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COVID-19 Update: Friday, September 11

The following is the latest coronavirus information from the state and federal governments as of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 11.

Pennsylvania State Government

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.
  • Since that time, the number of daily cases has differed significantly from day to day, from some of the state’s highest to some of its lowest numbers in the past six weeks.
  • In recent days the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania surpassed 142,000 and the number of COVID-19 deaths rose past 7800.
  • Despite this, the number of Pennsylvanians currently hospitalized with COVID-19 continues a very slow decline, as does the number of such patients breathing with the help of a ventilator.
  • The number of health care workers in the state who have contracted COVID-19 just surpassed 10,000.
  • More than 21,700 residents of long-term-care facilities and 4700 people who work in those facilities have contracted COVID-19 in 947 such facilities in 61 of the state’s 67 counties.
  • 22 percent of the beds in Pennsylvania’s acute-care hospitals are currently unoccupied, as are  26 percent of adult ICU beds, 13 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 35 percent of pediatric beds, and 42 percent of airborne isolation rooms.

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, hospitals that have changes in ownership, 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 has updated its Provider Relief Fund FAQ with one modified question marked 9/4/2020 on page 32 of the document. The revised response addresses the tax treatment by parent companies of grants awarded to subsidiaries with separate National Provider Identifiers.

American Medical Association

  • The American Medical Association has published an update of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set that includes two code additions for reporting medical services sparked by the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more from this AMA announcement.

Department of Health and Human Services

  • HHS has published a request for information seeking stakeholder input regarding the ability of CLIA-accredited commercial, academic, medical center, and public health laboratories to feasibly perform more COVID-19 testing if additional testing instruments were made available to them. Interested parties have ten days to submit written comments.
  • HHS has issued new guidance authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to order and administer, and state-licensed or registered pharmacy interns acting under the supervision of the qualified pharmacist to administer, COVID-19 vaccinations to persons ages three or older, subject to certain requirements. See HHS’s announcement of the new guidance and go here to see the guidance itself.

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.
  • In late August, CMS published a regulation that required nursing homes to test their staff for COVID-19; that regulation included other testing and reporting requirements as well. The frequency of such testing was to be tied to the degree of community spread of COVID-19, with the details of how that would work to be announced later.  CMS has now published the county-by-county positivity rates on which the frequency of nursing home testing will be based.  Find those rates here.
  • CMS has updated its tip sheets to help providers understand its public reporting strategy for quality programs during the COVID-19 emergency.  Find tip sheets for the following types of providers:
    • For long-term-care hospitals, here and here.
    • For skilled nursing facilities, here and here.
    • For inpatient rehabilitation faculties, here and here.
    • For home health providers, here and here.
  • CMS has published updated provider-specific fact sheets on new COVID-19-related waivers and flexibilities for home health agencies, ambulances, and durable medical equipment.

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

Food and Drug Administration

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

 

2020-09-14T06:00:55+00:00September 14th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: Friday, September 11
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COVID-19 Update: May 1, 2020

COVID-19 update for Friday, May 1 as of 4:00 p.m.

Pennsylvania Update

Reopening Pennsylvania

Governor Wolf on Friday announced the reopening of 24 Pennsylvania counties in the northwestern and north-central parts of the state, moving them from red to yellow in his three-color plan for reopening the state.  The governor outlined the criteria used to reach these decisions and the provisions for contact tracing and additional testing that make reopening possible.  The reopening calls for reduced use but not elimination of social distancing and includes guidance on work, congregate, and social activities that are now permitted as well as those that remain restricted or prohibited.  On Monday the administration will release guidance for businesses permitted to reopen in the selected counties.

Health Secretary Levine encouraged residents of the 24 counties to continue the recent practices of social distancing and use of face masks.  For more information on the reopening, what it means, and how it will work, see this news release from the governor’s office.  Additional resources of interest include:

Department of Health

The Department of Health has updated its interim guidance for collecting clinical specimens for COVID-19 testing.

