The CDC’s Vaccine Inquiry Center for all health care providers is now available to answer vaccine questions. You may send all inquiries to: eocevent168@cdc.gov

The CDC is also pointing people to this HRSA resource: COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured | Official web site of the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (hrsa.gov)

CMS issued an Interim Final Rule with Comment Period, which established the New COVID-19 Treatments Add-on Payment (NCTAP) under the Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), effective from November 2, 2020, until the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19. To mitigate potential financial disincentives for hospitals to provide new COVID-19 treatments during the COVID-19 PHE, the Medicare program will provide an enhanced payment for eligible inpatient cases that involve use of certain new products with current Food and Drug Administration approval or emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19. Visit the NCTAP webpage for more information.

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is working to support their members with the ongoing PPE shortage by partnering with Project N95 to offer PPE.  This is the same program that is being used by other associations, such as American Medical Association. Practice Project N95 is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working to get critical equipment to frontline workers. Through this collaboration, NRHA members have a special opportunity to purchase the following PPE at bulk pricing and in small quantities:

• N95 respirators (certified by FDA and NIOSH)
• 3 and 4 ml Blue Nitrile Powder Free Patient examination gloves
• ASTM Level 1 and Level 3 surgical masks
• Level 1 and Level 2 AAMI isolation gowns
• Hard surface disinfectant
• Disposable face shields

The equipment is being sourced through a limited-time campaign; therefore, you must order by 3PM EST on December 29, 2020 for this limited-time offer.

Tax exempt providers can submit the necessary documentation during registration.  Before you can access the store where the product detail and pricing information is available, you must register by clicking the link below to learn more about the products and how to purchase them:  shop.projectn95.org/registration

Additional Product Detail:

On December 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID‑19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 for individuals 16 years of age and older. Review Pfizer’s Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) regarding the limitations of authorized use.

During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), Medicare will cover and pay for the administration of the vaccine (when furnished consistent with the EUA). Review our updated payment and HCPCS Level I CPT code structure for specific COVID-19 vaccine information. Only bill for the vaccine administration codes when you submit claims to Medicare; don’t include the vaccine product codes when vaccines are free.

Related links:

• CMS COVID-19 Provider Toolkit
• CMS COVID-19 FAQs
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit for medical centers, clinics, and clinicians
• FDA COVID-19 Vaccines webpage

NRHA highlighted the fantastic work by a group of bipartisan Senators led by Senators Manchin (D-WV), Collins (R-ME), Cassidy (R-LA), Murkowski (R-AK) and others to work toward a COVID-19 relief package. The framework of this package was made public. Included in the framework was a 20 percent carveout for rural providers in new Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Telehealth Program funding. Additionally, the framework provides updated language on PRF use requirements, so it is more provider friendly. Further, the framework includes a one-year extension of current telehealth flexibilities.

On December 7, 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) disbursed $9.3 million to support COVID-19 testing at Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). HRSA used updated data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify 188 previously unsupported RHCs and calculate more than $49,000 per site for the December 2020 payment. The terms and conditions for recipients of this round of funding remain the same as those for RHCs previously funded in May 2020. Recently posted Frequently Asked Questions about the program provide more details. 

On Monday, HHS released new hospital COVID-19 capacity data at the facility level. Previously released data about hospital capacity that had been released was aggregated at the state level. This new, more granular, data release aggregates daily hospital reports into a “week at a time” picture to protect patient privacy, while providing a view of how COVID-19 is impacting hospitals and local communities across the country.

On Dec. 15 at 12:00 pm, Life Unites Us will host a webinar to educate participants on new ways to treat patients struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD) during the pandemic. Attendees will hear from experts in the recovery community who will share their experiences of how they are navigating these unique challenges. Register here.