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PA Health Policy Update for the Week of July 12-16

The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of July 12-16, 2021.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

General Assembly

The House Democratic Policy Committee’s Subcommittee on Progressive Policies for Working Families held an informational hearing this week on “Pricing Out Pennsylvanians:  How to Drive Down Drug Prices.”  Various stakeholders, including PhRMA, the National Academy for State Health Policy, patient advocates, and pharmacists, spoke to the committee.  Find their testimony here.

On Wednesday, July 21 at 10:30 a.m. the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and the Senate Communications & Technology Committee will hold a joint public hearing examining the Department of Health’s COVID-19 contact tracing emergency procurement.  Go here to stream the hearing.

Department of Human Services

  • DHS has published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin announcing its intention to discontinue Medical Assistance stability payments beginning with FY 2022 and to revise the payment reconciliation process to account for the discontinuation of these payments.  Find the notice here.
  • DHS has updated its Remittance Advice (RA) calendar to add August dates.
  • DHS has published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin announcing revisions of the Medical Assistance program fee schedule that take effect for dates of services on and after December 21, 2020.  It also has added procedure code and modifier combinations to the fee schedule.  Find the notice here.
  • DHS has published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin addressing its FY 2022 Nursing Facility Assessment Program announcing the proposed assessment amount, the proposed assessment methodology, and the estimated aggregate impact on nursing facilities that will be subject to the assessment.  Find the notice here.
  • DHS has announced that all of its county assistance offices resumed serving clients in person on July 12, 2021.  The services that have been available to clients online during the COVID-19 emergency will remain available online through DHS’s Compass web site.  Learn more from this DHS announcement.

COVID-19:  By the Numbers

  • The Department of Health announced that it had overcounted the number of Pennsylvanians who have received their first of two COVID-19 injections but undercounted those who are now completely vaccinated.  The announcement was included in this department news release and explained in greater detail in this Lancaster Online article.
  • According to the state’s revised figures, 61.4 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 years of age and older are now fully vaccinated.
  • 5.6 million Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, but only 105,000 completed the full vaccination regimen in the past week; another 813,000 Philadelphians are now fully vaccinated but only 11,000 reached that status in the past week.
  • The daily number of new COVID-19 cases rose slightly over the past week, with the total from Tuesday through Friday the highest four-day figure in more than a month.
  • The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 and on ventilators and in hospital ICUs declined slightly in the past week.
  • For the week from July 2 through July 8 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 1.2 percent, up from 1.1 percent last week and the first increase the state has experienced in two months.

Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4)

As directed by Act 15 of 2020, PHC4 has issued a report with data on the effect of the COVID-19 disaster emergency on Pennsylvania hospitals and health care facilities.  According to the report, Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems reported $1.4 billion in COVID-19 related expenses and revenue losses for the period October 2020-March 2021.  These expenses and revenue losses, according to PHC4, were attributable to COVID-19 and used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the pandemic.  Total COVID-19-related expenses and lost revenue reported by Pennsylvania hospitals and health systems through March 2021 (January 2020-March 2021) were $6.5 billion.  Learn more from the PHC4’s “COVID-19 Disaster Emergency Report.”

Around the State

  • With no public health department of its own, Delaware County enlisted Chester County’s public health department to lead its pandemic response.  Now, Delaware County is addressing this shortcoming in its local governance:  its new board of health held its first meeting last month and hiring for the county’s new health department will begin in the fall.  The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story.
  • With a new goal of cutting HIV diagnoses 75 percent over the next five years, Philadelphia public health officials are trying a new HIV testing strategy:  focusing testing on high-risk groups rather than focusing on sheer numbers of tests administered.  The Philadelphia Inquirer explains the why and the how.
  • The Lycoming County commissioners have awarded River Valley Health & Dental, a federally qualified health center, $25,000 in Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency money to educate the public about COVID-19 and vaccinations.  The Williamsport Sun-Gazette provides the details.
  • The office of Delaware County’s medical examiner is getting a makeover:  a new medical examiner, a new or renovated facility, new policies and procedures, and more, according to the Delaware County Times.

