| Good morning,
First, let me thank all of you for your continued work to serve Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace beneficiaries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that many of you have made personal and professional sacrifices in addressing this public health emergency and we appreciate all that you do.
As many of you are aware, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been hosting regular calls with providers and stakeholders during which time we’ve heard many suggestions for additional flexibilities that would be of value. We’ve also looked for patterns in the individual waiver requests and inquiries to the COVID-19 mailbox that we’ve received.
On Friday, May 1, 2020 issued another round of sweeping regulatory waivers and rule changes to deliver expanded care to the nation’s seniors and provide flexibility to the healthcare system as America reopens. These changes include making it easier for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to get tested for COVID-19 and continuing CMS’ efforts to further expand beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services. I want to make sure you are aware of these waivers and the interim final rule (IFR) and to make sure you are aware of our availability to meet by webinar or audio conference to discuss these updates. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please respond to Lorelei Schieferdecker at lorelei.schieferdecker@cms.hhs.gov with an expression of interest or complete our Speaker Request form.
To see the press release please visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-issues-second-round-sweeping-changes-support-us-healthcare-system-during-covid.
For more information on the COVID-19 waivers and guidance, and the Interim Final Rule, please go to the CMS COVID-19 flexibilities webpage: https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/emergency-preparedness-response-operations/current-emergencies/coronavirus-waivers.
Finally, I would encourage you and your members to attend the CMS Office Hours where you can get answers to your highly technical questions. To be notified of future calls, you can subscribe to the CMS email listserv at Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to create an account. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.
You can access the recordings and transcripts at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts. This page holds all Partner Relations Group Podcasts, transcripts and audio recordings. CMS makes Open Door Forums and other presentations available as audio podcasts. The Podcasts are available, free of charge. If using Chrome as your browser, please be sure to refresh the page to see all the recordings and transcripts.
As always, we are available in CMS Kansas City to meet with you, our critical stakeholders, for discussion, for sharing of best practices, and/or to hear from you how we can serve you better.
Respectfully,
Catherine Rippey
Acting Regional Administrator
CMS Kansas City |