Department of Health Daily Briefing

  • Governor Wolf and Secretary Levine discussed the reopening of 24 counties during the daily briefing.
  • The governor said that southwestern and south-central Pennsylvania look like good candidates for reopening in the near future.
  • Secretary Levine discussed how contact tracing would be undertaken in the 24 counties, listing the resources that would be involved and holding out the possibility that the state may hire additional people to help, if needed.
  • Community-based testing will be available in the 24 counties for people with COVID-19 symptoms.
  • The governor said the state has already reduced spending in the current fiscal year in light of reduced revenue and that he will be working with the legislature on an FY 2021 budget with the understanding that revenues will continue to be down from past levels.
  • 2677 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 and 561 of them have required help from a ventilator.
  • 40 percent of the state’s acute-care beds and 47 percent of its ICU beds are currently unoccupied and 70 percent of ventilators are now idle.

Department of Human Services

DHS has posted information about all-patient refined-diagnosis related groups (APR-DRGs) to be updated with COVID-19 billing codes.

Department of Revenue

The Revenue Department announced that Pennsylvania collected $2.2 billion in General Fund revenue in April, which was $2.2 billion, or 49.7 percent, less than anticipated.   For the fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $27.5 billion, which is $2.2 billion, or 7.4 percent, below estimate.  It is too soon to draw any conclusions about how this will affect negotiations for the state’s FY 2021 budget and its Medicaid program but this loss of revenue clearly poses a challenge state officials will need to address.

Federal Update

Follow-Up to Thursday’s Interim Final Rule Release

Yesterday CMS released a second interim final rule with comment period announcing a new round of regulatory waivers and rule changes to provide additional flexibility to the health care system as the COVID-19 crisis continues and the country begins to reopen.

These changes included some of the telehealth flexibilities providers have asked for in recent weeks, such as hospital reimbursement for the originating site when telehealth services for Medicare patients are furnished by a physician or practitioner who ordinarily practices in a hospital outpatient department to a patient who is located at home or other applicable temporary expansion location that has been made provider-based to the hospital; an expanded list of telehealth codes that may be offered with audio-only technology; and an expanded list of professionals who may bill for telehealth visits.  CMS has also increased reimbursement for three of the audio-only evaluation and management telehealth services described with codes 99441-99443.

Teaching hospitals are permitted to expand their number of beds without affecting indirect medical education (IME) bed ratios; to count the time of residents sent to other hospitals; and to permit teaching physicians to remotely review services provided by residents immediately after a patient visit.

The interim final rule implements sweeping changes for many provider types.  CMS has updated its provider-specific fact sheets to include this new information.  Please let us know if you have any questions that are not answered in the fact sheets.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

  • The White House announced that CMS will be distributing $12 billion of CARES Act provider relief to 395 hospitals that have cared for 70 percent of the diagnosed COVID-19 cases.  The majority of the funds will go to providers in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.  $2 billion of this money will go toward a Medicare DSH adjustment for those hospitals.  We are still awaiting additional details.
  • CMS has announced the creation of an independent commission to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the COVID-19 emergency. See CMS’s news release and a fact sheet.
  • CMS has updated it EMTALA FAQ for hospitals to address COVID-19-related issues. 

Department of Health and Human Services

Food and Drug Administration

Department of Labor

Federal Communications Commission

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission

 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.)

 

2020-05-03T12:38:33+00:00May 3rd, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: May 1, 2020
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COVID-19 Update: April 14, 2020

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania state regulators, the Pennsylvania legislature, and federal regulators and others as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14.

Pennsylvania Update

Governor Wolf

Governor Wolf today announced that businesses that collect Pennsylvania sales tax will not have to make accelerated sales tax pre-payments over the next three months.  That means businesses that normally have a monthly prepayment requirement will not be charged penalties for missing the prepayment deadline during this three-month period.

