SNAP has written to the Pennsylvania congressional delegation asking its members to urge congressional leaders to eliminate a cut in federal Medicaid DSH allotments to the states.
The following is the latest coronavirus information from the state and federal governments as of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 11.
Department of State
The Department of State has suspended the initial medical history and physical examination required for prescribing buprenorphine via telemedicine to treat opioid use disorder for the duration of the COVID-19 disaster declaration.
Department of Health
The Department of Health has revised its health alert Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a Healthcare Setting to add information on extended-use eye protection and to update language regarding the use of respirators.
The Department of Health has clarified that it does not need to approve a skilled nursing facility’s testing plan before it is used by the facility and providers should defer to the CMS-reported county positivity rate if there is a conflict between CMS and Department of Health data. Learn more here.
Department of Health – by the numbers
This week’s joint news release from Governor Wolf and the Department of Health revealed that during the week of August 28 to September 3, the number of COVID-19 cases rose 30 percent over the previous week, the state-wide rate for positive tests rose from 3.2 percent to four percent, and community transmission was high in Columbia and Centre counties.
Provider Relief Fund
American Medical Association
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS has posted the document “New COVID 19 Testing and Reporting Requirements” that collects and summarizes the latest testing, training, and data-reporting requirements for nursing homes.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.
CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Call
Tuesday, September 22 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 2409459
To join call, go here.
Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19
Friday, September 18 at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4446447
To join call, go here.
Home Health and Hospice Call
Tuesday, September 22n at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 1169237
To join call, go here.
Nursing Homes Call
Friday, September 18 at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4446447
To join call, go here.
Dialysis Organizations Call
Wednesday, September 23 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 7026727
To join call, go here.
Thursday, September 24 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern
Toll-free attendee dial-in: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 5872398
To join call, 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.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC has updated its guidance for the clinical management of patients suffering from COVID-19.Food and Drug Administration
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Pharmaceutical companies are attempting to prevent safety-net hospitals and others from receiving the full benefits of the section 340B prescription drug discount program and the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has asked of the state’s congressional delegation to sign a congressional letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar asking to him intervene and stop the pharmaceutical companies.
In asking members of the delegation to sign onto the bipartisan letter, SNAP notes that
The 340B program is essential for Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals, other qualified Pennsylvania providers, and others like us throughout the country, enabling us to obtain discounts on prescription drugs we dispense on an outpatient basis to qualified, low-income patients. The program greatly enhances the ability of hospitals to serve their low-income patients and does not cost taxpayers a single dime, but in recent weeks several pharmaceutical companies have taken steps to prevent hospitals from receiving the prescription drug discounts that Congress clearly intended when it created the 340B program nearly 30 years ago.
Learn more about the 340B problem and what SNAP and others are asking Secretary Azar to do to help in this SNAP message to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.
SNAP asked members of PA’s congressional delegation to sign a bipartisan letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Azar asking the Secretary to prevent pharmaceutical companies from denying access to discounted prescription drugs made available through the federal section 340B prescription drug discount program.
The following is the latest coronavirus information from the state and federal governments as of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 4.
Independent Fiscal Office
The Independent Fiscal Office reports that Pennsylvania collected $2.55 billion in General Fund revenue for August, an increase of $355.5 million (16.2 percent) over August 2019 collections. The IFO estimates that roughly $235 million of the $355.5 million increase was associated with extended tax due dates related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal income tax revenue, sales, use, and hotel occupancy revenue, and corporate net income tax revenue all exceeded estimates. See the IFO’s full August report here.
Department of Health
The Department of Health has revised its guidance for skilled nursing facilities with a recommended testing plan for facilities not experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, safe access for compassionate care, access to the facility for resident advocates, and a revised timeline for lifting restrictions after a mitigated outbreak. See a news release describing the new guidance and go here to see the guidance itself.
Department of Health – by the numbers
Department of State
Because of the challenges of finding continuing education opportunities to fulfill professional requirements during the COVID-19 emergency, the Department of State has authorized the granting of continuing education credits for nursing home administrators, physical therapists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, speech language pathologists, and audiologists who serve as poll workers in this November’s election. See the Department of State notice here.
Provider Relief Fund
Reminder: Applications are currently open for Phase 2 general distribution funding for Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), dental providers, certain Medicare providers, and assisted living facilities. All groups have until September 13, 2020 to submit their tax identification number for validation and apply for funding from the phase 2 general distribution. Go here for more information.Find all of these changes in the Provider Relief Fund FAQ.
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association has updated codes and guidelines for office and other outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) services. Some of the changes were introduced earlier this year in response to the COVID-19 emergency. The AMA has recommended to CMS that it implement these changes on January 1, 2021. Learn more in this AMA news release.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS has updated the article “Quarterly Update for Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule and Laboratory Services Subject to Reasonable Charge Payment” in its online publication MLN Matters to reflect an update that includes additional COVID-19 codes. Some of those codes took effect on August 10 and others take effect on October 1.Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In three documents the CDC has advised states to be ready to begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines as early as late October or early November.
Food and Drug Administration
The FDA has issued guidance to health care providers on the use of convalescent plasma for treating patients with COVID-19.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The following is the latest coronavirus information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1.
