Coronavirus update for Monday, June 22 as of 2:30 p.m.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS has added new questions and answers and modified others in its CARES Act Provider Relief Fund FAQ. Providers should review these changes carefully; they are marked 6/19/2020 and 6/21/2020.

CARES Act Provider Relief Fund – Medicaid and SCHIP-Only Distribution Webcasts

On its Provider Relief Fund web page, HHS has posted the following notice:

HHS expects to distribute $15 billion to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers through the Provider Relief Fund.  Join our webcast to learn more about the application process.  Please pre-register to reserve a spot on your preferred date:

Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 2 PM ET

Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 2 PM ET

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

 

CMS Stakeholder Calls

CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to 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 attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.  Call details are below.  Conference lines are limited so CMS encourages interested parties to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page, which you can find here.

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls

Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and health care systems to increase hospital capacity, expand their health care workforce, and make greater use of telehealth in Medicare.

Tuesday, June 23 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial In:  833-614-0820;

Access Passcode:  5775248

Audio Webcast link:  go here.

Home Health and Hospice

Tuesday, June 23 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In:  833-614-0820;

Access Passcode:  3676539

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Nursing Homes

Wednesday, June 24 at 4:30 – 5:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In:  833-614-0820;

Access Passcode:  3089577

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Dialysis Organizations

Wednesday, June 24 at 5:30 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In:  833-614-0820;

Access Passcode:  6494855

Audio Webcast Link:  go here.

Nurses

Thursday, June 25 at 3:00 – 3:30 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial-In:  833-614-0820;

Access Passcode:  9496814

Audio Webcast Link: go here.

Food and Drug Administration

  • On Tuesday, June 23 at 12 noon (eastern) the FDA, along with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), will host a seminar on importing respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The FDA has issued emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for four new commercial COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Find them here, here, here, and here.
  • The FDA has issued an EUA for a new commercial COVID-19 serology test. Find it here.

 

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

 

Federal Funding Opportunities for Hospitals

The National Alliance of Safety-Net Hospitals has prepared a document that collects and presents in one place the various new federal funding opportunities for hospitals resulting from legislation addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency.  Find that document here.