CMS Snapshot, April 2-9, 2020 — Delivered to You by the Partner Relations Group in the Office of Communications

Summary

CMS Snapshot for April 2-9, 2020, a digest of news releases and fact sheets delivered by the Partner Relations Group in the Office of Communications of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It lists releases from 2pm Thursday, April 2 through 2pm Thursday, April 9, 2020, each with a date and short description. Entries include recommendations to nursing homes, an HHS funding action to provide $186 Million for COVID-19 response, and CMS approval of approximately $34 Billion for providers through the Accelerated/Advance Payment Program. It also lists ventilator contracts under the Defense Production Act with General Motors at $489.4 million and Philips at $646.7 million, and HRSA awards of more than $1.3 billion to 1,387 health centers. A fact sheet entry covers the 2021 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement.

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                                   CMS Snapshot
                                   April 2-9, 2020
Delivered to you by the Partner Relations Group in the Office of Communications
     All releases below are from 2pm Thursday, April 2 through 2pm Thursday, April 9, 2020.

News Releases
*April 2- Trump Administration Issues Key Recommendations to Nursing Homes, State and
Local Governments. Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), issued critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as nursing
homes, to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in nursing
homes.
*April 3- CMS News Alert April 3, 2020. Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the COVID-19 virus, as 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 CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on
an ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of April 3, 2020 at
10:00 AM.
*April 3- Secretary Azar Statement on New Defense Production Act Orders. On Thursday and
Friday, President Trump signed two memoranda ordering the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security to use any and all authority under the Defense
Production Act to 1) facilitate the supply of materials for ventilator production by certain
manufacturers and 2) prevent the export of certain scarce and critical materials, including
personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 respirators and surgical masks, that have
been the target of hoarders.
*April 3- Secretary Azar Statement on New CDC Face Covering Guidance. On Friday, the White
House Coronavirus Task Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced
new guidance around the wearing of face coverings, such as cloth masks, in community
settings. HHS Secretary Azar issued the following statement.
*April 6- HHS Announces Upcoming Funding Action to Provide $186 Million for COVID-19
Response. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing upcoming action
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide $186,000,000 in funding for
additional resources to state and local jurisdictions in support of our nation’s response to the
2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
*April 6- HHS Supports State, Territorial and Tribal Public Health Labs with COVID-19 Rapid
Point-of-Care Test. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is purchasing the ID
NOW COVID-19 rapid point-of-care test, developed by Abbott Diagnostics Scarborough Inc., for
state, territorial and tribal public health labs. The ID NOW COVID-19 test is performed on the ID
NOW device. This test allows for medical diagnostic testing at the time and place of patient
care, provides COVID-19 results in under 13 minutes and expands the capacity for coronavirus
testing for individuals exhibiting symptoms as well as for healthcare professionals and the first
responder community.
*April 6- Secretary Azar Statement on World Health Day. HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued the
following statement on the occasion of World Health Day, April 7.
*April 6- CMS News Alert, April 6, 2020. Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the COVID-19 virus, as 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 CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on
an ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of April 6, 2020 at
10:00 AM.
*April 7- CMS Approves Approximately $34 Billion for Providers with the Accelerated/Advance
Payment Program for Medicare Providers in One Week. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) has delivered near $34 billion in the past week to the healthcare providers on
the frontlines battling the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The funds have been provided
through the expansion of the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program to ensure providers
and suppliers have the resources needed to combat the pandemic.

*April 7- CMS News Alert April 7, 2020. Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the COVID-19 virus, as 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 CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on
an ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of April 7, 2020 at
4:30 PM.

*April 8- HHS Announces Ventilator Contract with GM under Defense Production Act. This
week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the first contract for
ventilator production rated under the Defense Production Act, to General Motors. GM’s
contract, at a total contract price of $489.4 million, is for 30,000 ventilators to be delivered to
the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of August 2020, with a production schedule allowing
for the delivery of 6,132 ventilators by June 1, 2020.
*April 8- HHS to Provide Millions of TYVEK Protective Suits for U.S. Healthcare Workers. The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced an agreement with
DuPont to expedite the delivery of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) needed for
frontline U.S. healthcare workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
*April 8- HHS Awards $1.3 Billion to Health Centers in Historic U.S. Response to COVID-19.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $1.3 billion to 1,387 health centers as
part of a historic U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
*April 8- Indian Health Service Expands Telehealth Services During COVID-19 Response. Today,
IHS is announcing its expansion of telehealth across IHS federal facilities. Telehealth services
means patients can stay home and reduce their risk of infection and also keep healthcare
workers and others in waiting rooms and emergency departments safe from COVID-19.

*April 8- HHS Announces Ventilator Contract with Philips under Defense Production Act. The
Department of Health and Human Services announced the second contract for ventilator
production rated under the Defense Production Act (DPA), to Philips. Philips’s contract, at a
total contract price of $646.7 million, is for a production schedule allowing for the delivery of
2,500 ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile by the end of May 2020 and a total of
43,000 ventilators to be delivered by the end of December 2020.
*April 8- OCR Reaches Early Case Resolution With Alabama After It Removes Discriminatory
Ventilator Triaging Guidelines. Today, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing that it has resolved a compliance review of the
State of Alabama after the state removed ventilator rationing guidelines that allegedly
discriminated on the basis of disability and age. This is the first enforcement action taken by
OCR since OCR issued a bulletin reminding covered entities of the continued applicability of civil
rights laws during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

*April 8- HHS Statements on Authorizing Licensed Pharmacists to Order and Administer COVID-
19 Tests. Earlier today, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health issued new guidance
under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act authorizing licensed pharmacists
to order and administer COVID-19 tests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
authorized.

*April 8- CMS Issues New Wave of Infection Control Guidance Based on CDC Guidelines to
Protect Patients and Healthcare Workers from COVID-19. Under the leadership of President
Trump, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a series of updated
guidance documents focused on infection control to prevent the spread of the 2019 Novel
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a variety of inpatient and outpatient care settings.
*April 9- OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Community-Based Testing
Sites During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency. Today, the Office for Civil
Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will
exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for violations of the HIPAA
Rules against covered entities or business associates in connection with the good faith
participation in the operation of COVID-19 testing sites during the COVID-19 nationwide public
health emergency.



Fact Sheets
*April 6- 2021 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement Fact Sheet. Today, the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Calendar Year (CY) 2021 Rate
Announcement, finalizing Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D payment methodologies for CY
2021. This Rate Announcement addresses comments received on Parts I and II of the CY 2021
Advance Notice, published on January 6 and February 5, 2020, respectively.




For more information, please email partnership@cms.hhs.gov


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