Federal Updates
HHS Updates Cares Act Provider Relief Fund FAQs
Over the last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has added updated information to the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQ document (available here). As a reminder, eligible providers are those who billed Medicare fee-for-service in 2019. Such providers may expect to receive a payment based on their estimated losses in March and April 2020 due to COVID-19, up to about 2% of their most recent tax year’s reported program service revenue. Updated information includes:
- HHS has added further information on the process for returning Relief Fund payments, which must be completed by June 3rd, if providers did not experience losses or increased expenses, received funds in error, or do not wish to accept the terms and conditions;
- If providers believe they were overpaid or received a payment in error, they should reject the entire General Distribution payment and submit the appropriate revenue documents through the General Distribution portal. If they believe they were underpaid, they should accept the payment and submit appropriate documents in the same manner.
- HHS has updated (as of May 14th) the public data set listing the amounts of payments made through the Provider Relief Fund. The data set is intended to show total attested amounts from the General Distribution, Rural Distribution, and High-Impact Areas Distribution. Providers may not choose to have their payment data omitted from the data set.
- HHS has provided further direction for entities that have gone or are undergoing mergers or other changes in ownership. In general, entities that have increased in size since their most recent tax return submission may submit adjusted gross receipts if they exceed reported revenue by more than 20%.
AHRQ Announces New COVID-19 Funding Opportunity
On May 14th, HHS, through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), released a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that will award a total of $5 million for studies to evaluate the responsiveness of health care delivery systems, health care professionals, and the overall U.S. health care system to the COVID-19 pandemic. AHRQ will offer up to $500,000 per year for up to two years. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, not-for-profits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), state and local governments, or other community-based organizations. Eligible projects may include any research project related to the U.S.’s response to COVID-19, with a particular focus on:
- Improving the quality of care received and patient outcomes during and following the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Improving patient safety during and following the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Understanding how the response to COVID-19 affected socially vulnerable populations and people with multiple chronic conditions; and
- Understanding how digital health innovations contributed to the health system response to COVID-19, outcomes, and unintended consequences.
AHRQ encourages multi-method, rapid-cycle research that can produce initial findings within six months and then regularly throughout the remainder of the award period. The deadline for submitting applications for the FOA is June 15th. The FOA is available here.
State Updates
Governor Cuomo Announces Coronavirus Hotline, Progress on Contact Tracing Program
Today (May 21st), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced continuing declines in new hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19, with 246 new hospitalizations and 105 deaths reported yesterday, down from the highs of around 750 deaths per day in early April. The Governor also announced that Rockland County is now eligible to resume elective surgery and ambulatory care services, leaving only New York City and Erie County as areas where non-urgent elective procedures should not be performed.
Addressing other reopening initiatives, the Governor announced a new Coronavirus Hotline (1-888-364-3065) that New Yorkers can call if they believe their employer is not following State return-to-work guidelines related to personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene, and social distancing. Additionally, as part of the State’s contact tracing program, New Yorkers should be prepared to receive a call from a number identified as “NYS Contact Tracing” that will alert individuals who have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and inform them that they may want to be tested for the virus.
Summer school will not be held in-person this year but may be conducted via distance learning. Meal programs for children and child care services for essential employees will continue through the summer. While the Governor stated it remains too early to determine whether to open classrooms for the fall semester, the State will be issuing guidelines in June so that schools and colleges can begin to prepare for various scenarios and provide a plan to the State for approval by July. The Governor also announced that the State will be extending the sales tax filing deadline until June 22nd.
OPWDD Webinar on Service Authorization and Care Planning During the COVID-19 Emergency
Tomorrow (May 22nd) at 1pm, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) will host a webinar that will review service authorization and care planning documentation requirements for the Day Services Retainer and Community Habilitation Residential (CH-R) Programs. The webinar will also describe the COVID Life Plan and Staff Action Plan Addendum for Day Services and the CH-R Service Authorization Provider Letter.
Registration is available here.
DOH Weekly Provider COVID-19 Webinar
Today, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) held its weekly provider webinar (available for viewing here). The webinar provided global, national, and local epidemiological updates on COVID-19, reviewed recently released DOH guidance documents, and provided details on the State’s contact tracing program. The webinar also included additional tips and resources for clinician wellbeing.
DOH’s weekly provider webinars are held every Thursday at 1pm and can be viewed here
Updated Guidance Documents
The following New York State guidance documents have been recently released: