COVID-19 Update: May 7, 2020

COVID-19 update for Thursday, May 7 as of 2:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania Update

General Assembly

The House canceled its plan to meet next week, on May 11, 12, and 13, and has added May 18, 19, 20, 26, and 27 to its legislative calendar. The Senate is scheduled to return to session on May 18.

Department of Human Services

DHS has posted a notice rescinding prior guidance on elective services. This has been done to reflect the phased reopening of Pennsylvania and its health care system and updated guidance for hospitals and guidance for ambulatory surgical facilities from the Department of Health based on that reopening.
DHS has sent a similar message to the managed care organizations that participate in the state’s HealthChoices physical health program.
DHS has sent a memo to the managed care organizations that participate in the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) informing them that unemployment income must be calculated for a 39-week period when determining eligibility for CHIP for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency.

Governor Wolf

Governor Wolf has signed an executive order giving health care practitioners protection against liability for good faith actions taken in response to the call to supplement the health care provider workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. HAP and the PA Chamber of Commerce and Industry are calling for the protection to be expanded to institutional health care providers.

Governor Wolf has signed an executive order protecting businesses and individuals whose livelihood has been disrupted by COVID-19 from foreclosures or evictions through July 10.

The governor has announced the formation of a volunteer think tank to “…strategize how to heal the trauma that all Pennsylvanians are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” This marks an expansion of the group’s original scope of work, introduced last July, which was to advise the state government on policies that are sensitive to the needs of individuals who have suffered traumatic experiences.

Department of Health

The Department of Health has posted an FAQ for families of nursing care facility staff and residents.

Department of Health Daily Briefing

As part of its continuing reconciliation of data, the Department of Health added more than 300 people to its total of deaths from COVID-19.
Among Pennsylvanians who have tested positive from COVID-19, 3437 are health care workers (including nursing home staff), 2107 are food industry workers, and more than 10,000 reside in 514 long-term-care facilities.
2484 Pennsylvanians are currently hospitalized for COVID-19 and 528 are on ventilators.
45 percent of the state’s acute-care beds and 39 percent of its ICU beds are currently unoccupied and 73 percent of its ventilators are idle.
Governor Wolf said the state will announce more county/regional openings tomorrow.
The state is looking at various Bluetooth technologies to facilitate contact tracing and is now working on a contract for such technology.

Federal Update

Department of Health and Human Services Provider Relief Fund

HHS has extended the deadline for attestation and acceptance of terms and conditions for payments from the Provider Relief Fund from the current 30 days to 45 days.
HRSA, which is administering the program through which providers can submit claims for COVID-19-related care they provide to uninsured patients, has posted an FAQ based on a webinar it held last week to address how providers can submit those claims.
HRSA also has posted a video demonstrating how to add and attest to the patient roster on the portal for submitting claims for COVID-19 care for the uninsured.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Technical Resources Assistance Center and Information Exchange will hold a webinar titled “COVID-19: Healthcare System Operations Strategies and Experiences” next Monday, May 11 at 2:00 p.m. (eastern) to help health systems incorporate experiences and lessons learned from hospitals in New York, Louisiana, and Arizona that have been hit especially hard by COVID-19. Find information about the webinar here.

Health Resources and Services Administration

HRSA has awarded nearly $583 million to 1385 HRSA-funded health centers in all 50 states. The primary purpose of this funding is to expand COVID-19 testing. See HRSA’s announcement here and an interactive map showing award recipients here.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

CMS has issued an interim final rule updating requirements for notification of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases among residents and staff in nursing homes. In the guidance, nursing homes are directed to report COVID-19 data to the CDC and the residents of nursing homes and their families and representatives.
CMS has posted an updated list of lab test codes for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC has updated its FAQ for infection prevention and control in health care settings.
The CDC has created a web page to share information about its own COVID-19 serology test and its possible future uses.
The CDC has posted guidance for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools, and homes.
The CDC also has published separate reopening guidance for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools, and homes.