable. It’s on trusted messengers like you to make sure we’re reaching people who need to be protected from the COVID-19 virus.
Building vaccine confidence among Long-Term Care Facility staff and residents is important. That’s why we wanted to pass along useful data, materials, and resources to be able to guide conversations, answer questions, and help get people vaccinated.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Resources:
- Long-Term Care Community Champions – Voices from the Front Lines Videos: CMS has released videos with long-term care staff who moved from being initially uncertain about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to accepting it, and encouraging their peers to do the same. The videos are available here:
- COVID-19 Nursing Home Data – As part of CMS’ commitment to protect nursing home residents, nursing homes are now required to report vaccinations of residents and staff. These data are available on this webpage.
- Fireside Chat Recordings – This webpage holds all CMS COVID-19 partner calls, including CDC/CMS hosted fireside chats answering long-term facility staff questions about COVID-19 vaccination.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Resources:
- Vaccination Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities – This toolkit includes key COVID-19 vaccination information, strategies for initiating discussions about vaccination, and a variety of printable resources to build vaccine confidence among long-term care facility residents and staff.
- Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Vaccine in Long-Term Care Facilities – Many long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are offering on-site vaccination for residents and staff. This webpage has more information about how LTCFs can access vaccines, and a list of long-term care pharmacies participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
- #GetVaccinated – This American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) webpage has additional resources to help long-term care staff make informed decisions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Vaccines for COVID-19 | CDC
Telehealth Patient Resource Available in 6 New Languages
The Coverage to Care (C2C) patient resource, Telehealth: What to Know for Your Family, is now available in 6 additional languages: Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.
These translations are available for download at go.cms.gov/c2ctelehealth.
Released earlier this year in English and Spanish, Telehealth: What to Know for Your Family helps patients learn about:
- Types of care they can receive through telehealth
- How to prepare for an appointment
- What to expect during a telehealth visit
More COVID-19 resources are available in multiple languages at go.cms.gov/c2ccovid19 and go.cms.gov/omhcovid19.
We encourage you to share these resources to help everyone remain healthy during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Want to receive updates on C2C? Subscribe to the C2C listserv. To learn more or download C2C resources, please visit go.cms.gov/c2c or email CoverageToCare@cms.hhs.gov.