Daily COVID-19 Briefing

  • For the fourth time in the last five days, the number of newly reported cases fell. Today’s total was the lowest in nearly two weeks.
  • But the death count was the third highest single-day total since the pandemic began. Secretary Levine warned that this could be because of reports still coming in from the weekend.
  • 1250 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, as have 1869 residents of 232 long-term-care facilities.
  • 42 percent of acute-care beds and 37 percent of ICU beds remain unoccupied and nearly 70 percent of ventilators are still available for use.
  • To date, about one percent of the state’s population has been tested for COVID-19, with nearly 20 percent testing positive.
  • 2306 COVID-19 patients are currently in the hospital, 666 of them on ventilators.
  • Demographic data on race and ethnicity is still proving elusive. (See the paragraph below about the department’s alert on this subject.)
  • A mass testing site should be opening in East Stroudsburg later this week or next week. It will focus on testing health care workers and seniors.  There are not enough testing materials to test those without symptoms.
  • An alternative care facility in East Stroudsburg will serve patients who are on the road to recovery from COVID-19, to free hospital beds for more seriously ill patients.
  • In no part of the state are hospitals overwhelmed at this time. The state is keeping a close eye on this.
  • Yesterday the state shipped a “large push-out” of personal protective equipment to providers.
  • The secretary attributed the decline in the number of daily tests administered to the closing of the mass testing site in Philadelphia and the temporary closing of the mass testing site in Montgomery County.

Department of Health

  • The Department of Health, working with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, has published a revised Interim Pennsylvania Crisis Standards of Care for Pandemic Guidelines Work on this document started last fall and not in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and is viewed by the Department of Health as a work in progress that will resume once the current pandemic ends.  The purpose of the document, it states, “…is to help guide the allocation of patient care resources during an overwhelming public health emergency of any kind when demand for services dramatically exceeds the supply of resources needed.”
  • The department has issued an alert to laboratories after identifying a large number of laboratory test results submitted without key variables such as patient date of birth, address, and telephone number. In addition, the alert notes that race and ethnicity data is missing from more than 60 percent of reports submitted.  In the alert, the department directs laboratories to include all of this data in the reports they submit to the Department of Health.  Recipients of this alert included hospitals, EMS councils, local health jurisdictions, professional organizations, and long-term-care facilities.

Department of Human Services

Department of State

Department of Labor

The state’s Department of Labor has established a new hiring portal on which employers in life-sustaining businesses can advertise job openings.  Employers may advertise on the site if they are formally considered life-sustaining businesses and have at least 10 jobs to offer.  The process begins with completing an employer intake form.  A number of health care entities already list jobs on the site.

General Assembly

Today the House of Representatives met to continue considering legislation that would create a pathway for businesses to reopen despite the governor’s executive order mandating the closure of non-essential businesses.  Arguments on the floor and in committee meetings fell along party lines, with Republicans advocating the reopening of businesses and Democrats wanting to continue following the governor’s orders.  Ultimately the House passed along party lines SB 613, which primarily provides for the creation of a COVID-19 emergency mitigation plan for businesses.

The House is also expected to pass, in concurrence with Senate amendments, SB 841, which reauthorizes the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) Act by adding data collection requirements and other measures in response to the COVID-19 emergency.

The Senate announced today that it will return to session this week to “consider legislation that will provide a safe path for re-opening the state’s economy.”  This came in response to Governor Wolf’s announcement yesterday that he is participating in a multi-state effort to begin planning for next steps beyond stay-at-home orders and for re-opening the state’s economy.

Federal Update

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

Drug Enforcement Administration

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Food and Drug Administration

American Medical Association

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

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.)

2020-04-15T06:00:22+00:00April 15th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: April 14, 2020
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COVID-19 Update: April 10, 2020

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania state and federal regulators as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10.

Pennsylvania Update

Governor Wolf/Financial Assistance for Hospitals

During today’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Governor Wolf spoke of the financial challenges the state’s hospitals currently face and announced that he is creating a Hospital Emergency Loan Program that will offer $450 million in low-interest loans to hospitals to help them fully mobilize in response to the COVID-19 crisis.  The governor’s news release announcing the program explains that

Pennsylvania health care facilities licensed as hospitals by the Pennsylvania Department of Health under the Health Care Facilities Act of 1979 that are eligible to receive federal grant funding through the CARES Act are eligible for HELP. The maximum loan size is $10 million per hospital at an interest rate of 0.5 percent.

Applications will be available on the Department of Community and Economic Development’s web site starting at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 13 through April 20.  Learn more from the governor’s news release.