Stakeholder Events

  • Medical Assistance Advisory Committee

July 22 at 10:00 am

To register, go here.

  • Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program

July 29, 2021 at 10:00

This is a telephone meeting.

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+1 412-648-8888,,785376728#   United States, Pittsburgh

(866) 588-4789,,785376728#   United States (Toll-free)

Phone Conference ID: 785 376 728#

Stakeholder Meeting Materials

Materials from the June 24 meeting of the Office of Medical Assistance Programs’ Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC):

2021-07-16T21:06:12+00:00July 16th, 2021|Coronavirus, DSH hospitals, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance|Comments Off on PA Health Policy Update for the Week of July 12-16
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PA Health Policy Update for the Week of July 5-9

The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of July 5-9, 2021.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

State Revenue Collections

According to the Independent Fiscal Office’s Monthly Revenue Update, the state collected $3.77 billion in June, the last month of the fiscal year; that was $350.7 million, or 10.3 percent, more than projected.  This strong monthly performance was led by growth in corporate net income tax collections, which were 42.2 percent higher than anticipated.  Pennsylvania ended FY 2020-21 with the largest budget surplus in the state’s history:  $3.4 billion more than anticipated.

Department of Human Services

COVID-19:  By the Numbers

  • The daily number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths remained down and steady over the past week.
  • The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19 and on ventilators and in hospital ICUs because of it remained down and steady.
  • To date, nearly 1.2 million Pennsylvanians have contracted COVID-19, among them 29,000 health care workers and 88,000 residents and staff of nursing facilities and personal care homes.  27,700 Pennsylvanians have died from the virus.
  • For the week from June 25 through July 1 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate was 1.1 percent, down from 1.2 percent last week and 1.4 percent the week before.
  • 5.5 million Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, but only 82,000 have completed the full vaccination regimen in the past week; another 9000 Philadelphians have done so as well.  According to the state, 60.5 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 years of age and older are now fully vaccinated and 63.0 percent of the entire population has now received at least the first dose of a vaccine.

Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has sent a reminder to stakeholders that under the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program, HRSA will provide up to $250,000 in loan repayment to substance abuse disorder health professionals in exchange for a six-year, full-time service commitment in rural and underserved areas.  Facilities interested in hiring or supporting current substance use disorder health professionals who receive loan repayment must apply to become an approved facility.  Learn more about the HRSA program here and apply to become an approved facility to employ current substance use disorder professionals here.  Applications are due July 22.

Around the State

  • The Department of Health is hiring a new contractor to run its COVID-19 contact tracing program after firing its old contractor after a major data breach.  Spotlight PA explains who, why, and how much.
  • Western Pennsylvania hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, personal care homes, and home care agencies are experiencing a major shortage of nurses.  The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details the extent of the problem.
  • A new law passed late last month gives Pennsylvania parents the right to have their children repeat the grade they just finished because of the learning loss they believe their children experienced during remote schooling while the COVID-19 pandemic raged.  Parents must make a decision and file appropriate paperwork by July 15.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers the details.
  • The Butler County commissioners have unanimously voted to end their emergency declaration, KDKA Pittsburgh reports, “… because the vaccination site at the county mall is closed and they no longer require the state’s emergency funding.”
  • A new law in Pennsylvania “…will require treatment facilities to notify a patient’s emergency contacts if they leave a rehab center against medical advice,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, adding that “Heather’s Law, as it’s called, will take effect in 60 days and is named after a woman who overdosed and died 12 hours after leaving a treatment facility in Pennsylvania.  Her family wasn’t aware she had left.”  Learn more here.
  • “After more than five months of discussions and one meeting with Tower Health’s board of directors, Lehigh Valley Health Network and StoneBridge Healthcare have decided not to make an offer to acquire the financially ailing Reading-based health system,” according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.  Tower Health’s hospitals include Reading Hospital, Brandywine Hospital, Chestnut Hill Hospital, Jennersville Hospital, Phoenixville Hospital, Pottstown Hospital, and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, a partnership of Tower Health and Drexel University.
  • “Geisinger Health Plan has expanded its Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to eight more Pennsylvania counties including all five in the Philadelphia region.  GHP Kids coverage is now available for uninsured children and teens, up to age 19, in 48 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties,” the Philadelphia Business Journal writes

