The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26.

Governor Wolf

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Gov. Tom Wolf indicated Thursday the state might move straight to opening eligibility to all adults by May 1, as President Joe Biden directed, and skip over phases 1B and 1C, which include different tiers of essential workers.

Asked when the state would move to 1B, the governor said Biden’s plan “sort of throws out the whole 1A, 1B, 1C thing.”

Department of Health

• Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam signed an amended order stating that “certain vaccine providers” must work with local Area Agencies on Aging and Medical Assistance managed care organizations to schedule vaccines for adults eligible in Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan.  The order also requires these providers to have the ability to schedule appointments for individuals into the future.  Under this order, a vaccine provider that informs a Phase 1A individual that no appointments are available may be subject to enforcement.  The order also requires providers to continue to ensure that appointments can be scheduled both by phone and by using online scheduling systems.  The order requires vaccine providers to schedule appointments as far in advance as necessary to ensure that appointments are made for individuals in Phase 1A and they are prohibited from including messages on websites or by phone that no appointments are available.  For further information, consult the following resources:
  • a Department of Health news release announcing the order
  • the amended order
  • an FAQ on the order
  • a Wolf administration news release on the same subject
• The Department of Health issued quarantine recommendations for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 antibodies.  This does not apply to health care facility patients, residents, and staff.
• The Department of Health updated its event reporting system that health care facilities use to report positive COVID-19 test results and deaths involving residents and staff.  The system will now allow for manual addition of records and spreadsheet uploads.  It also clarified that if a resident or staff member tests positive 90 days after a previous positive test, a new record should be entered into the system.  If they test positive within 90 days of a previous positive test, this information should not be entered as a new record.  A quick start guide can be found here and further instructions here.
• The Department of Health is establishing a new, long-term, free indoor walk-in COVID-19 testing site for the general public in Centre County from March 30 through May 1.  Go here for information about location and hours.

Department of Health – by the numbers

• The daily number of new COVID-19 cases has risen over the past ten days.  Today’s total was the highest single-day total since January 30 and the figures in the preceding days also were higher than in the recent past.
• Yesterday the state surpassed one million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, meaning that nearly eight percent of the state’s population has contracted the disease.
• Despite the rising number of new COVID-19 cases the daily death totals are not rising.  Nearly 25,000 Pennsylvanians have now died from COVID-19.
• More than 82,268 residents and employees in 1574 long-term-care facilities in all 67 Pennsylvania counties have contracted COVID-19.  12,904 of those residents have died – nearly 52 percent of the state’s death total but a declining proportion in comparison to the earlier months of the pandemic.
• More than 26,000 health care workers in the state have contracted COVID-19.
• For the week from March 12 through March 18 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 6.5 percent, up from 5.7 percent last week.
• The numbers of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19, in hospital ICUs with COVID-19, and on ventilators being treated for COVID-19 have been rising for the past ten days.
• Currently, 21 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 15 percent of medical/surgical beds, nine percent of pediatric ICU beds, 22 percent of pediatric beds, and 34 percent of airborne isolation units.
• As of March 26 the state’s vaccine dashboard shows that more 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 1.7 million have received both doses of a vaccine.  These numbers do not include Philadelphia, which operates its own COVID-19 vaccination program.
• The vaccine dashboard shows vaccine totals by county.
• Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health reports that as of March 26, nearly 290,000 Philadelphians have been partially vaccinated and more than 200,000 have been fully vaccinated.