Daily COVID-19 Briefing

  • The number of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases fell 12 percent from the previous day.
  • Secretary Levine acknowledged that there are unquestionably many more cases that remain unreported. This is widely accepted everywhere.
  • But yesterday’s death count was the single highest day since the state started tracking deaths and the overall death count has quadrupled since last Friday.
  • Some of this increase, Secretary Levine observed, is from patients who battled COVID-19 for some time before finally succumbing to it.
  • 955 health care workers have now tested positive for COVID-19, as have 1209 residents in 181 long-term care facilities in the state.
  • There are no current plans to identify publicly the long-term-care facilities that have patients with COVID-19.
  • 2069 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 and 598 are on ventilators.
  • As of this morning, 45 percent of the state’s acute-care hospital beds and 38 percent of its ICU beds remain unoccupied and nearly 70 percent of its ventilators are not in use.
  • The state continues to share supplies with health care providers and so far has distributed 1.8 million N95 masks, 136,000 hospital gowns, 912,000 hospital masks, and 730,000 pairs of gloves.  The state still has some of these supplies available and is seeking to increase its stocks as well.
  • There are no current plans to make the use of masks mandatory in public. Governor Wolf is trusting that Pennsylvanians will wear them, as he has recommended.

Department of Health

The Department of Health has issued interim guidance on postmortem care of decedents whose death is confirmed or suspected to be attributed to COVID-19.

Department of Human Services

Department of State

The Department of State has extended temporary licenses for graduate perfusionists during the COVID-19 crisis.  It also has waived the limitation that temporary emergency perfusionists can only provide services once during a 72-hour period.

Federal Update

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Federal Communications Commission (COVID-19 Telehealth Program)

Last week the FCC announced a $200 million grant program to help health care providers develop connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Today the FCC announced that it will begin accepting applications for this money on Monday, April 13.  See this FCC news release for further details on the program and the application process.

Food and Drug Administration

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA has issued a news release announcing that it will seek to give states the option of assuming control of federal community-based COVID-19 testing sites.

White House

President Trump has issued a memorandum on providing federal support for governors’ use of the National Guard to respond to COVID-19.  A similar order was issued earlier this week and this new order adds 13 states to the list of those previously authorized to use the National Guard in this manner, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency directed to assume 100 percent of the associated costs.  The new states are Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

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

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.)

 

2020-04-11T06:00:56+00:00April 11th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: April 10, 2020
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COVID-19 Update: April 3, 2020

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania state and federal regulators and others as of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 3.

Pennsylvania Update

The Governor Wolf/Department of Health Daily Briefing

  • Governor Wolf recommended that all Pennsylvanians wear masks outside the home. He elaborates on this recommendation in a news release.
  • The Department of Health offers guidance on homemade masks on its web site.
  • The number of new COVID-19 cases rose 16 percent over yesterday’s total of new cases.
  • 63 Pennsylvania counties now have at least one case, as do 12 percent of the state’s nursing homes.
  • State-wide deaths have climbed past 100.
  • 78 percent of hospitalized patients have been 50 years of age or older and 50 percent have been more than 65.
  • 241 patients have been treated in ICUs and 147 have required the assistance of a ventilator.
  • 419 of the state’s total cases have been health care workers – just less than five percent of total cases.

Department of Health

The Department of Health has updated its guidance to hospitals to include information on steps hospitals should take when a need arises to use new space or alter or renovate existing space in their response to COVID-19.  Department approval is not needed to take these actions as long as hospitals maintain the documentation discussed in the guidance document.

Department of Human Services

DHS’s today announced the launch of a statewide support and referral helpline that will operate 24/7 to assist Pennsylvanians struggling with anxiety and other challenging emotions due to the COVID-19 emergency and refer them to community-based resources that can further help to meet individual needs.  The toll-free number for the helpline, which is up and running, is 1-855-284-2494.  For TTY, dial 724-631-5600.

Department of State

The Department of State has issued a temporary waiver of the requirement that applicants for a temporary respiratory therapist permit be within 30 days of their anticipated graduation date.  Instead, for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, students in respiratory care education programs who wish to apply for a temporary permit must be within 90 days of their anticipated graduation date.  Those impending graduates who already applied for a full license but cannot take their exam because of the closure of test centers may now apply for a temporary permit.

Federal Update

Department of Labor

The Labor Department has published a program letter with a summary of key unemployment insurance provisions of the CARES Act and guidance regarding temporary emergency state staffing flexibility.

