The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the federal government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19.

Provider Relief Fund

• HHS has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with five new questions that address the application process for the new children’s hospital and safety-net providers targeted distribution. The questions can be found on pages 30, 31, 41, and 42 of the FAQ; new questions and answers are dated 8/17/2020 and 8/18/2020.

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS has issued a third amendment under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to expand access to childhood vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and curb the risk of outbreaks as children return to daycare, preschool, and school. 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS announced that for inpatient acute-care hospital admissions on or after September 1, 2020 to receive the temporary 20 percent increase in the MS-DRG weighting factor required under the CARES Act, patient medical records must show a recent positive COVID-19 test, whether performed by the hospital or another entity. CMS has been identifying eligible claims by the presence of certain ICD-10 diagnosis codes but cited Medicare program integrity concerns in adding this new requirement. If upon medical record review the hospital cannot show a recent COVID-19 positive test, the additional payment will be recouped by Medicare.

• CMS revised guidance to state survey agencies to resume enforcement actions, onsite revisits, and other survey types, including routine inspections of all Medicare and Medicaid certified providers that have been on hold during the public health emergency.  It also has made corresponding updates to its Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes.

• CMS announced that the agency has imposed more than $15 million in civil money penalties to more than 3,400 nursing homes for non-compliance with infection control requirements and failure to report COVID-19 data. 

CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls

CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to its response to COVID-19.  These sessions are open to members of the health care community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

Home Health and Hospice Call

Tuesday, August 25^th at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 6782346

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Call

Tuesday, August 25 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 8579003

Audio Webcast link:  go here.

Nursing Homes Call

Wednesday, August 26 at 4:30 – 5:00 PM eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5718509

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Dialysis Organizations Call

Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1834329

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Nurses Call

Thursday, August 27 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1556623

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19

Friday, August 21^st at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5956858

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Conference lines are limited, so CMS encourages interested parties to join via audio webcast.  To listen to the audio files and read the transcripts for these and past COVID-19 Stakeholder calls, visit CMS’s Podcast and Transcripts page.

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Yale School of Public Health for its SalivaDirect COVID-19 diagnostic test, which uses a new method of processing saliva samples when testing for COVID-19 infection.

• The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a commercial device to be used for detection of IgM antibodies to COVID-19 in human serum and plasma (potassium EDTA, disodium EDTA and lithium heparin) using the DZ-lite 3000 Plus Chemiluminescence Analyzer intended for use as an aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to COVID-19.

• The FDA has issued an EUA for a commercial COVID-19 Nucleic Acid RT-PCR test kit used for qualitative detection of RNA from COVID-19 in upper respiratory specimens (such as nasal, mid-turbinate, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal swab specimens and nasopharyngeal wash/aspirate or nasal aspirate specimens) from individuals suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider.

• The FDA has issued an EUA for emergency use of a commercial product that detects and differentiates IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum using the MS-Fast automated chemiluminescent immunoassay analyzing system and BioCheck SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM Combo tests said to detect antibodies, which indicate recent or prior COVID-19 infection.

• The FDA is providing two new flowcharts and supporting information on respirators:

• For health care providers and facilities: Considerations for Selecting Respirators for Your Health Care Facility

• The FDA has updated its COVID-19 Resources for Health Professionals page to include the CURE ID app allowing clinicians to efficiently share their experiences treating COVID-19 patients.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has updated its Frequently Asked Questions about Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Laboratories.

• The CDC has updated its staffing resources and guidance in state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to intensify the coordinated response to COVID-19.

• The CDC has updated information for health care professionals about COVID-19.

• The CDC has updated its Contact Tracing: A Community Engagement checklist for health departments

• The CDC has updated its training, evaluation, and monitoring guidance for health departments.

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