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
- DHS has established admission protocols to state facilities such as state-operated psychiatric facilities, its long-term-care facility, state centers, and Youth Development Centers. The protocols seek to identify individuals who may have COVID-19 and to ensure that they are not admitted to these facilities.
- DHS has updated its timetable for full implementation of its electronic visit verification (EVV) system for personal care services. Full implementation, already delayed once, will be delayed again according to a new timetable.
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
CMS has posted a new “CARES Act Provider Relief Fund” page detailing how it is distributing the first $30 billion of CARES Act grants to hospitals and health care providers. This notice informs grant recipients that they “… are obligated to abstain from “balance billing” any patient for COVID-related treatment.”- CMS has updated its compendium of emergency declaration blanket waivers for health care providers (section 1135 waivers). This compendium includes a waiver that authorizes providers to practice at the top of their license and across state lines.
- CMS has posted a COVID-19 interim final rule FAQs document that addresses a wide variety of subjects. This document summarizes the content of a pre-publication version of a 221-page Federal Register notice on Medicare and Medicare policy and regulatory revisions in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- CMS has posted a video on Medicare coverage and payment of virtual services.
- Two weeks ago CMS held a call with Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly stakeholders. It has now published its responses to the questions asked during that call.
- CMS has announced updates of a number of past guidance documents.
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs): FAQs, Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement, Limits to Visitation and Availability of 1135 waivers(4/8/20)
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Outpatient Settings: FAQs and Considerations(4/8/20)
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs) and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) (4/8/20)
- Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Requirements and Implications Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)UPDATED (4/8/20)
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dialysis Facilities UPDATED (4/8/20)
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
The FDA has issued guidance on best practices for safe food handling and employee health in retail food settings during the COVID-19 epidemic.- The FDA has published guidance on the temporary use of portable cryogenic containers not in compliance with certain current guidelines for oxygen and nitrogen during the COVID-19 crisis.
- The FDA has posted new information on additional safety protections against COVID-19 in the use of fecal microbiota for transplantation.
- The FDA has updated its complete list of emergency use authorizations (EUAs) related to addressing the COVID-19 emergency.
- The FDA also has updated its FAQs on COVID-19 testing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- The CDC has posted a preview version of an interim final rule addressing approval tests for air-purifying particulate respirators.
- The CDC has updated past guidance on care for pregnant women.
- The CDC has posted information about providing dialysis in inpatient settings to patients who have or are suspected of having COVID-19.
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
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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