Department of Human Services

• DHS has issued a Medical Assistance Bulletin informing participating providers about the addition of CPT codes M0239 and M0243 to the MA Program Fee Schedule for the administration of unapproved monoclonal antibody therapies for treatment of the COVID-19 effective November 9, 2020 and November 21,2020, respectively.
• At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, DHS and its Office of Long-Term Living requested and received approval from the federal government to address potential staffing shortages in several of its programs and the need for service provision not included in approved service descriptions to ensure that participant health and safety needs could be accommodated for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.  In the wake of the continued persistence of the pandemic, DHS submitted requests to the federal government seeking to extend the effective dates of these waivers.  The federal government has approved these requests.  These actions were taken for three programs:  the state’s Act 150 program, its OBRA and Community HealthChoices (CHC) 1915(c) waivers, and its Community HealthChoices section1915(c) waivers.  DHS has published explanations describing each of these waivers along with its plans for phasing them out as the COVID-19 emergency abates.  Learn more from the following resources:
  • Act 150 – temporary changes
  • Act 150 – plan to phase out changes
  • OBRA and Community HealthChoices (CHC) 1915(c) waivers – temporary changes
  • OBRA and Community HealthChoices (CHC) 1915(c) waivers – plan to phase out changes
  • Community HealthChoices OBRA section1915(c) waiver – temporary changes
  • Community HealthChoices section1915(c) waiver – plan to phase out changes
• DHS has issued guidance addressing regulatory compliance with tuberculin skin testing requirements after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.
• DHS’s Office of Long-Term Living has asked organizations that can be helpful in the effort to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines to complete an Equitable Vaccination Options survey.

Department of State

While the Department of State has already authorized pharmacists to delegate authority to administer COVID-19 vaccinations under their supervision to a number of other types of licensed health care professionals, it has now extended that authorization to others who have been authorized or made eligible to administer COVID-19 vaccinations by way of state or federal government action, including the March 10, 2020 declaration and subsequent amendments issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the PREP Act.  See the latest Department of State notice here.

Around the State

• Allegheny County will introduce a new vaccine registration system next week, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
• The county also is expanding eligibility at its own sites to everyone in group IA, adding people between the ages of 50 and 64 with certain medical conditions.  The Tribune-Review explains.
• Amid rising case counts, Allegheny County public health officials are advising residents to continue to observe mitigation recommendations, according to KDKA.
• Berks County commissioners heard a similar message from their emergency services director during their recent public meeting, WFMZ reports.

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

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24.

Department of Health

The Department of Health announced that beginning Tuesday, March 23, a week-long free drive-through COVID-19 testing site will open for the general public in Luzerne County.  Go here for information about the location and hours.

Department of Health – by the numbers

• The daily number of new COVID-19 cases has risen over the past ten days.  Today’s total was the highest since February 5 and the figures in the preceding days were also higher than in the recent past.
• Despite the rising number of new COVID-19 cases the daily death totals are not rising.
• For the week from March 12 through March 18 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 6.5 percent, up from 5.7 percent last week.
• Five counties are now considered to be in low levels of community transmission:  Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Potter, and Sullivan counties.
• 37 counties are in moderate levels of community transmission:  Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clarion, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland.
• 25 counties are still in substantial levels of community transmission:  Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming, and York.
• The numbers of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19, in hospital ICUs with COVID-19, and on ventilators being treated for COVID-19 have been rising for the past week.
• Currently, 21 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 15 percent of medical/surgical beds, 10 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 25 percent of pediatric beds, and 35 percent of airborne isolation units.
• As of March 24 the state’s vaccine dashboard shows that more 1.4 million Pennsylvanians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 1.6 million have received both doses of a vaccine.  These numbers do not include Philadelphia, which operates its own COVID-19 vaccination program.
• The vaccine dashboard shows vaccine totals by county.
• Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health reports that as of March 24, 638,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the city:  464,000 first doses and 174,000 second doses.

Department of Human Services

Teresa Miller has resigned as DHS Secretary effective April 30.  Governor Wolf has nominated Meg Snead, currently his Secretary of Policy and Planning, to replace her.

DHS has issued a Medical Assistance Bulletin informing providers that effective June 1, 2021, it will reinstate provider revalidation requirements as applicable prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency.  See the DHS announcement here.

Department of State

The Department of State has again expanded its list of health care professionals who may administer COVID-19 vaccines under appropriate supervision.

General Assembly

• House Bill 649 was unanimously passed by the House this afternoon. This legislation requires the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, to establish protocols to permit an essential caregiver to provide in-person physical and emotional support to a congregate care facility resident during a declaration of disaster emergency. The provisions of the bill are applicable beginning 15 days after a declaration of disaster emergency is issued and remain in effect until 60 days after the declaration is terminated. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.
• House Bill 63 was also passed by the House this afternoon. This legislation permits an individual who has been authorized to administer a COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to administer vaccines in Pennsylvania. It also requires the Department of Health to publish specific county-level COVID-19 vaccine data, including vaccine dose allocations and eligible populations, and a description of the Department’s COVID-19 vaccine allocation formula to the Department’s website. Lastly, this legislation requires, in certain counties, the Department of Health to deliver doses of COVID-19 vaccine that are intended for a mass vaccination site to the county health department in which the mass vaccination site is to be held. The bill will now be sent to the Senate for consideration.

