Unless HHS or Congress takes action to change this, providers must use all PRF dollars they have received by June 30, 2021 for their coronavirus expenses and lost revenues incurred up until that point. LeadingAge along with other provider associations, and now Congress, have been advocating to have the spending timeline extended for a year to allow providers to come out of the financial stress of the pandemic.
The Senate bill would protect continuity of care for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing the use of audio-only telehealth for risk adjustment purposes. The House version of the bill also allows audio-only telehealth visits for Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations. LeadingAge prefers the House version of the bill.
Building on LeadingAge's 2021 policy priorities and on the President’s goals of overcoming COVID-19, increasing climate resiliency, improving economic outcomes, and addressing racial inequities across the country, LeadingAge recommends the following areas to advance HUD’s affordable senior housing programs:
Equitable COVID-19 Recovery: Vaccine Access, Cost Offsets, and Operational Flexibilities
The Medicare Part B Calculator is updated with calendar year 2021 rates, including the changes due to the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 which came after the publication of the final rule. You can download the excel tool here.
November NHIC incentive payments were sent to providers beginning the week of January 25 and December payments began arriving on February 12. HHS did not issue a press statement or provide any advanced information about these distributions.
Below is LeadingAge’s analysis of the published information.
For November performance (NHSN data for Nov. 2 – Nov. 29, 2020):
When the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) asked how to best leverage new technologies to address chronic disease management in underserved populations of older adults, LeadingAge CAST recommended these approaches:
Reporting Portal Registration
Initially, the proposed new requirements will only apply to Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans, state Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service programs, and some health insurance exchange plans. CMS indicates that nothing in the proposed rules precludes Medicare Advantage organizations from also implementing these policies but for now CMS will continue to evaluate whether to extend these requirements to MA organizations. LeadingAge encouraged them to do so noting the issues providers encounter with getting MA plans to timely approve prior authorizations.
The Phase 3 distribution was open to a broad array of provider types including, but not limited to: assisted living, adult day programs, home and community-based service providers, and of course, nursing homes, hospitals, dentists and physicians. Originally, $20 billion in PRF was set aside for the Phase 3 distribution but as HHS reviewed the applications, it realized that some providers had accrued lost revenues and additional coronavirus expenses much greater than the original amount set aside.
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