Coronavirus update for Thursday, May 28 as of 2:30 p.m.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS has updated its COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare fee-for-service billing with additional or revised answers to the following sections:
  • Expansion of Virtual Communication Services for FQHCs/RHCs – questions 11-23
  • Medicare Telehealth (please note that these FAQs do not include flexibilities that might be exercised under the CARES act) – questions 23-33
  • General Billing Requirements – questions 2 and 3
  • Diagnosis Coding under International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) – question 1
  • Chronic Care Management Services – question 1
  • Outpatient Therapy Services – questions 1-3

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS has redesigned its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund web page.  The new layout maintains the previous section for timely alerts but separates additional information about the Provider Relief Fund into the following categories that each redirect to their own, more detailed pages:  For Providers; About the Provider Relief Fund; Data, and FAQs.  The updated web page also included nuanced changes in the language describing the distribution of CARES Act money.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has published information about screening clients for respiratory infections associated with COVID-19 when they seek admission to homeless shelters.
• The CDC has shared forecasts for COVID-19 hospitalizations over the next four weeks. Included are state-by-state forecasts.

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has announced that it now offers a new tool to aid in the development and evaluation of diagnostic tests to detect COVID-19. This tool is a COVID-19 reference panel, which can be used as an additional step to ensure the quality of tests, validation of new assays, test calibration, and monitoring of assay performance.
• The FDA issued a letter to health care providers to remind reprocessing staff in health care facilities to use the correct sterilization cycle associated with certain models of the Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP) STERRAD Sterilization Systems and to only decontaminate compatible N95 or N95-equivalent respirators for reuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for a specific commercial product for use in decontaminating compatible N95 respirators for multiple-user reuse by health care personnel.
• The FDA has revised its enforcement policy for face masks and respirators during the COVID-19 crisis.The FDA will hold a virtual town hall meeting for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers that are developing or have developed diagnostic tests for COVID-19. The purpose of the event is to help answer technical questions about the development and validation of new tests.  This town hall will be held on Wednesday, June 3 at 12:15 p.m. (eastern) and additional meetings will be held on June 10, June 17, and June 24 at the same time and for the same purpose.  Go here for further information.
• The FDA has issued recommendations for sponsors requesting emergency use authorization for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for surgical masks and respirators during the COVID-19 emergency.

Federal Funding Opportunities for Hospitals

• NASH has prepared a document that collects and presents in one place the various new federal funding opportunities for hospital resulting from legislation addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency.  Find that document here.

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