Around the State

• The Allegheny County council postponed its public meeting this week “due to a covid outbreak amongst council members and staff,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Philadelphia will cancel appointments for as many as 30,000 COVID-19 vaccines scheduled to be administered at its FEMA mass vaccination site in the next three weeks after it discovered that they were scheduled by people improperly using the program’s digital appointment system – a problem the city previously identified and thought it had fixed.  The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story.
• Where are the new COVID-19 hot spots in Pennsylvania?  The Philadelphia Inquirer offers the details and a map.
• According to Philly Voice, “Because Philadelphia is seeing a steady increase in new cases of COVID-19 – and, recently, an uptick in hospitalizations – city officials said Tuesday they will not be further relaxing COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and large outdoor events when the rest of Pennsylvania does so in less than two weeks.”  Go here for further details.
• The state will establish mass vaccination sites in two of the four suburban counties surrounding Philadelphia.  The Philadelphia Inquirer explains that it will be doing so over the objections of the leaders of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

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

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 2:30 p.m. on Monday, March 22.

Department of Health

• The Department of Health has amended the state’s universal face coverings order to align with updated federal CDC guidelines.  The amended order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on March 17, 2021 and will remain in effect until further notice.  The new state order addresses activities that fully vaccinated people can resume now, as low risk to themselves, while being mindful of the potential risk of transmitting the virus to others.  For further information, see the following resources:
  • the Department of Health announcement of the new policy
  • the amended Department of Health order
  • the updated CDC guidelines
• The Department of Health has outlined temporary plans to get more COVID-19 vaccine to Pennsylvanians and improve transparency and technical resources online.  According to officials, “Starting the week of March 22, a focused network of 200-300 providers can expect to see more first doses of vaccine arriving and will be assured of a steady supply for the next several weeks.”  In addition:

The temporarily focused network of providers was selected following an extensive review, which included a survey of all providers and mapping out an initial view of the provider network to receive focused allocations of first vaccine doses over the next few weeks. Providers were selected based on:

• geographic reach,
• access for residents,
• equity across demographics,
• vaccine throughput, and
• estimated demand.

The selection process took into account the ability to administer a high volume of first doses within seven days of delivery while maintaining equity across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines as well as the ability to capture and report vaccine administration data within 24 hours. 

The temporarily narrowed network of vaccine providers is designed to reach people with different needs and preferences using a mix of provider types, including:

• hospitals,
• pharmacies,
• Federally Qualified Health Centers, and
• public health providers.

Learn more from a Department of Health news release.

That same March 19 news release states that

As proof that the pace of vaccinations is accelerating, yesterday the CDC ranked Pennsylvania number two in the nation for the number of doses administered per 100,000 residents over the past seven days.

• The Secretary of Health has issued an order requiring all skilled nursing facilities to complete an initial vaccine needs assessment via an online survey form.  The survey must be completed by 12:00 a.m. on March 23, 2021 and will be used to inform additional COVID-19 vaccine support efforts.
• The Department of Health has issued a health advisory on the importance of developing travel history collection procedures that include elements specific to the risk of highly transmissible health care-associated organisms such as COVID-19 and others.

Department of Health – by the numbers

• The number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen significantly since November and December but the decline has ended and the daily numbers now generally are higher than they have been in recent weeks.
• Despite the slightly rising number of new COVID-19 cases the daily death totals continue to decline.
• For the week from March 12 through March 18 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 6.5 percent, up from 5.7 percent last week.
• The numbers of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19, in hospital ICUs with COVID-19, and on ventilators being treated for COVID-19 have all risen slightly in the past week.
• Currently, 24 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 21 percent of medical/surgical beds, 11 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 30 percent of pediatric beds, and 37 percent of airborne isolation units.
• As of March 22 the state’s vaccine dashboard shows that nearly 1.4 million Pennsylvanians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 1.5 million have received both doses of a vaccine; the latter increase is 19 percent in the past week.  These numbers do not include Philadelphia, which operates its own COVID-19 vaccination program.  The vaccine dashboard shows vaccine totals by county.
• Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health reports that as of March 20, 580,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the city:  419,000 first doses and 161,000 second doses.
• Thus, while the state has completed vaccination of approximately 13.4 percent of its non-Philadelphia population, Philadelphia has completed vaccination of only about ten percent of its population.

