Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania Archives - Page 3 of 12

SNAP Asks PA Delegation for Help From COVID-19 Relief Bill

The next federal COVID-19 relief bill should include more resources for the Provider Relief Fund, SNAP has told members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo The bill also should include additional targeted funding for safety-net hospitals, help with staffing, an extension of the current moratorium on the Medicare sequestration, and forgiveness for safety-net hospitals for loans they received under the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program.

This was the message the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania conveyed last week in a letter to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation. See that letter here.

PA Safety Net Admin2021-02-05T17:20:29+00:00February 5th, 2021|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicare|Comments Off

SNAP Asks Congress to Help Hospitals Keep Provider Relief Fund Grants

Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals could lose some or all of their CARES Act Provider Relief Fund grant money and the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania is asking members of the state’s congressional delegation to intervene on their behalf to prevent it.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo At issue are financial reporting requirements that at first directed hospitals to estimate their anticipated revenue losses and extra expenses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in one way and then shifted to a new approach. The first grant distribution was based on the original reporting requirements, and now, hospitals fear that the change in reporting requirements could leave them vulnerable to a demand that they return some, much, or all of that grant money.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced one set of reporting requirement in June and then proposed modifying them in September. In response to widespread expressions of concern, including from SNAP, HHS revised those proposed changes – but not enough, according to many stakeholders, leaving them concerned that HHS would ask them to return some of their grant money. Now, SNAP is asking the same members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation who asked HHS to reconsider the reporting requirements to do so again.

See SNAP’s letter to the delegation asking its members to sign onto a bipartisan letter asking HHS to revise its reporting requirements once again. Go here to see the letter members of Congress are being asked to sign.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-12-14T10:20:08+00:00December 14th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19|Comments Off

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.

In 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.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-12-08T06:00:24+00:00December 8th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off

COVID-19 Update: Friday, December 4

The following is the latest COVID-19 information from the state and federal governments as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, December 4.

SNAP Advocacy

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo SNAP has written to Congress to request additional COVID-19 legislation between now and the end of the year. SNAP asked Congress for additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund; 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.

Pennsylvania Update

Department of Health

The Department of Health has posted a fact sheet on the CDC’s arrangement with pharmacies to provide on-site COVID-19 vaccination services for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities once vaccination is recommended for them.
The Department of Health has compiled answers to frequently asked questions about the Secretary’s order for the reduction of elective procedures in regions that meet certain COVID-19-related metrics. The department also updated its COVID-19 guidance to hospitals to incorporate changes made by the elective procedures order.
The Department of Health shared clarification it received from CMS explaining that personnel providing non-emergency medical transportation under arrangements with nursing facilities should be tested for COVID-19 or required to prove that testing was completed elsewhere during the time frame that corresponds with the facility’s testing frequency. This requirement does not apply to individuals providing emergency services.
The Department of Health issued a health alert with updated quarantine recommendations for persons in the community exposed to COVID-19. This alert does not apply to staff working in health care settings who are exposed to COVID-19, who should follow guidance outlined in PA-HAN-510, or to patients and residents in health care settings, who should follow PA-HAN-526.
The Department of Health shared on its message board the following information to clarify that surveyors visiting licensed facilities are required to follow the department’s own testing and visitation protocols:

The Department of Health recognizes the need to protect the patients and residents in healthcare facilities by ensuring that visitors (including Department of Health employees) follow guidance and requirements issued by the Department of Health and CMS regarding visitation to healthcare facilities. Surveyors from the Department of Health are required to follow these requirements and guidance. The Department of Health also has its own testing program for our surveyors. Because of HIPPA we cannot share medical results of our employees, but again we can assure you that all employees who are on site at facilities are compliant with all Department of Health and CMS guidance and requirements.

Department of Health – by the numbers

For the second consecutive day, Pennsylvania set a new high for new COVID-19 cases in a single day.
More than 11,000 Pennsylvanians have now died from COVID-19. Daily death figures are now the highest they have been since the pandemic began.
Nearly 38,000 residents of long-term-care facilities and more than 7100 people who work in those facilities have contracted COVID-19. Those figures encompass 1316 facilities in 65 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
More than 15,000 health care workers in the state have contracted COVID-19.
More than 1000 Pennsylvanians are currently in hospital intensive care units being treated for COVID-19.
Nearly 600 Pennsylvanians are currently breathing with the help of a ventilator because they have COVID-19.
16 percent of hospital adult ICU beds are currently unoccupied, as are 15 percent of medical/surgical beds, 40 percent of pediatric beds, 17 percent of pediatric ICU beds, and 34 percent of airborne isolation unit beds.