Governor Wolf
Governor Wolf has signed a second renewal of his 90-day disaster declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic. This declaration provides for increased support for state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery during reopening, including expediting supply procurement and lifting certain regulations to allow for efficient and effective mitigation. The disaster declaration also has facilitated waivers and extensions to support Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania businesses, and Pennsylvania caregivers during the pandemic. Learn more from the governor’s news release announcing the signing and see the emergency declaration itself.
Governor Wolf asked the General Assembly to pass legislation for paid sick and family leave for workers who need to miss work for an illness or to take care of a loved one. Such leave could be used to recover from an illness, such as COVID-19, for medical appointments, to care for a family member, or to seek help from abuse or violence.
Department of Human Services/Department of Health
Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced that all assisted living residences, personal care homes, and private intermediate-care facilities in the state have completed universal baseline COVID-19 testing. One hundred percent of the 1363 DHS-licensed personal care homes, assisted living residences, and private intermediate-care facilities in Pennsylvania completed universal baseline testing by the August 31 deadline. This effort was assisted by the Regional Response Health Collaborative (RRHC) Program launched in late July to provide clinical support, technical assistance, and education to long-term-care facilities as they work to prevent and mitigate spread of COVID-19. Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.
Department of Health – by the numbers
The weekly COVID-19 status report released by Governor Wolf and the Department of Health found 353 fewer new cases of COVID-19 during the week of August 21-27 than during the week of August 14-20.Resources to Consult
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28.
Governor Wolf
Governor Wolf announced that the state is awarding $10 million in grants to 23 recipients to support the rapid advancement of vaccines, treatments, and therapies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find a list of grant recipients here.
Governor Wolf announced that the state will distribute more than $117 million in CARES Act funding to child care providers across Pennsylvania.
Department of Health – by the numbers
Resources to Consult
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Main COVID-19 Page
COVID-19 Provider Resources
Press Releases
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Main COVID-19 Page
PA Health Alert Network
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main COVID-19 Page
FAQ
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State Medicaid program accounting for hospital uncompensated care when calculating hospital-specific Medicaid disproportionate share limits is the subject of new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
In the guidance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explains that because of several court rulings, states can decide for themselves whether to offset third-party payer payments from costs in their Medicaid DSH calculations for periods prior to June 2, 2017 but that beginning with that date, CMS will enforce its own interpretation of the policy.
In new guidance, CMS presents two methodologies for accounting for its mid-year policy change and reminds stakeholders about its new methodology for calculations after June 2, 2017. Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services and its Office of Medical Assistance Programs have not yet indicated how they will respond to the options CMS has presented.
Learn more from this Medicaid notice and from its accompanying CMS informational bulletin “Treatment of Third Party Payers (TPP) in Calculating Uncompensated Care Costs (UCC).”
The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.
Governor Wolf
Governor Wolf has presented his fall legislative agenda. Among his proposals, he called for $225 million for hazard pay for frontline workers; $10 million for a personal protective equipment reimbursement program for small businesses; and $250 million for child care for families with school-age children in need of care because of blended or remote in-person instruction models. Learn more about these and other aspects of the governor’s proposal here.The weekly report also includes information about the state’s contact tracing efforts. Learn more here, in the governor’s news release. A separate Department of Health news release also addresses the state’s contact tracing work.
Department of Health
The Department of Health has unveiled “CATE” (Community-Accessible Testing and Education”), a recreational vehicle that has been equipped as a mobile COVID-19 testing and education unit that will travel the state offering free COVID-19 tests and education in medically underserved communities in 16 counties. Established and operated by the organization Latino Connection, staffed by the Welsh Mountain Health Centers, and funded in part by the state, Highmark, and Independence Blue Cross, CATE has more than 30 stops scheduled during September, the first half of them in the Philadelphia area and then moving westward across the state. Appointments are not needed and CATE’s tests will be performed by the state’s lab in Exton, which is producing results in 24 to 48 hours. Learn more about CATE, its origins, and its scheduled stops in this Department of Health news release and by visiting the CATE web site.Department of Health – by the numbers
Department of Human Services
Resources to Consult
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The following is the latest information from the state and federal governments as of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 21.
Department of Health
Earlier this week, the Department of Health announced a pilot program for a new COVID-19 exposure mobile app. In an effort to support the commonwealth’s contact tracing efforts, COVID Alert PA will be available for smartphone downloads beginning in September. The department is partnering with a number of institutions to develop the mobile app, which will alert users when they have come in close contact with a COVID-19-positive person.
Department of Health – by the numbers
Department of Human Services
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) announced that it has received approval from CMS to allow certain services provided under the Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), Community Living Waivers (ID/A Waivers) and the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) waivers to be provided in hospital settings regardless of the reason for hospitalization. ODP will be submitting waiver amendments soon to ensuret hat these changes remain effective after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
Food and Drug Administration
The FDA has issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for emergency use of a commercial test to detect nucleocapsid protein antigen to COVID-19 directly from nasal swab specimens collected from individuals who are suspected of COVID-19 by their health care provider within the first 12 days of the onset of symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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