Around the State

• The Berks County COVID-19 Response Task Force has published a report on the county’s response to the pandemic.  WFMZ radio shares some of the report’s findings.  Find the report itself here.
• In separate stories, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on the Allegheny County Health Department’s expansion of its criteria for eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines and Excela Health’s opening of a clinic in an empty building in North Huntingdon (Westmoreland County) where it expects to give about 2000 vaccines a day.
• Philadelphia, too, has expanded eligibility for vaccines, as the Philadelphia Inquirer explains.
• Monday is the last day Philadelphia residents living in underserved zip codes can walk up and receive a COVID-19 vaccine at FEMA’s mass vaccination site at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties are at odds with the Pennsylvania Department of Health over whether to establish a single mass vaccination site for the four counties or continue their current focus on local vaccination sites.  The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story.
• Whether small pharmacies are engaged in administering vaccines appears to depend on where they are located.  While the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that “Small pharmacies ‘beyond frustrated’ as Pennsylvania locks them out of vaccine process,” the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that 300 miles away, “More Philly pharmacies are carrying COVID-19 vaccine, offering a welcome alternative.”

Department of Human Services

DHS has issued a Medical Assistance bulletin announcing the addition of CPT code M0245 for the use of the unapproved monoclonal antibody therapies bamlanivimab and etesevimab when administered together.  The medications have received emergency use authorization from the federal FDA.

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

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the state and federal government as of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16.

Pennsylvania Update

Governor Wolf

• Governor Wolf announced that he is easing some of the state’s restrictions on businesses that were imposed to mitigate against the spread of COVID-19.  Effective April 4, limits on participation will partially be eased for restaurants, bars, gyms, entertainment facilities (casinos, theaters, malls, personal service facilities), indoor facilities, and mass gatherings.  Mask and social distancing requirements will still apply.  Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.
• Governor Wolf and members of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced a bipartisan effort to complete COVID phase 1A vaccinations first, set up mass vaccination clinics with regionally supplied plans to inform allocations, and vaccinate frontline workers.  Learn more from a Wolf administration news release.
• The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force created by Governor Wolf has announced subcommittees focused on key audiences and issues.  The new subcommittees are for aging, racial equity, business/workforce, and education, with subcommittee members representing stakeholders and advocates, state agencies, workers, academics, industry, and other interested parties.  Last week the task force announced a special initiative to vaccinate teachers, school staff, and child care workers.

Department of Human Services

• The Department of Human Services has issued a Medical Assistance bulletin about the addition of CPT code 0031A to the MA Program Fee Schedule, effective February 27, 2021, for the administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Biotech) vaccine.  This code is to be used by providers in both the fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems.
• DHS announced that Pennsylvania will expand its partnership with Rite Aid to vaccinate 9,000 individuals with physical disabilities and older Pennsylvanians participating in DHS’s home and community-based long-term services and supports program during vaccination clinics through March and April.

Department of Health

• Acting Secretary of Health Beam issued an order making March 31 the date by which all vaccine providers should have Phase 1A-eligible Pennsylvanians’ vaccine appointments scheduled.  See the Department of Health announcement and the department’s order.
• The same order also requires providers to make appointments with patients outside of their current patient network.
• The Department of Health announced that beginning on Tuesday, March 16, a long-term indoor walk-in COVID-19 testing site will open in Dauphin County.  Testing will be available daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday until Saturday, April 10, with the opportunity to extend past that date based on need.  The testing site is located at Strawberry Square, 320 Market Street in Harrisburg.
• The Department of Health announced that beginning on Tuesday, March 16, a rotating drive-through and indoor walk-in COVID-19 testing site will open in Blair County.  Testing will be available daily from 9 AM to 6 PM, every Tuesday through Saturday, until Saturday, April 3, with the opportunity to extend past that date based on need.  Go here for information about the different sites and their hours of operation.
• The Department of Health has issued updated quarantine recommendations for persons exposed to COVID-19.  The update includes information both for individuals who are and who are not fully vaccinated.
• The Department of Health has updated work restrictions for health care workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to clarify its post-exposure recommendations for exposures that occur outside of health care settings.
• The Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Department of Aging have jointly urged Pennsylvania long-term-care facilities to implement the new guidance for nursing home visitation established by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  Go here to see the joint announcement from the three state agencies and go here to see the new federal guidance.