Around the State

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that “More than one-third of hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania anticipate staffing shortages in the coming week.”
It also notes that “In Allegheny County, just over 11% of adult ICU beds in the county remain available – about 91 beds in total.”
ICU beds are a major concern, the Tribune-Review adds, explaining that “Intensive care units already are at capacity in two Western Pennsylvania hospitals. Officials with Butler Health System said in a release Wednesday units at Butler Memorial and Clarion hospitals are full, and the health system has activated phase one of its surge plan.”
That plan “…includes converting Butler Memorial’s post-anesthesia care unit into an intensive care unit, which will add 15 more critical care beds in the hospital.”
In addition, the Tribune-Review adds, “The health system will suspend all nonemergency elective surgeries and procedures that would require an in-patient stay, a move officials hope will free up as many beds as possible.”
In addition, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports that the state’s Keystone region also is expected to see staffing shortages in the coming week. That region consists of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Centre, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York counties.
The Harrisburg Patriot-News explains that “WellSpan York Hospital has put up a tent outside its emergency room and plans to add trailers. A spokesman said the space is for isolating ER patients awaiting results of COVID-19 tests. It’s not being used to house hospitalized patients, nor is the ER housing hospitalized patients.”
The Philadelphia Business Journal notes that on Wednesday, Philadelphia’s Health Department “…reported 859 patients with Covid are now being treated in city hospitals, nearing the 1,000 Covid admissions level Philadelphia medical centers experienced during the spring.”
Finally, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that “The counties whose hospital ICUs were completely filled with coronavirus patients, according to state data, included Lycoming, Schuylkill, and Washington. Most have small capacities, with some having fewer than five or 10 ICU beds in total, according to state data.”

Department of Human Services

DHS’s Office of Developmental Programs has posted guidance to community and life-sharing home providers about how to apply updated COVID-19 testing guidance and infection control procedure guidance issued by the state’s Department of Health.

Federal Update

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

CMS has updated its FAQs on Medicare fee-for-service billing with 14 new questions that address administration and billing for monoclonal antibody therapy. The new questions can be found on pages 33-34, p. 34, pp. 120-121, p. 121, pp. 121-124, pp. 124-125, p. 125 (four questions), p. 126, pp. 126-127, p. 127, and pp. 127-128.
CMS covers much the same ground in an updated version of its document “Medicare Monoclonal Antibody COVID-19 Infusion Program Instruction.”
CMS has published a statement on its intended use of its enforcement discretion on skilled nursing facility consolidated billing for COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibody infusions. Through the exercise of this discretion, CMS will permit Medicare-enrolled immunizers to bill directly and receive direct reimbursement from the Medicare program. Go here to see the complete statement.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Stakeholder Calls

CMS hosts recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information about the agency’s 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 participants an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

COVID-19 Office Hours Call

Tuesday, December 8 at 5:00 (eastern)

Toll Free Dial-In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 3129517

Audio Webcast link: go here.

Tuesday, December 22 at 5:00 (eastern)

Toll Free Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 3968359

Audio Webcast link: 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 past stakeholder calls, go here.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS has issued a fourth amendment to the Declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to increase access to critical countermeasures against COVID-19, including greater use of telehealth. Go here for a more detailed description of what the amendment authorizes.

Food and Drug Administration

On Tuesday, December 8 at noon (eastern) the FDA will host a webinar on its enforcement policy for sterilizers, disinfectant devices, and air purifiers during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its series on respirators and other personal protective equipment for health care personnel use during the pandemic. Go here for further information about the webinar and how to participate.
The FDA has issued emergency use authorization for a bioburden-reduced N95 respirator. See the FDA’s letter of authorization and its fact sheet for health care providers.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC has updated its guidance on COVID-19 point-of-care testing.
The CDC has updated its information for laboratories that perform COVID-19 tests.
The CDC has updated its information about therapeutic options for treating COVID-19.
The CDC has updated its guidance on how and when to discontinue isolation of home-bound patients who have COVID-19.
The CDC has updated its data on pregnant women who contract 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

PA Safety Net Admin2020-12-07T09:59:52+00:00December 7th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

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.

The 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.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-11-19T06:00:26+00:00November 19th, 2020|COVID-19, DSH hospitals, Federal Medicaid issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

SNAP Asks PA Congressional Delegation to Help Preserve Federal COVID-19 Aid for Hospitals

Protect the COVID-19 aid the federal government has given to Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals and others, SNAP has asked in a letter to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo The letter refers to changes in how the federal Department of Health and Human Services wants hospitals to calculate the revenue they lost as a result of COVID-19 – the justification in part for the Provider Relief Fund payments hospitals have received through the CARES Act. In June, HHS told hospitals how to make that calculation but late last month it changed those directions in ways that could force many Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals to return some or even much of the federal aid they received.

In the letter, SNAP asks members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to join a bipartisan letter asking HHS Secretary Alex Azar to restore the June instructions for calculating COVID-19-related lost hospital revenue.