Federal Communications Commission

The FCC has adopted a $200 million telehealth program to support provider responding to the COVID-19 crisis.  The money will help providers purchase telecommunications, broadband connectivity, and devices necessary for providing telehealth services.  See the FCC’s news release and its formal report and order.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

  • HHS’s Office of Civil Rights has announced that it will not impose penalties for violations of certain provisions of the HIPAA privacy rule against health care providers or their business associates for the good faith uses and disclosures of protected health information by business associates for public health and health oversight activities during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.  See the Office of Civil Rights announcement of this temporary policy and a pre-publication version of the formal notice of this policy that will appear shortly in the Federal Register.
  • Along with the Department of Justice, HHS has announced that the two agencies have ordered the distribution of medical supplies that in their judgment were being hoarded.  The federal government paid fair market value for 192,000 N95 masks, nearly 600,000 pairs of medical grade gloves, and 130,000 other types of masks, surgical gowns, disinfectant towels, and other supplies and is sending these supplies to the New Jersey Department of Health, the New York state Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The White House

President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to compel companies to undertake the manufacture of N95 respirators and ventilators.

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

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.)

 

2020-04-03T17:25:50+00:00April 3rd, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: April 3, 2020
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COVID-19 Update: April 2, 2020

COVID-19-related developments in Pennsylvania as of 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2.  To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at  info@pasafetynet.org.

Pennsylvania Update

Secretary Levine’s Daily Briefing

  • Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logoThe number of new COVID-19 cases yesterday rose 26 percent over the previous day.
  • The number of cases among health care workers rose 21 percent over yesterday and accounts for approximately five percent of all COVID-19 cases state-wide.
  • Approximately 10 percent of the state’s nursing homes have at least one case.
  • Growth is especially strong in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties and in northeastern Pennsylvania.
  • The hospitalization rate remains about 10 percent.
  • Right now, Secretary Levine said, hospitals are coping well across the state.
  • Two field hospitals are being established by the federal government: one in Philadelphia and one in Montgomery County.  Decisions about field hospitals are made by the federal government, not the state.
  • People entering Pennsylvania from New York City are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
  • The state is aware that some pharmacies are now experiencing shortages of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for off-brand use in fighting COVID-19 and is working to ensure an adequate supply for people who use these drugs for approved uses.

Department of Human Services

During the course of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the state’s CHIP program is permitting families that are unable to provide verification of application or renewal verification the ability to self-attest to the information on the application and to enroll children prior to initial payments during the COVID-19 emergency.  Families are still responsible for paying premiums, coverage for those renewing will not be interrupted, and the managed care plans will still verify the information on such applications.

Department of State

Revenue Department

Financial paperworkPennsylvania tax revenues were $294.6 million short of official estimates in March, or 6.2 percent, according to figures released Wednesday by the Department of Revenue.  This is the first glimpse of the fiscal challenge the state will face in the coming months as a result of COVID-19.  Total General Fund revenues for the year are now $45.6 million, or 0.2 percent, below estimate.  It is worth noting that March is traditionally the largest revenue month during the fiscal year.  In addition to the potential for lost revenue over the next few months, the extension of filing deadlines for personal income tax will shift a significant amount of revenue to the next fiscal year.

Federal Update

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

The department’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be spending $7.5 million to evaluate health system response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The money is divided into two pools:  $5 million to evaluate innovations and challenges in rapidly expanding telehealth in response to COVID-19 and $2.5 million to active agency grant recipients and cooperative agreements.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Food and Drug Administration

For researchers, the FDA has developed quality-controlled reference sequence data for the SARS-CoV-2 reference strain in the U.S.

Department of Labor

The Department of Labor has published a temporary rule describing the benefits under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, both of which were part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which was signed into law on March 18.  The law reimburses private employers with fewer than 500 employees with tax credits for the cost of providing employees with paid leave for specific reasons related to COVID-19.  The law enables employers to keep their workers on their payrolls while also ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and public health measures.  For more, see a Department of Labor news release describing the new temporary rule and view the rule itself here.

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

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Main COVID-19 Page

FAQ

 

 

 

2020-04-02T17:16:22+00:00April 2nd, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: April 2, 2020
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COVID-19 Update: April 1, 2020

Coronavirus update for April 1, 2020.  COVID-19-related developments in Pennsylvania as of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.  To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at info@pasafetynet.org.