Department of Health – by the numbers

• The number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen significantly since November and December but the decline has ended and the daily numbers are comparable to what they were a month ago.
• Today Pennsylvania’s total COVID-19 case count surpassed 970,000 – more than 7.5 percent of the state’s population.The daily death toll, too, while much less than it was in November and December, has only declined modestly the past two weeks.
• For the week from March 5 through March 11 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate fell to 5.7 percent, the same as last week.
• The numbers of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 in hospital ICUs with COVID-19, and on ventilators being treated for COVID-19 has declined just slightly in the past week.
• Currently, 22 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 17 percent of medical/surgical beds, 15 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 29 percent of pediatric beds, and 37 percent of airborne isolation units.
• As of March 16 the state’s vaccine dashboard shows that nearly 1.2 million Pennsylvanians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 1.3 million have received both doses of a vaccine; the latter increase is 30 percent over the past six days.  These numbers do not include Philadelphia, which operates its own COVID-19 vaccination program.
• The vaccine dashboard shows vaccine totals by county.
• Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health reports that as of March 16, 526,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the city:  380,000 first doses and 146,000 second doses.

Department of General Services

The Department of General Services announced that the state Capitol building will reopen to the public on March 22.  It closed to the public on December 10 amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.

Around the State

• Allegheny County will open three new vaccination sites by the end of the month, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Another Allegheny County site already opened, hosted by UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team and staged at PPG Paints Arena, is now open and administering more than 1000 vaccines a day, the Tribune-Review notes.
• Federally funded health clinics, with their own groups of patients, are starting to get COVID-19 vaccines to more people of color, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
• The COVID-19 crisis is being credited with spurring a mental health crisis that is leading to long waits for care and a shortage of beds in Philadelphia-area hospitals and mental health facilities, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• York County has established a web site for residents to get information about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and availability and more, the York Dispatch reports.
• The arrival of spring means allergy sufferers will again face seasonal symptoms that are similar in some ways to those for COVID-19.  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review consulted medical experts to help readers distinguish between the two.
• The Allentown Morning Call chronicles the challenges of finding and getting a COVID-19 vaccine in the Lehigh Valley.

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

Federal Update

White House

• The White House has posted a transcript of the March 15 press briefing provided by its COVID-19 response team and public health officials.  During the briefing, White House officials noted that under to the American Rescue Plan (the COVID-19 relief bill), the federal government will now cover 100 percent of the cost for Medicaid and children’s health insurance beneficiaries to get vaccinated.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

• CMS announced that it is increasing Medicare payments for administering COVID-19 vaccines.  Effective for COVID-19 vaccines administered on or after March 15, 2021, the national average payment rate for physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, and many other immunizers will be $40 to administer each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  This represents an increase from approximately $28 to $40 for the administration of single-dose vaccines and an increase from approximately $45 to $80 for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines requiring two doses.  The exact rate will depend on the type of entity furnishing the service and will be geographically adjusted.  Resources that provide additional information about this increase include:
  • CMS’s announcement of the new policy
  • updated billing codes for administering vaccines
  • a special edition of the online CMS publication MLN Connects, which also offers links to additional payment-related resources.
• CMS has issued a correction notice making changes in the telehealth list finalized in the Medicare physician fee schedule rule that affects providers that bill for evaluation and management services as part of those telehealth visits.  The notice explains that CMS “inadvertently included” CPT codes 99221, 99222, and 99223 in the table that represents the Category 3 temporary additions to the telehealth list through the end of 2021 or the year in which the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.  These are evaluation and management codes for initial hospital care (30, 50, 70+ minutes).  This does not affect the ability of providers to bill for these services during the public health emergency.
• CMS has released a fact sheet that outlines how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – the COVID-19 relief bill – affects the health care marketplace, the cost of health insurance, and access to subsidized insurance made available through the Affordable Care Act.  Find that fact sheet here.
• CMS has introduced an infographic presenting its new guidance for visiting nursing homes.  This infographic is available in English and Spanish.
• In recent days CMS has issued two dozen section 1135 waivers to give states greater flexibility to serve their Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