Go here to read SNAP’s message to Congress.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-10-14T11:43:19+00:00October 14th, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

Congress Gives Hospitals Medicaid DSH Relief

Medicaid DSH allocations to states will not be reduced right away thanks to a new continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 11.

The Medicare disproportionate share allocation cuts to the states, mandated by the Affordable Care Act but delayed by Congress several times, were delayed again earlier this year but scheduled to take effect on November 11. With the latest continuing resolution, the cuts will be delayed yet another month.

SNAP worked hard to encourage Congress to include the Medicaid DSH delay in the continuing resolution, doing so most recently in this September 14 letter to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation. Medicaid DSH payments are an important tool in helping Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals serve their predominantly low-income communities, so SNAP also is urging Congress to eliminate the Medicaid DSH cut entirely.

Learn more about the delay of Medicaid DSH cuts and other aspects of the continuing resolution that affect hospitals in the Healthcare Dive article “Providers win Medicare loan extension, DSH relief but lose other asks in stop-gap spending law.”

PA Safety Net Admin2020-10-08T13:00:02+00:00October 8th, 2020|Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments|Comments Off

Eliminate Medicaid DSH Cut, SNAP Asks PA Delegation

A Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government in FY 2021 should eliminate a cut in federal Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) allotments to the states, and the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has written to the state’s congressional delegation asking its members to convey this message to congressional leaders.

The cut was mandated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act but has never been implemented.

In its letter to the delegation, SNAP wrote that

The Medicaid DSH cut was predicated on the expectation that the Affordable Care Act would greatly reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and while it has, millions remain uninsured, including nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanians – a number thought to be rising because of the job loss associated with COVID-19. When these people are sick or injured, most will turn to the state’s 41 private safety-net hospitals for care. These hospitals depend heavily on their Medicaid DSH payments to underwrite the cost of care for their uninsured patients, so they have never needed the resources afforded by Medicaid DSH more than they do today. Congress has always questioned the wisdom of this cut and has never permitted those cuts to go into effect. The most recent delay expires after November 30..

Because they serve so many uninsured and underinsured patients, Medicaid DSH payments from the state are especially important for Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-09-15T06:00:16+00:00September 15th, 2020|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

SNAP Asks PA Delegation to Help Prevent Attempt to Undermine 340B

Pharmaceutical companies are attempting to prevent safety-net hospitals and others from receiving the full benefits of the section 340B prescription drug discount program and the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has asked of the state’s congressional delegation to sign a congressional letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar asking to him intervene and stop the pharmaceutical companies.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo In asking members of the delegation to sign onto the bipartisan letter, SNAP notes that

The 340B program is essential for Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals, other qualified Pennsylvania providers, and others like us throughout the country, enabling us to obtain discounts on prescription drugs we dispense on an outpatient basis to qualified, low-income patients. The program greatly enhances the ability of hospitals to serve their low-income patients and does not cost taxpayers a single dime, but in recent weeks several pharmaceutical companies have taken steps to prevent hospitals from receiving the prescription drug discounts that Congress clearly intended when it created the 340B program nearly 30 years ago.

Learn more about the 340B problem and what SNAP and others are asking Secretary Azar to do to help in this SNAP message to members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-09-09T16:05:44+00:00September 9th, 2020|340b, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

Loan Repayment Looms for Hospitals

Unless Congress intervenes, hospitals will soon begin repaying massive federal loans they received to help them cope with the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The loans, authorized by the federal CARES Act, were made through the Accelerated and Advance Loan Program, and in all, Medicare made nearly $100 billion in such loans to providers. Under the legislation, Medicare was to begin recouping the loans 120 days after hospitals received them, with recoupment coming by Medicare ceasing to pay hospitals’ Medicare claims until the full amount of the loan was repaid.

Now the loans are coming due but hospitals are saying they are not ready to forego all of their Medicare revenue.

While some hospital groups have asked for 100 percent forgiveness for the loans, others are calling for a combination of extending the payback period and reducing the interest rate for those that fail to complete repayment in a timely manner.

Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania logo In a letter to Pennsylvania senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, SNAP weighed in on this issue, urging them to work with their colleagues

… to forgive the federal Medicare revenue advanced to hospitals through the CARES Act’s Accelerated and Advance Payment Program. Because of the unprecedented length and persistence of this public health emergency, we believe many hospitals – especially safety-net hospitals – will never recover the revenue they have lost in recent months. Most of them expect to be able to restore financial equilibrium, but they will not be able to do so if they have this enormous debt hanging over their heads. Fourth, we

Both House Democrats’ HEROES Act and Senate Republicans’ HEALS Act attempt to address the loan situation – albeit in different ways – but neither calls for forgiving the loans entirely.

Learn more about the challenges hospitals face with their obligation to repay Accelerated and Advance Loan Program money and how Congress is looking at that challenge in this Washington Post article.

PA Safety Net Admin2020-08-06T06:00:36+00:00August 6th, 2020|Medicare|Comments Off

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