The Families First Coronavirus Response Act waives cost-sharing under Medicare Part B (coinsurance and deductible amounts) for Medicare patients for COVID-19 testing-related services. These services are medical visits for the HCPCS evaluation and management categories described below when an outpatient provider, physician, or other providers and suppliers that bill Medicare for Part B services orders or administers COVID-19 lab test U0001, U0002, or 87635.

Cost-sharing does not apply for COVID-19 testing-related services, which are medical visits that: are furnished between March 18, 2020 and the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE); that result in an order for or administration of a COVID-19 test; are related to furnishing or administering such a test or to the evaluation of an individual for purposes of determining the need for such a test; and are in any of the following categories of HCPCS evaluation and management codes:

• Office and other outpatient services
• Hospital observation services
• Emergency department services
• Nursing facility services
• Domiciliary, rest home, or custodial care services
• Home services
• Online digital evaluation and management services

Cost-sharing does not apply to the above medical visit services for which payment is made to:

• Hospital Outpatient Departments paid under the Outpatient Prospective Payment System
• Physicians and other professionals under the Physician Fee Schedule
• Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)
• Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

For services furnished on March 18, 2020, and through the end of the PHE, outpatient providers, physicians, and other providers and suppliers that bill Medicare for Part B services under these payment systems should use the CS modifier on applicable claim lines to identify the service as subject to the cost-sharing wavier for COVID-19 testing-related services and should NOT charge Medicare patients any co-insurance and/or deductible amounts for those services.

For professional claims, physicians and practitioners who did not initially submit claims with the CS modifier must notify their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and request to resubmit applicable claims with dates of service on or after 3/18/2020 with the CS modifier to get 100% payment.

For institutional claims, providers, including hospitals, CAHs, RHCs, and FQHCs, who did not initially submit claims with the CS modifier must resubmit applicable claims submitted on or after 3/18/2020, with the CS modifier to visit lines to get 100% payment.

Additional CMS actions in response to COVID-19, 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, 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.

CMS released a video providing answers to common questions about the Medicare telehealth services benefit. CMS is expanding this benefit on a temporary and emergency basis under the 1135 waiver authority and Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Video

By Beth Prusaczyk, PhD, Department of Medicine, Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the United States (US) demands a similarly rapid scientific response to mitigate the impact. While the initial scientific discourse about the virus appropriately focused on virology, clinical features, and therapeutics, there is now equal, if not greater, attention on the public health practices that are immediately needed to slow the spread as the response shifts from―containment‖ to―mitigation.

To mitigate the spread of the virus, numerous states have enacted policies that restrict their residents statewide, such as closing all schools, limiting gatherings over a certain amount, or issuing ―shelter in place/stay at home‖ orders for all non-essential activities. These―social or physical distancing‖ practices are seen by many public health experts as the most effective tools currently available to slow the transmission of the virus.

Read more.

With nearly all of the 50 states in some form of lockdown to fight the spread of COVID-19, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus, as well as accompanying videos.

To identify which states are taking the most aggressive actions to combat coronavirus, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 51 key metrics. The data set ranges from tested cases of COVID-19 per capita to school closures, ICU beds, and shelter-in-place policies. Below, you can see highlights from WalletHub’s report, along with a summary of the largest changes in rank from our previous report and a Q&A with WalletHub analysts.

Note: Rankings reflect data available as of 1 p.m. ET on April 6, 2020.

On April 3, CMS Administrator Seema Verma, Deborah Birx, MD, White House Coronavirus Task Force, and officials from the FDA, CDC, and FEMA participated in a call on COVID-19 Flexibilities. Several physician guests on the front lines presented best practices from their COVID-19 experience(s). You can listen to the conversation here.

As the coronavirus spreads across the country, the related anxiety, fear, and depression also threaten the health of Americans. Mental health experts say the combination of rising death tolls and social isolation make it difficult to cope with the pandemic. As the Director of the Office of Rural Mental Health Research, Andrea Beckel-Mitchener explains that rural communities often pursue counseling less often due to the “stigma to seeking help.” Further, rural areas often have less access to mental health care. Telehealth has received growing support recently and can greatly improve mental health care in rural communities. For tips on coping with social distancing and isolation, check out the advice given by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Politico reports that in a April 2, 2020 news briefing, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, announced that rapid point-of-care tests will distributed to areas of the country where current COVID-19 testing is scarcest. “These are new tests, and we have prioritized the groups that we think have the least access to testing now,” Dr. Birx said. “Priority will be given to Indian Health Services and rural areas that do not have access to labs that perform high-volume coronavirus tests.”

With the support from the National Rural Health Association, 41 senators and 81 representatives wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Azar urging the administration to fairly distribute aid to rural hospitals and health clinics. Under the CARES Act, the HHS Secretary has flexibility in how the $100 billion fund will be allocated to struggling providers. The lawmakers requested that funding be provided to rural hospitals quickly, as many are running low on money while preparing for the coronavirus. NRHA is concerned that large health systems (who also need help) will consume the funds due to small rural providers’ inability to compete for the funds. We are advocating for a rural set-aside to be established within these funds to ensure that rural providers can access this important, much-needed funding.