HHS COVID-19 Stakeholder Calls

HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response sponsors COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice that are interactive virtual learning sessions that seek to create a peer-to-peer learning network in which clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes.  These webinar topics are covered every week:

• EMS:  Patient Care and Operations (Mondays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
• Critical Care:  Lifesaving Treatment and Clinical Operations (Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)
• Emergency Department:  Patient Care and Clinical Operations (Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 PM eastern)

Go here for information about signing up to participate in the sessions and go here for access to materials and video recordings of past sessions.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• The CDC has updated its guidance to essential workers on when and how to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
• The CDC has updated its guidance for people at high risk of serious illness about the advisability of receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has updated its case for older Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has updated its information about adverse events resulting from COVID-19 vaccines.
• The CDC has published a study analyzing the rate at which individuals receiving two-dose COVID-19 vaccines successfully receive both doses.

Food and Drug Administration

• The FDA has issued emergency use authorization for Propofol-Lipuro 1% injectable emulsion for infusion to maintain sedation via continuous infusion in patients greater than 16 years old who require mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit as part of treatment for COVID-19.  For additional information, see the FDA’s letter issuing this emergency use authorization and a separate fact sheet on the use of Propofol-Lipuro 1% injectable emulsion.
• The FDA has issued a warning to clinical laboratory staff, point-of-care facility staff, and health care providers that false positive results can occur with the Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. cobas COVID-19 & Influenza A/B Nucleic Acid Test.

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania’s state government as of 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10.

Department of Health

• The Department of Health issued guidance on the detection of multisystem inflammatory disease in adults (MIS-A) and instructions for providers to report suspect cases of MIS-A that meet all of the case definition criteria with onsets on or after January 1, 2021 by faxing a case report form to 717-772-6975 or the local health department or by emailing the form to radhcovidcontact@pa.gov.
• The Department of Health announced that it is establishing a COVID-19 testing site in Delaware County.  The site, requested by the county, is located in Upland and will be open Tuesday through Saturday until at least April 3, with the possibility that it will continue to operate after that point if the need remains.  See the Department of Health’s announcement about the testing site.
• The Department of Health sent the following message to stakeholders via email:

On Thursday, March 11, 2021, the Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program (SPBP) will be reinstating the early refill limit for drug claims that requires at least 75% of the previous medication dispensed to be utilized prior to refilling the medication covered by SPBP. For individuals with other drug coverage in addition to SPBP, the SPBP will default to the early refill limits allowed by the other prescription plan the client is enrolled in. The SPBP allows up to 100 day supply for medications prescribed at 1 pill per day, up to 50 day supply for 2 pills per day, and up to a 34 day supply for 3 or more pills per day. Early refill requests can be submitted to SPBP for review for vacation supplies, lost or stolen medications, wrong days’ supply previously submitted, or other similar requests. To request an early refill override, please call the SPBP customer service line.

For drug claim issues, pharmacies should contact the SPBP provider line at 800-835-4080.

For all other questions or enrollment issues, contact the SPBP customer service line at 800-922-9384.

• The Department of Health posted the following information about nursing facility licensure renewals on its provider message board:

As the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency that was issued on March 6, 2020 was renewed on February 18, 2021, the Department Division of Nursing Care Facilities continues to perform surveys in the priorities that CMS has outlined.  The extension on licenses that was granted on March 31, 2020 continues.  Licenses will be issued as licensure surveys are able to be completed.

A license that was extended will be renewed upon completion of a license renewal survey and all requirements are met, the renewed license will be in effect from the month that the survey was completed for the next year. For example, if the facility license would have expired on April 31, 2020, and pursuant to the Department’s guidance was extended and the renewal survey was completed on February 5, 2021  the renewed license the facility receives will reflect a renewal term from the month the survey was completed for the next year or February 1, 2021 to February 1, 2022.