Stakeholder Events

  • Health Research Advisory Committee Meeting

July 12 at 10:00 a.m.

The public meeting will be held virtually by means of Microsoft Teams at (267) 332-8737 with Conference ID: 689 378 043#.

  • Newborn Screening and Follow-Up Technical Advisory Board

July 15 at 10:00

The virtual public meeting will be conducted as a teleconference Skype meeting.  The dial-in number is (267) 332-8737 and the conference access ID is 63145728#.

  • Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program

July 29, 2021 at 10:00

This is a telephone meeting.

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+1 412-648-8888,,785376728#   United States, Pittsburgh

(866) 588-4789,,785376728#   United States (Toll-free)

Phone Conference ID: 785 376 728#

 

2021-07-09T20:01:40+00:00July 9th, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, DSH hospitals, Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid|Comments Off on PA Health Policy Update for the Week of July 5-9
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COVID-19 Update: Tuesday, December 22

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the state government as 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22.

Governor Wolf

Last week the Governor’s Budget Office released a mid-year budget report.  The report noted that the state ended the 2019-2020 fiscal year with a $2.7 billion deficit largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  For the second half of the fiscal year the administration projects that economic growth will rebound slightly due to low interest rates, short-term fiscal policies, and a declining unemployment rate. The mid-year budget report also highlighted areas of concern moving forward, including the uncertainty of the impact of COVID-19 on state revenue, the replacement of one-time funding sources, and the unknown potential of additional federal stimulus funding.  The administration will deliver its fiscal year 2021-2022 budget proposal on February 2nd.

Department of Health

Department of Health – by the numbers

  • Pennsylvania’s number of new daily COVID-19 cases remains exceptionally high but has declined during the past three days.
  • The state’s total number of COVID-19 cases today surpassed 560,000.  Thirty-seven percent of those cases have been diagnosed this month alone.
  • The number of new daily COVID-19 deaths remains exceptionally high and is not declining.  Today the state surpassed 14,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic and more than 25 percent of those deaths have been this month.
  • Nearly 6200 Pennsylvanians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.  That is more than twice the number of people hospitalized during the peak of the crisis in the spring.
  • The state’s positivity rate on COVID-19 tests fell from 16.2 percent two weeks ago to 15.8 percent last week.
  • More than 57,000 residents and employees of long-term-care facilities have contracted COVID-19.  That encompasses 1433 facilities in all 67 counties.
  • Nearly 18,000 health care workers have now contracted the virus.
  • According to the state’s COVID-19 early warning monitoring dashboard, every county in the state except Sullivan County now has a positivity rate greater than five percent.  In the past, Department of Health Secretary Levine has referred to anything greater than five percent as “concerning.”
  • All 67 Pennsylvania counties are now, according to the Department of Health, in “substantial levels of community transmission.”
  • Among young people from the ages of five through 18, there have been more than 44,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.  Twenty-seven percent of those cases have occurred in the past two weeks.

Department of Human Services

DHS’s Office of Developmental Programs has released temporary closure guidance to Older Adult Daily Living Centers, Structured Day Programs, LIFE Day Centers, Adult Training Facilities and Vocational Facilities related to the community spread of COVID-19 or when an individual or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19 and spent 15 minutes or more in the facility within a 24-hour period starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the person is isolated.  This announcement also describes the process for re-opening facilities using DHS’s Community Participation Support and Older Adult Facility Reopening Tool.  Find the announcement here.

