KANSAS UPDATES
KDADS Nursing Home Reopening Plan
In our weekly meeting of association staff and KDADS, we were told to expect the reopening communications for nursing homes to roll out today, or by the end of the week. Nursing homes remain under “lockdown” until they receive and implement the provisions in the KDADS communication. KDADS will do a webinar to walk through the document and answer questions as soon as possible after it is published. That could be as early as this Friday afternoon. We will send out notification of the webinar as soon as we know it’s a go. Space will be limited. The webinar will be quickly archived for those unable to attend.
General Reopening Plans for Kansas Counties on or After May 27 (June 5, 2020).
State Licensed Only Providers
KDADS communication to state licensed only adult care homes (AL, ADC, HP) is under development. These providers remain on “lockdown” until the guidance is published. State licensed only providers will be subject to infection control surveys according to House Bill m2016 passed and signed by the Governor last week.
Surveyor Testing
During our weekly meeting with KDADS, the associations again advocated for routine COVID-19 testing of surveyors. We were told this is something they are looking at.
Infection Control Surveys
KDADS staff have communicated that they will be able to complete infection control surveys on all nursing homes by the end of July, as being required by CMS. The infection control survey will not be repeated for providers that have already received one. KDADS is talking with an outside contractor to help them complete this work.
FEDERAL UPDATES
HHS Announces new Medicaid/CHIP Distribution
HHS announced that they will distribute $15 billion in provider relief funds to eligible Medicaid providers that did not receive a distribution from previous Provider Relief Fund distributions. There is a new portal on their Provider Relief Web Page for eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers who have not yet received relief payments to report their annual patient revenue, which will be used as a factor in determining the final payment amount. The goal is to provide at least 2 percent of reported gross revenue from patient care to provide relief for COVID-19 related lost revenue or increased expenses. Eligible providers will need to apply through the portal between June 10-July 3 in order to receive relief funds. This round of funding would include Medicaid waiver providers like assisted living HCBS services who do not provide Medicare services. Recall the relief funds are tied to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) so the Medicaid-only provider seeking relief have the same TIN as a provider type that has already received relief.
CMS Issues Health Care Reopening Guidance for Patients
Today, CMS released reopening guidance for patients seeking health care. The guidance advises patients to not delay necessary care but to consider telehealth (Note: EBI offers free telehealth to employees on the plan) or virtual visits when possible, especially if part of a vulnerable population. The guidance also informs patients that health care providers and facilities have made changes to their environment and procedures related to COVID-19 and that patients should expect to wear a face covering, anticipate a screening before entry, wash hands often, avoid crowding waiting areas, and limit visitors or the number of people joining for appointments.
LEADINGAGE NATIONAL UPDATES
- CMS Releases Infection Control and COVID-19 Data.
- Senators Push HUD on CARES Act Allocation Delays
- LeadingAge’s Daily Need to Know for 6-10-2020.
- Coronovirus Daily Member Update for 6-9-2020. Please register for daily live online updates here.Miss a call? Check out the call archives.
- Go to www.leadingage.org/covid19 for all info, resources and connection opportunities.
