Month: March 2020

New Brief: Exploring State Data Sources to Monitor Rural EMS Performance Improvement

The Flex Monitoring Team has released a new briefing paper on data sources to help rural EMS agencies and State Flex Programs monitor and improve rural EMS performance. Through our work with an expert panel and a review of EMS data collection efforts, we identified barriers to as well as opportunities for EMS agencies, State EMS offices, and State Flex Programs to improve the collection, reporting and use of EMS data.

This paper may be accessed on the Flex Monitoring Team website.

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Announcements

March 12, 2020

What’s New

Congressional Research Service on HRSA Maternal Health Programs. The Congressional Research Service provides objective policy and legal analysis to committees and members of the U.S. House and Senate.  For this report, researchers provide an overview of five maternal health programs administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), including the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program, a pilot program that aims to improve access to services in rural areas.

Updates on the Coronavirus.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides daily updates on the Coronavirus with guidance for health providers and local public health officials.  Our grantees come from a variety of organizational settings. Some are community based and may represent small hospitals, clinics and non-profit programs.  Others are focused on telehealth and may be part of larger health systems or located in an academic setting with links to small rural hospitals and clinics.  We also fund States as well as rural health research centers, most of which have an academic affiliation. As a result, we recommend grantees follow the guidance of your home institution. Please stay in contact with your FORHP point of contact to keep us informed of changes in operations.  The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is monitoring and following the recommendations of the CDC, as well as guidance specific to federal agencies.  We are also monitoring the information and guidance provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which is releasing information on administrative flexibility and the availability of new billing codes.

COVID-19 Response News Alert: CMS Issues Frequently Asked Questions on Catastrophic Health Coverage and the Coronavirus

March 18, 2020

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to clarify coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by catastrophic health plans. A catastrophic health plan generally may not provide coverage of an essential health benefit before an enrollee meets the plan’s deductible.  Through these FAQs, CMS is announcing that the agency will not take enforcement action against any health issuer that amends its catastrophic plans to provide coverage without imposing cost-sharing requirements for COVID-19 related services before an enrollee meets the catastrophic plan’s deductible. CMS encourages states to take a similar enforcement approach.

The purpose of this use of CMS’ enforcement discretion is to remove barriers and financial disincentives to COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. The FAQs issued today align with guidance the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released last week, which provides flexibility to high deductible health plans to provide health benefits for diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 without application of a deductible or cost-sharing.   

The link to the related FAQs can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Files/Catastrophic-Coverage-of-COVID-19.pdf

These FAQs, 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 Releases Recommendations on Adult Elective Surgeries, Non-Essential Medical, Surgical, and Dental Procedures During COVID-19 Response

March 18, 2020Earlier today at the White House Task Force Press Briefing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all elective surgeries, non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures be delayed during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

As more healthcare providers are increasingly being asked to assist with the COVID-19 response, it is critical that they consider whether non-essential surgeries and procedures can be delayed so they can preserve personal protective equipment (PPE), beds, and ventilators.

“The reality is clear and the stakes are high: we need to preserve personal protective equipment for those on the front lines of this fight,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

This will not only preserve equipment but also free up our healthcare workforce to care for the patients who are most in need. Additionally, as states and the nation as a whole work towards limiting the spread of COVID-19, healthcare providers should encourage patients to remain home, unless there is an emergency, to protect others while also limiting their exposure to the virus. They should also urge patients to follow the President’s recently issued guidelines to help slow the spread of the virus.

The recommendations provide a framework for hospitals and clinicians to implement immediately during the COVID-19 response. The recommendations outline factors that should be considered for postponing elective surgeries, and non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures. Those factors include patient risk factors, availability of beds, staff and PPE, and the urgency of the procedure. This will help providers to focus on addressing more urgent cases and preserve resources needed for the COVID-19 response. The decision about proceeding with non-essential surgeries and procedures will be made at the local level by the clinician, patient, hospital, and state and local health departments.

The recommendations can be found here:  https://www.cms.gov/files/document/31820-cms-adult-elective-surgery-and-procedures-recommendations.pdf

These recommendations, and earlier CMS guidance and 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 further information. For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, and other information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.

Get CMS news at cms.gov/newsroom, sign up for CMS news via email and follow CMS on Twitter CMS Administrator @SeemaCMS, @CMSgov, and @CMSgovPress.