DHS’s Office of Developmental Programs policy states that staff members can administer medications to individuals if the staff person successfully completes an ODP-approved medication administration course.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ODP permitted staff who are required to take the Standard Medication Administration Training Course to take the Modified Medication Training Course until December 31, 2020.  Because the pandemic continues, staff may still take the modified course in place of the standard course until June 30, 2021.  Go here to see the policy statement and learn more about certain conditions under which it applies.

Department of State

  • The Department of State has authorized chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, and podiatrists to order and administer COVID-19 tests if they have been issued a clinical lab permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to conduct diagnostic lab testing.  See the department’s announcement of this policy, which will remain in effect for the duration of the governor’s emergency declaration and an additional 90 days.
  • The Department of State has extended its March 2020 waiver temporarily suspending the requirement that pharmacists with active Authorizations to Administer Injectables maintain active certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.  Pursuant to that waiver, if a pharmacist held a valid CPR certificate on March 17, 2020, the State Board of Pharmacy has treated that certification as valid through December 31, 2020.  As long as a pharmacist held a CPR certificate that was valid on March 17, 2020, such certification will be accepted by the board as valid through March 31, 2021.  Pharmacists who fall within this group may take an online CPR training class in lieu of in-person training to enable them to renew their CPR certification prior to the new, extended deadline of March 31, 2021.  This does not affect the current biennial renewals for pharmacists and for authorizations to administer injectables.  Those renewals are still due by December 29, 2020.
  • The Department of State has issued a 90-day extension of the December 31, 2020 renewal deadline for licensees under the State Board of Medicine.  These licenses will remain active until March 31, 2021.  In addition, emergency temporary licenses granted to licensed practitioners in other states and jurisdictions have been extended from their current expiration date of December 31, 2020 to June 30, 2021.  If an individual already holds an emergency temporary license but is unable to meet all requirements for full licensure by December 31, 2020, that individual may continue to practice in Pennsylvania after December 31, 2020 until the next expiration date of June 30, 2021.

Around the State

  • The Harrisburg Patriot-News has published an interactive map with a county-by-county breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania since the start of the pandemic.
  • The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, citing data collected by the New York Times, reported that Pennsylvania’s Cambria County “…led the nation in new cases per capita over the past two weeks – among counties with populations of 100,000 or more people.”
  • COVID-19 is posing increasing staffing challenges for nursing homes in southwestern Pennsylvania according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report that tells of one nursing home company where the situation “…is so dire that roughly a dozen corporate office workers have been trained as temporary nurse aides.  Employees who were formerly nurses have jumped in to help, picking up overnight and back-to-back shifts when spates of employees got sick or quarantined at home,” adding that “…at least 372 of the chain’s roughly 1,500 staffers – or nearly 1 in 4 – have contracted covid-19.”  The article also tells of facilities’ extensive use of staffing agencies to fill positions.
  • Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Latrobe Bulletin.  This means all three of the county’s commissioners have contracted the virus; two remain under quarantine.
  • The Philadelphia Business Journal reported on the city of Philadelphia’s plans for distributing and administering COVID-19 vaccines.

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

 

2020-12-23T06:00:57+00:00December 23rd, 2020|COVID-19, DSH hospitals|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: Tuesday, December 22
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SNAP Asks PA Delegation for COVID-19 Aid

SNAP has written to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to request additional COVID-19 legislation between now and the end of the year to help Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals respond to the health care and financial challenges posed by the pandemic.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logoIn its letter, SNAP asked Congress for:

  • additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund for assistance to hospitals;
  • extension of the temporary moratorium on continued implementation of the 2011 Budget Control Act’s Medicare sequestration; and
  • the suspension of any other federal cuts for health care providers, such as the scheduled reduction of Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allocations to the states.

Read SNAP’s message to Congress.