The process may be different for Provisional Licenses.  For a provisional license the license will be effective from the date that the previous provisional license ended.

Department of Health – by the numbers

• The number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen significantly since November and December but the decline has leveled off this month.
• The daily death toll, too, is much less than it was in November and December but has leveled off this month.
• The governor’s weekly COVID-19 early warning dashboard shows that for the week from February 26 through March 4 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate fell to 5.7 percent; it was 6.3 percent the week before that.  This marked the 11^th consecutive week the rate fell.
• 22 counties have positivity rates of less than five percent and no counties have positivity rates greater than 20 percent.
• Five counties – one more than last week – are now considered to be in low levels of community transmission.  They are Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Potter, and Sullivan counties.
• 33 counties are in moderate levels of community transmission:  Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, Lebanon, McKean, Montgomery, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, and Wyoming.
• 26 counties – the same number as last week – are still in substantial levels of community transmission:  Beaver, Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Union, Wayne, York.
• This reflects movement among the counties.  Philadelphia, for example, in moderate community transmission last week, moved back into substantial community transmission this week.  Potter County, on the other hand, experienced a substantial level of community transmission last week but this week is in a low level of community transmission.
• The numbers of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 and in hospital ICUs is declining modestly but the number on ventilators has held steady for the past week.
• Currently, 22 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 17 percent of medical/surgical beds, 10 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 23 percent of pediatric beds, and 36 percent of airborne isolation units.
• As of March 10 the state’s vaccine dashboard shows that nearly 1.1 million Pennsylvanians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and one million have received both doses of a vaccine.  These numbers do not include Philadelphia, which operates its own COVID-19 vaccination program.
• The vaccine dashboard shows vaccine totals by county.
• Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health reports that as of March 9, 422,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the city:  297,000 first doses and 125,000 second doses.

Department of Human Services

DHS’s Office of Long-Term Living distributed the following message to stakeholders via its listserv:

Continuation of the Appendix K Temporary Changes to the Community HealthChoices( CHC) Waiver, OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved temporary changes to the OBRA and CHC 1915(c) waivers beginning March 6, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Approval of these changes is covered under Appendix K, Emergency Preparedness and Response, which states may use during emergency situations to request amendments to their approved waivers.  These changes addressed potential staffing shortages and the need for service provision not included in approved service descriptions to ensure participant health and safety needs could be accommodated for the duration of the COVID-19 statewide emergency.   The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) extended the same flexibilities to the Act 150 Program.   CMS approved an amendment to Appendix K which allowed some flexibilities to continue until March 5, 2021.      

In January 2021, OLTL submitted another amendment to request extension of the Appendix K flexibilities until 6 months after the end of the Public Health Emergency.  CMS has not yet approved the amendment; however, they recently instructed OLTL to assume that any previously approved flexibilities will continue to be approved in the interim.

Until further notice, the Appendix K flexibilities can continue in CHC waiver, the OBRA waiver, and the Act 150 program.  For additional details on the flexibilities, please go to the OLTL COVID19 Provider Resources web page to view the guidance updated for the CHC waiver on January 4, 2021 and updated for the OBRA waiver and Act 150 Program on January 15, 2021.

If you have questions about the information in this Listserv email, please contact the OLTL Provider Helpline at 1-800-932-0939.

Around the State

• Last Sunday officials of the four counties surrounding Philadelphia – Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties – held a Zoom call with Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary to complain about what they insist is a continued shortchanging of their counties in the state’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.  The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story.
• Officials in Berks County, also near Philadelphia, feel they, too, are being shortchanged by the state in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and are unhappy that they were not included in the Sunday call with the Department of Health, according to the Reading Eagle.
• Northampton County has launched a hotline to help seniors with limited access to the internet schedule appointments for COVID-19 vaccines, the Allentown Morning Call reports.
• The number of vaccines administered weekly in Philadelphia has nearly doubled with the opening of a FEMA-operated site and should increase still further when five new city-operated sites open in the next two weeks, according to WHYY, which also notes that the city expects its supply of vaccines to continue to exceed its capacity to administer them “for the foreseeable future.”

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