The Government Continues Its Coronavirus Response

For the latest on coronavirus from the CDC, click here.

$8.3 Billion Coronavirus Funding Bill Signed by the President

A sweeping emergency funding package containing $8.3 billion to support efforts against the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is mostly targeted towards state agencies to provide funds for local providers. In addition to funding for infectious disease control and vaccines and prescription drugs, the bill also funds some construction and renovation of facilities to enhance the response. Funds will be distributed through state and local authorities. Providers should contact their state and local health departments. The new law also allows HHS to waive certain Medicare telehealth restrictions and allows providers to furnish telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries outside of rural communities. Click here for the summary of the emergency appropriations package, and here for the Congressional Budget Office analysis. 

• There are still not enough testing kits - Vice President Pence acknowledged this on Thursday. Click here for details.
• A week after the outbreak was reported inside a nursing home in the Seattle suburbs, officials say that 70 staff members are out sick with symptoms resembling coronavirus and six residents were also ill. Click here for the NYTimes report.
• Pharmaceutical companies are warning that their supplies could be affected as the outbreak continues, click here.
• A new bill would require all employers to grant workers paid sick days. Introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the bill would require all employers to grant workers seven days of paid sick leave as well as immediately provide 14 additional days when there is a public health emergency. Click here for details.
• So, how much authority do states and local governments have to work to contain and prevent spreading of the virus. Click here.
• Johns Hopkins University provides realtime counts cases of coronavirus around the world, including numbers of deaths, recovered patients, and countries affected, click here.
• A pathologist offers grades on prevention precautions: hand washing receives an A+, while wearing a facemask receives a C, click here.
• Which country got their coronavirus response right? Experts say Singapore. Click here.

CMS Offers Guidance and Makes Announcements Regarding Coronavirus

CMS announced that, effective immediately and, until further notice, State Survey Agencies and Accrediting Organizations will focus their facility inspections exclusively on issues related to infection control and other serious health and safety threats, like allegations of abuse – beginning with nursing homes and hospitals. Click here. The agency released guidance for infection control and prevention through FAQs and considerations for patient triage, placement and hospital discharge. Click here. CMS offered specific guidance for nursing homes for infection control and prevention of the virus, click here. CMS developed a second Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code that can be used by laboratories to bill for certain COVID-19 diagnostic tests to help increase testing and track new cases, click here.

CDC, FDA, EPA Continue Coronavirus Battle

• The CDC set up a website for health care professionals that links to different ways to obtain personal protective equipment that includes FAQs, checklists, and recommendations, click here. 
• In a joint effort, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took action to make more respirators, including certain N95s, available to health care personnel, click here. 
• The administration has granted exclusions from import tariffs for more than 100 medical items imported from China, including face masks, examination gloves and sanitizing wipes according to the Wall Street Journal, click here. 
• The EPA released a list of products that qualify for use against the virus under its Emerging Viral Pathogen program, click here. 
• As hand sanitizers become scarce on pharmacy shelves, various government agencies offer recipes to make your own, click here.