 

2020-12-08T06:00:24+00:00December 8th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off on SNAP Asks PA Delegation for COVID-19 Aid
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SNAP Seeks Help From End-of-Year Federal Legislation

Eliminate Medicaid disproportionate share hospital cuts (Medicaid DSH), appropriate additional resources for the Provider Relief Fund, and extend the current suspension of the two percent sequestration of Medicare spending, the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania asked members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in a letter SNAP sent earlier this week.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logoThe request comes as Congress returns to Washington to take up the funding of the federal government at a time when authorization for spending under a continuing resolution ends on December 11.  In addition to addressing federal funding, Congress also may consider COVID-19 legislation.

Learn more from SNAP’s letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.

2020-11-19T06:00:26+00:00November 19th, 2020|COVID-19, DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off on SNAP Seeks Help From End-of-Year Federal Legislation
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COVID-19 Update: Friday, September 4

The following is the latest coronavirus information from the state and federal governments as of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 4.

Pennsylvania Update

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

  • In the past three days the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania surpassed 135,000 and the number of COVID-19 deaths rose past 7700.
  • Thursday marked the first time since late July that the state registered more than 1000 new cases in a single day.
  • Despite this, the number of Pennsylvanians currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is, with one exception, lower than it has been since before June.
  • Fewer of these patients are on ventilators today than at any time in the past three months.
  • More than 9800 health care workers in the state have contracted COVID-19.
  • More than 21,300 residents of long-term-care facilities and 4600 people who work in those facilities have contracted COVID-19 in 942 such facilities in 61 of the state’s 67 counties.
  • 26 percent of the beds in Pennsylvania’s acute-care hospitals are currently unoccupied, as are  22 percent of adult ICU beds, 15 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 38 percent of pediatric beds, and 41 percent of airborne isolation rooms.

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.

Federal Update

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.
  • HHS announced that assisted living facilities may apply for funding under the Provider Relief Fund phase 2 general distribution allocation. Go here to see HHS’s announcement.
  • HHS has announced some of the details of an upcoming $2 billion Provider Relief Fund performance-based incentive payment distribution to nursing homes. HHS will measure nursing homes against a baseline level of infection in the community where individual facilities are located.  Learn more from HHS’s announcement of this distribution.
  • HHS has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with new and modified questions.
    • Changes marked 9/1/2020 can be found on pages 22, 23, 29, and 32. The new information focuses largely on the newly announced distribution for assisted living facilities, criteria for eligibility, and applying to participate in the distribution.
    • One change, marked 9/2/2020 and on page 23, describes how HHS identified assisted living facilities that are eligible to receive distributions from the Provider Relief Fund.
    • Five changes, marked 9/3/2020 and found on pages 2, 9, and 17, address HHS requests for additional financial information, how to report Provider Relief Fund grants on Medicare cost reports, and the responsibility of parent organizations to send to their subsidiaries grants intended for those subsidiaries.

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.
  • CMS has updated the article “Update to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) Diagnosis Codes for Vaping Related Disorder and Diagnosis and Procedure Codes for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” in its online publication MLN Matters to include new procedure codes.

Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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.

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

(To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at   info@pasafetynet.org.)

2020-09-08T06:00:08+00:00September 8th, 2020|COVID-19, DSH hospitals|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: Friday, September 4
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COVID-19 Update: Monday, June 15

Coronavirus update for Monday, June 15 as of 4:30 p.m.

A Note About SNAP’s COVID-19 Updates

Beginning the week of June 15, SNAP will prepare COVID-19 updates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with additional updates as needed on subjects that are especially timely or important.  SNAP members and update subscribers will continue to receive their updates near the close of the business day and those updates will continue to be posted in this space the following morning.

Pennsylvania Update

The Wolf Administration

Governor Wolf announced today that beginning Wednesday, June 17, nine more COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites will open in Walmart parking lots across the state, and another testing site has also been added in Venango County, which previously had only one site, bringing the total of new testing sites to 10.

