The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12.  Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents.

Provider Relief Fund:  Reminder That Applications Are Now Being Accepted

• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has opened its portal for providers to apply for $25.5 billion in health care relief funds, including $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan resources for providers that serve rural patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 grants for a broad range of providers that have experienced changes in operating revenues and expenses as a result of the COVID-19 emergency.  The application period runs for four weeks.  Providers must submit their completed application by October 26.  Go here for further information.

The White House

• The White House has posted a transcript of the October 6 press briefing given by its COVID-19 response team and public officials.  Find the slides presented during the briefing here.  During the briefing, White House officials announced that the administration will spend an additional $1 billion on COVID-19 tests in the coming months.

Department of Health and Human Services

COVID-19

• HHS has posted new information about the packaging, labeling, and storage of REGEN-COV, a COVID-19 monoclonal antibody.  The therapeutic’s manufacturer has updated its product fact sheet to reflect this new information.

Health Policy News

• HHS has launched a Spanish version of its QuestionBuilder app, which can help Latino patients prepare for their in-person or telehealth appointments.  Go here to learn more about the app and its features.
• HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has launched a new initiative called USCDI+ to support the identification and establishment of domain- or program-specific datasets that will operate as extensions of the existing USCDI.  In particular, USCDI+ is a service that ONC will provide to federal partners that seek to establish, harmonize, and advance the use of interoperable datasets that extend beyond the core data in the USCDI to meet agency-specific programmatic requirements.  Learn more from ONC’s USCDI+ web page.
• HHS has released its Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan to bolster the resilience of its operations and assets from the accelerating impacts of climate change.  The plan provides a road map for assuring that all parts of the department address the threats to health and well-being related to climate change for all people in the United States, especially those most vulnerable. The plan also ensures continuity of operations of HHS facilities in the face of extreme weather events and fosters healthy greenhouse gas reduction and resilience efforts in the public health sector and community.  Learn more about the plan from this HHS news release, the plan itself, and an HHS policy statement about the plan.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COVID-19

• CMS has updated its COVID-19 frequently asked questions on Medicare fee-for-service billing with new information about the application of the revised definition of “direct supervision” to the work of physical therapists and occupational therapists.  Find the new information here, on page 172.
• CMS has updated its COVID-19 emergency declarations blank waivers for health care providers to waive certain requirements for Medicare-dependent hospitals for the rest of the official public health emergency period.  See the new information on page 12 of the blanket waivers document.

Health Policy News

• CMS has posted the latest edition of MLN Connects, its online newsletter covering Medicare policy.  The new edition includes articles about a modification of the Medicare-dependent hospital waiver, a quarterly update of the end-stage renal disease prospective payment system, FY 2022 updates of the inpatient psychiatric facilities prospective payment system, new claims-based measures added to the hospice quality reporting program, and more.  Find the new edition of MLN Connects here.
• CMS has released its 2022 star ratings for Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to help people with Medicare compare plans ahead of Medicare open enrollment, which begins on October 15.  Learn more about the star ratings and find additional resources in this CMS news release.
• CMS has issued a new report describing what Z codes for social determinants of health revealed about Medicare fee-for-services beneficiaries in 2019.  Find the report here.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has updated its general information about COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has updated its information about who is eligible for COVID-19 booster shots.
• The CDC has updated its information about COVID-19 vaccinations for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• The CDC has updated its information about allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has updated its information about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are immuno-compromised.
• The CDC has posted information about how to increase COVID-19 vaccinations upon discharge from hospitals, emergency departments, and urgent care centers.

National Institutes of Health

• More than 140,000 children in the U.S. have lost a primary or secondary caregiver because of COVID-19, the NIH reports.  Learn more in this NIH news release.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)

• MedPAC met last week.  Issues on its agenda included addressing the high prices of pharmaceutical products and other technologies covered by Medicare; data on Medicare’s net prices for prescription drugs and other drug pricing metrics; a report for Congress on vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries’ access to care; features of Medicare’s alternative payment models; improving Medicare Advantage risk adjustment by limiting the influence of outlier predictions; and the Medicare hospital wage index.  Go here to find the briefs and presentations used to guide the commissioners’ discussions; a transcript should appear at this site as well later this week.

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC)

• MACPAC has published a new report:  “An Updated Look at Rates of Churn and Continuous Coverage in Medicaid and CHIP.”

American Medical Association

• The AMA has introduced new CPT codes for administering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to pediatric patients.

Stakeholder Events

HRSA – New Provider Relief Fund and Rural Hospital Grants – October 13 and 21

The Health Resources and Services Administration will hold web events on Wednesday, October 13 and Thursday, October 21 for providers interested in pursuing Provider Relief Fund grants and funding for rural hospitals provided through the American Rescue Plan.  The purpose of these events is to provide guidance on how to navigate the application portal for seeking such grants.

• To register for the October 13 webcast, go here.
• To register for the October 21 webcast, go here.

FDA – Workshop Addressing Response to the Opioid Crisis – October 13 and October 14

The FDA will hold a workshop titled “Reconsidering Mandatory Opioid Prescriber Education Through a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)” to give stakeholders an opportunity to provide input on aspects of the current opioid crisis that could be mitigated in a measurable way by requiring mandatory prescriber education as part of a REMS effort.  The public workshop will be held on October 13 and October 14.  For information about participating in the workshop or submitting comments or materials, see this Federal Register notice.