Assisted Living Funding Allocation Deadline Extended to September 21st The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the deadline for assisted living providers to submit their taxpayer ID numbers for validation as part of the application process for the Phase 2 Provider Relief Fund Distribution to September 21, 2020.
Eligible assisted living communities will receive 2 percent of their annual revenue from patient care. Please visit the Provider Relief Fund webpage for more information or view the AHCA/NCAL Tip Sheet on Keys to Successful Application Submissions.
If you have specific questions, please contact the CARES Act Fund Hotline at (866) 569-3522 (for TTY dial 711) or review the Frequently Asked Questions from HHS. For additional questions or concerns please contact Linda Lawther at LindaLawther@michcal.com.
Stop the Medicare Cuts to Providers! On August 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule. In the 2020 final PFS rule, and again in the 2021 proposed rule, CMS included substantial reductions in payment to more than three dozen health care provider specialties, effective January 1, 2021. The cuts were proposed in order to maintain budget neutrality while increasing payment for office-based evaluation and management visit codes, also called E/M codes, that primary care and some specialty health professionals use to bill for their services. In particular, physician SNF visits; physical and occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services; as well as portable x-ray services under Medicare Part B are slated for cuts between 6 and 11 percent. These cuts on top of the current economic crisis are unsustainable and will result in reduced access to care as fewer of these professionals will seek to care for this vulnerable population.
Please contact your Members of Congress to ask them to reach out to both Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma and ask them to postpone implementation of these harmful cuts within their authority. We also ask that Congress waive the budget neutrality requirements stipulated in Section 1848(c)(2) of the Social Security Act before the final E/M code proposal is implemented on January 1, 2021. Click HERE for more information on the proposed rule.
This much-needed action by Congress, for inclusion in any forthcoming legislative package, will provide a critical reprieve for a broad scope of health care professionals facing substantial payment reductions in the coming months.
MDHHS Expands Rapid Response Staffing Resources Statewide for Long-Term Care Facilities Facing Staffing Shortages The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is expanding its Rapid Response Staffing Resources program which offers assistance to long-term care facilities facing staffing shortages due to COVID-19 across the state.
"Since this program launched in July, surge staffing has been in high demand due to staff testing positive during regular COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities," said Robert Gordon, MDHHS director. "To meet this need and ensure the safety of long-term care residents in Michigan, MDHHS is expanding the program statewide, adding additional staffing options and increasing the amount of time facilities can request emergency staffing."
The program initially offered 72 hours or less, of consecutive staffing assistance through 22nd Century Technologies, Inc. in 11 counties. The newly expanded program offers up to 120 hours of staffing to facilities in any part of the state. In addition, new staffing options have been added to include licensed practical nurses, social workers, direct care workers, dietary aides, dietary cooks and environmental services staff. This is in addition to registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, personal care aides or resident care assistants.
Nursing homes, assisted living centers, homes for the aged and adult foster care homes are eligible for the program. Facilities requiring staffing assistance will need to meet specific criteria and demonstrate they have exhausted all other options. Up to five staff members per shift can be requested and this can include one registered nurse or licensed practical nurse and one social worker. Facilities can choose the mix of staff that best fits their needs.
Rapid Response Staffing Resources will support long-term care facilities based on facility and resident need, but will be prepared to assist with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, eating); provide infection prevention assistance; and provide environmental cleaning assistance.
Facilities will be responsible for orienting staffing agency employees to resident care plans, as applicable, and providing onsite supervision at all times. For more information on the state's plans to address COVID-19 in long-term care facilities, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDNursingHomePlan.
CMS Pulls the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule (MFAR) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma announced yesterday the agency is withdrawing its rule intended to overhaul Medicaid supplemental payments. "We've listened closely to concerns that have been raised by our state and provider partners about potential unintended consequences of the proposed rule, which require further study," CMS administrator Seema Verma announced via Twitter. "Therefore, CMS is withdrawing the rule from the regulatory agenda."
The proposed rule, which was announced in November, would have altered the way states are able to finance their share of Medicaid, specifically targeting provider taxes and inter-governmental transfers (IGTs). The rule would have overhauled federal supplemental payment programs for a range of health care providers under the Medicaid program.
A state may make supplemental payments over the normal reimbursement rate under Medicaid, which would boost federal matching funds. The federal government pays a matching rate of between 50% and 83% for services rendered in Medicaid, and the match increases depending on a state's contributions. Supplemental Medicaid payments are used by programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The withdrawal of the rule staves of potentially billions in cuts to Medicaid payments.
For questions or concerns please contact Cathy Sunlin at CathySunlin@HCAM.org.
Sept. 12, 2020 |