Department of Health

The Department of Health announced a partnership with General Healthcare Resources to assist with the COVID-19 response.  General Healthcare Resources will be deploying on-site assessment teams to assist with infection control practices, staffing, and PPE training needs.  It also will assist with specimen collection and urgent staffing needs.  The department will be funding 41 individuals who will be deployed for one year.

The Department of Health clarified that for the purpose of the universal testing ordered by the Secretary last week it intends “staff” to include those who do not provide direct care.  It advised hospitals to follow the definition of health care personnel provided in PA-HAN-509, which includes but is not limited to emergency medical service personnel, nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, technicians, therapists, phlebotomists, pharmacists, students and trainees, other staff providing direct care, contractual staff not employed by the facility, and persons not directly involved in patient care but who could be exposed to infectious agents that can be transmitted in the health care setting (e.g., clerical, dietary, environmental services, laundry, security, engineering and facilities management, administrative, billing and volunteer personnel).

Department of Health – by the numbers

  • Case counts and death totals remain generally down.  Saturday’s total of just four deaths was the lowest in more than two months.
  • Nearly 20,000 residents and employees of 642 long-term-care facilities in 47 counties have contracted COVID-19.
  • 842 Pennsylvanians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, with 169 of them on ventilators.

Department of State

The Department of State is extending license renewal deadlines for chiropractors, dietician-nutritionists, and pharmacists.  License renewal deadlines falling between September 1, 2020 through October 1, 2020 will be extended for 90 days.

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

(To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at   info@pasafetynet.org.)

2020-06-16T06:00:25+00:00June 16th, 2020|COVID-19, DSH hospitals|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: Monday, June 15
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Medicaid DSH Cut Delayed

Scheduled cuts in Medicaid DSH payments to hospitals will be delayed until at least late May under new federal spending legislation.

The cuts in Medicaid disproportionate share allotments to the states, mandated by the Affordable Care Act and delayed several times by Congress – including twice in FY 2020 alone under continuing resolutions to fund the federal government – are among a number of so-called “extenders” included in spending bills passed by Congress this week and sent to the president for his signature.

Authorization for delaying the cut in allotments to the states, which would have resulted in reduced Medicaid DSH payments for many hospitals – including private safety-net hospitals – would expire on May 22.  Congress is expected to address Medicaid DSH, along with surprise medical bills, the price of prescription drugs, and other health care matters, before that time.

SNAP has argued against Medicaid DSH cuts for a number of years, doing so most recently in an October 2019 message to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in which it wrote that

Should the Medicaid DSH cut take effect, Pennsylvania would lose 40 percent of its federal Medicaid DSH allotment in FY 2020 and 80 percent of its allotment each year from FY 2021 to FY 2025. Such devastating cuts could jeopardize access to care for the state’s uninsured and jeopardize the ability of the state’s safety-net hospitals to serve them. It is essential, for the sake of Pennsylvania’s health care safety net and the communities and patients that safety net serves, that the Medicaid DSH cut continue to be delayed.

Learn more about the delay in Medicaid DSH cuts and other aspects of this recent health care spending legislation in the Becker’s Hospital Review article “Congress unveils $1.3T spending deal: 5 healthcare takeaways.”

2019-12-19T06:00:58+00:00December 19th, 2019|Affordable Care Act, DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid|Comments Off on Medicaid DSH Cut Delayed
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MACPAC Meets

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission met for two days last week in Washington, D.C.

The following is MACPAC’s own summary of the sessions.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission kicked off its December meeting with highlights from its forthcoming issue of MACStats: Medicaid and CHIP Data Book, due out December 18, 2019. MACStats brings together statistics on Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment and spending, federal matching rates, eligibility levels, and access to care measures, which come from multiple sources.