State Update

Daily Briefing by Secretary of Health Levine and Governor Wolf

  • The number of new COVID-19 cases yesterday rose 27 percent over the previous day.
  • All deaths so far are adults.
  • 286 health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 (out of more than 5805 positive tests state-wide).
  • Governor Wolf extended his stay-at-home order to the entire state; it will remain in effect through April 30. See the announcement and the secretary of health’s amended order.

Department of Human Services

Critical Medical Supplies Procurement

The state’s departments of General Services, Community and Economic Development, and Health and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency have established a “critical medical supplies procurement portal” on which they list the personal protection equipment and hospital supplies the state seeks to purchase.  The target audience for the site is manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers, all of which are invited to contact the Department of General Services if they have any of the supplies the state seeks.  The current list consists of the following:

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

  • Surgical/Procedure Masks
  • N95/N99 Form Fitting Respirators
  • Face masks with integrated shield
  • Powered Air Purifying Respirator, PAPRs
  • Alcohol Based Hand Rub

Hospital Supplies

  • Ventilators with PEEP Functionality
  • Ventilator Circuits
  • Endotracheal Tubes
  • Hospital Gowns

Lab Supplies

  • UVT 3 mL with flocked flex minitip
  • Nasopharyngeal (NP) flocked swabs and viral transport media tubes (1-3 mL)

Diagnostics Supplies and Instruments

  • Roche MagNA Pure 96 DNA and Viral NA Small Volume Kits
  • Roche MagNA Pure 96 System Fluid and Tips
  • Roche MagNA Pure 96 External Lysis Buffer
  • Biomerieux NuciSENS EasyMAG extraction system and supplies

Federal Update

Medicaid DSH

The following is a revised schedule of Medicaid DSH allotment cuts.

  Before CARES After CARES
FFY 2020 $4 Billion $0
FFY 2021 $8 Billion $4 Billion
FFY 2022 $8 Billion $8 Billion
FFY 2023 $8 Billion $8 Billion
FFY 2024 $8 Billion $8 Billion
FFY 2025 $8 Billion $8 Billion
Total $44 Billion $36 Billion

Centers for Disease Control Prevention

The CDC has updated its guidance on responsible actions when among people who have been or may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Food and Drug Administration

The FDA has updated its reporting on the steps it is taking to accelerate the development of novel therapies for COVID-19 through its Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program.

The FDA has updated its list of current and resolved drug shortages and continuations.  There are currently 148 drugs on the list.  Yesterday the FDA posted information regarding shortages of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine due to a significant surge in demand.

The FDA has issued two additional emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 diagnostics, for a total of 22 authorized tests.

State Department

The State Department has posted a message for foreign medical professionals with approved U.S. non-immigrant or immigrant visa petitions or certificates of eligibility in approved exchange visitor programs or who are already in the U.S. and would like to apply to stay.

The Joint Commission

The Joint Commission has posted a notice expressing support for permitting health care workers to bring their own standard face masks or respirators to use at work when their employers cannot “routinely provide access to protective equipment…”

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

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.

2020-04-01T17:36:34+00:00April 1st, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: April 1, 2020
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PA Gets 1135 Medicaid Waiver

Pennsylvania has gained permission to circumvent certain federal Medicaid regulations and requirements for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Bookshelf with law booksUnder the declaration of a national state of emergency, the Department of Health and Human Services is authorized to waive or modify Medicare and Medicaid regulations; these are known as section 1135 waivers.  In this case, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a section 1135 waiver to Pennsylvania for its Medicaid program to:

  • Extend pre-existing authorizations for which a beneficiary has previously received prior authorization through the end of the public health emergency.
  • Suspend pre-admission screening and annual resident review (PASRR) level I and level II assessments for 30 days
  • Temporarily suspend Medicaid fee-for-service prior authorization requirements.
  • Delay state fair hearings and appeal timelines.
  • Enroll new providers in the state’s Medicaid program if they are enrolled by Medicare or by another state Medicaid program
  • Pay nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and others for the delivery of services outside of their walls, at unlicensed facilities, if COVID-19 necessitated the evacuation of their own facilities.

These waivers will last until the end of the declared public health emergency.

Learn more by reading the state’s application for the section 1135 Medicaid waiver and the federal government’s response to that request.

2020-04-01T13:00:20+00:00April 1st, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on PA Gets 1135 Medicaid Waiver
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COVID-19 Update: March 30, 2020

COVID-19-related developments in Pennsylvania as of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 30.  To receive this daily update directly, sign up for our mailing list at info@pasafetynet.org.

State Update

Governor Wolf

  • On Saturday the governor requested a major disaster declarationfrom the President to provide additional support for state, county, and municipal governments, certain non-profits, and individuals who are struggling during the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Over the weekend Governor Wolf expanded his ‘Stay at Home’ order to include three more counties to mitigate the spread of the virus:  Beaver, Centre, and Washington counties.  Today, he added four more counties to the order:  Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Schuylkill counties and extended the order to April 30 for all 26 affected counties.  The governor’s amended order, the secretary of health’s amended order, and the stay at home guidance are available online.
  • Today Governor Wolf announced that all schools and non-life-sustaining businesses will remain closed until further notice.

Governor’s Daily Briefings

  • Four percent of all cases are health care workers.
  • The COVID-19 death rate is now more than 10 percent. All deaths so far have been adults.
  • Over the weekend nine Pennsylvania counties experienced their first cases, so the total is now cases in 59 counties.
  • There are people with COVID-19 in about five percent of the state’s nursing homes (36 out of 695); most of those cases are in southeastern Pennsylvania.
  • Two field hospitals will be established in southeastern Pennsylvania through an effort led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
  • 40 percent of the state’s ICU beds are currently unoccupied.
  • The state has more than 4000 ventilators in hospitals and other facilities, has an unstated number in its own stockpile, and has purchased more that should be arriving shortly. Governor Wolf said that if the state could add 1400 more ventilators he thinks it would be in good shape.
  • Based on the criteria the state currently employs for who is to be tested, the supply of testing materials in the state is adequate for now.
  • Governor Wolf said there has been no discussion about limiting or prohibiting New Yorkers from entering Pennsylvania.
  • The governor acknowledged reports of residents of New York coming to Pennsylvania for health care and specifically mentioned reports of increased newborn deliveries in Philadelphia by women from New York. He offered no numbers.  He said no hospitals have reported an unmanageable surge of patients as a result.
  • Governor Wolf said that he and his staff are still trying to figure out how much money the latest stimulus law will bring to Pennsylvania and when that money might arrive.  It will come in a lot of buckets, he said.  They expect about $5 billion but have no idea yet on how it might be allocated.

Pennsylvania Department of Health

The Department of Health sent a reminder to providers through its message board to report all initial “Activation of Internal/External Emergency Plan.”  Providers may submit additional reports as updates if necessary and must report under ‘Health Department Reportable Disease’ all COVID-19 positive test results for staff and patients including name, date of birth, symptoms (if known), and date of test results.

Department of Human Services

Protocols for Procuring Difficult-to-Source Personal Protective Equipment

The protocol for procuring difficult-to-source PPEs is:

  • Your first contact should be with your regional health care coalition (HCC).  HCC contacts can be found at the bottom of the web page linked here.
  • The HCC may decide to forward a formal request to the County Emergency Management Agency.  Agency contact information can be found here.
  • At that point, the County Emergency Management Agency may submit a resource request to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).

Federal Update

The White House

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a statement regarding the discretion the OIG will employ when investigating any conduct during this emergency that may be subject to OIG administrative enforcement. The office also advised providers to contact the OIG for extension of any OIG investigation deadlines during this time.

Food and Drug Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has published its emergency response plan for the COVID-19 emergency.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA has published a memo outlining the discretion it intends to exercise in fulfilling its inspection and compliance efforts during the COVID-19 emergency.

Department of Homeland Security

In a new document with guidance on the essential critical infrastructure workforce, the Department of Homeland Security specifies essential jobs within the workforce during the COVID-19 emergency.

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

Pennsylvania Emergency Preparedness Guide

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020-03-30T17:50:01+00:00March 30th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pennsylvania Department of Health and COVID-19, Pennsylvania Medicaid COVID-19, Uncategorized|Comments Off on COVID-19 Update: March 30, 2020
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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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