Later the Commission discussed a proposed rule that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued in November, which—among other changes—would increase federal oversight of Medicaid supplemental payments. The final morning session addressed payment error rates in Medicaid, with a briefing on the annual Department of Health and Human Services Agency Financial Report (AFR). Fiscal year 2019 was the first time that the AFR incorporated eligibility errors since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid eligibility and enrollment changes took effect in 2014.

After lunch, MACPAC staff summarized themes from expert roundtables convened in November, one to explore Medicaid policy on high-cost specialty drugs and another on the need for more actionable Section 1115 demonstration evaluations. Then, the Commission turned its attention to Medicaid estate recovery policies. The final session of the day looked at issues associated with reforming the current Medicaid financing structure to better respond to economic downturns.

At Friday’s opening session, the Commission considered policy options to increase participation in Medicare Savings Programs, which provide Medicare cost-sharing assistance to beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Afterward, the Commission continued its examination of care integration for dually eligible beneficiaries, this time focusing on policy options to reduce barriers to integrated care. The Commission then switched gears for a briefing on a new MACPAC analysis of Medicaid’s role in financing maternity care. The December meeting concluded with a review of the draft chapter for the Commission’s March report to Congress analyzing disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments.

Supporting the discussion were the following briefing papers:

  1. MACStats: Medicaid and CHIP Data Book
  2. Review of Proposed Rule on Supplemental Payments and Financing
  3. Review of PERM Findings
  4. Themes from Expert Roundtable on Medicaid Policy on High-Cost Drugs
  5. Improving the Quality and Timeliness of Section 1115 Demonstration Evaluations: Themes from Expert Roundtable
  6. Medicaid Estate Recovery Policies
  7. Policy and Design Issues for a Countercyclical Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage
  8. Medicare Savings Programs Policy Options
  9. Barriers to Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Beneficiaries
  10. Medicaid’s Role in Financing Maternity Care
  11. Review of Draft Chapter on Statutorily Required Analyses of Disproportionate Share Hospital Payment

Because they serve so many Medicaid and CHIP patients – more than the typical hospital – MACPAC’s deliberations are especially important to Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals.

MACPAC is a non-partisan legislative branch agency that provides policy and data analysis and makes recommendations to Congress, the Secretary of the U.S. Department  of Health and Human Services, and the states on a wide variety of issues affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.  Find its web site here.

2019-12-17T06:00:54+00:00December 17th, 2019|DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off on MACPAC Meets
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Prescription Drug Bill Would Kill Two Years of Medicaid DSH Cuts

Two years of Medicaid DSH cuts would be eliminated under a new prescription drug bill released last week by the Senate Finance Committee.

The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act includes a provision that would eliminate two years of Affordable Care Act-mandated cuts in the allocation of federal money to the states for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicaid DSH).  Those cuts have been delayed several times by Congress but were scheduled to begin in October of 2019 and run through federal FY 2025, only to be delayed again twice by continuing resolutions adopted by Congress to fund the federal government in the absence of enacted appropriations bills.

Under this proposal, the first two years of Medicaid DSH cuts would be eliminated entirely and the cut then would take effect from FY 2022 through FY 2025 – only four of the six years worth of cuts anticipated by the Affordable Care Act.

The legislation also would bring other changes to the Medicaid DSH program, including new reporting requirements on the non-Medicaid DSH supplemental payments hospitals receive from their state governments; changes in Medicaid shortfall and third-party payment policies; and a GAO study and report on hospital uncompensated care costs.

All Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals receive Medicaid DSH payments and consider them critical to serving the many Medicaid-covered and uninsured residents of the low-income communities in which they are located.

Go here to see the proposed legislation.

2019-12-10T12:24:38+00:00December 10th, 2019|DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off on Prescription Drug Bill Would Kill Two Years of Medicaid DSH Cuts
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  • 2020 Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

Home / About Us / Advocacy / Why Join? / SNAPShots / Contact Us

  • P: (717) 234-6970

  • 2020 Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

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