Federal Policies and Guidance

 

The following are links to COVID-19 policy information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its relevant agency subcomponents, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ).

White House Coronavirus Task Force

• Vice President Pence’s Letter to Hospitals on Reporting COVID-19 Test Results (March 29, 2020)

Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)

• Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response COVD-19 Resources
  • COVID-19 Healthcare Planning Checklist
  • HHS Office of Inspector General Policy Statement on Waivers of Beneficiary Payments for Telehealth Services (March 17, 2020) (Fact Sheet; FAQs as of March 24, 2020)
• U.S. Public Health Service: Optimizing Ventilator Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic (March 31, 2020)
• HHS Office for Civil Rights – Bulletin HIPAA and Corona Virus (February 2020)

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

• COVID-19 Landing Page (General Resources)
  • Symptoms & Testing Self-Checker Tool (March 21, 2020)

• Resources for Clinics and Healthcare Facilities  
• Information for Health Professionals

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

• CMS Coronavirus Current Emergencies Landing Page
  • CMS Fact Sheet: Expansion of the Accelerated and Advance Payments Program for Providers and Suppliers During COVID-19 Emergency (March 28, 2020)
• CMS Coronavirus Waivers and Flexibilities Landing Page [+]
  • CMS Coronavirus Waivers and Flexibilities Landing Page 
  • General Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit
  • Medicare and Medicaid Policy and Regulatory Revisions Interim Final Rule  (March 30, 2020)
  • Physicians and Other Clinicians Summary
  • Hospitals Summary
• Coverage, Billing & Coding Guidance [+]
  • 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Medicare Provider Enrollment Relief (FAQs) (Updated March 30, 2020)
  • Long-Term Care Nursing Homes Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit (PDF) (March 27, 2020)
  • Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF) (Updated March 23, 2020)
  • Medicare Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 (PDF) (Updated March 23, 2020)
  • COVID-19 Medicare Provider Enrollment Relief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (March 23, 2020)
  • General Provider Telehealth & Telemedicine Toolkit (March 20, 2020)
  • Medlearn Matters Article: Medicare Fee-for-Service Response to COVID-19 (March 18, 2020)
  • Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet (March 17, 2020)
  • Medicare Telehealth Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (March 17, 2020)
  • Frequently asked questions about Medicare fee-for-service emergency-related policies and procedures without an 1135 waiver (PDF) (March 16, 2020)
  • Frequently asked questions about Medicare fee-for-service emergency-related policies and procedures with an 1135 waiver (PDF) (March 16, 2020)
  • Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) COVID-19 Test Pricing (PDF) (March 13, 2020) 
  • FAQs on Essential Health Benefit Coverage and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) (PDF) (March 13, 2020)
  • Guidance to help Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans Respond to COVID-19 (PDF) (March 13, 2020)
  • Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Requirements and Implications Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (March 9, 2020)
  • Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF) (March 9, 2020)
  • Medicare Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 (PDF) (March 5, 2020)
  • Medicaid and CHIP Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 (PDF) (March 5, 2020)
  • Individual and Small Group Market Insurance Coverage (PDF) (March 5, 2020)
  • Medicare Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 (PDF) (March 5, 2020)
  • Medicaid and CHIP Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 (PDF) (March 5, 2020)
  • COVID-19: New ICD-10-CM Code and Interim Coding Guidance (February 20, 2020)
• Infection Control Guidance [+]
  Healthcare facility infection control guidance
  • CMS Long-Term Care Facility Guidance (April 2, 2020)
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes-REVISED (PDF) (March 13, 2020)
  • Guidance for Use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel (March 10, 2020)
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Home Health Agencies (March 10, 2020)
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dialysis Facilities (March 10, 2020)
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by Hospice Agencies (March 9, 2020)
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): FAQs and Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement and Hospital Discharge (March 4, 2020)
  • Information for Healthcare Facilities Concerning 2019 Novel Coronavirus Illness (2019-nCoV) (February 6, 2020)
• Additional CMS Guidance [+]
  • Attestations for ASCs Temporarily Enrolling as Hospitals (April 3, 2020)
  • CMS Announces Relief for Clinicians, Providers, Hospitals and Facilities Participating in Quality Reporting Programs in Response to COVID-19 (March 22, 2020)

Food and Drug Administration

• FDA Coronavirus Landing Page
  • FAQs on Diagnostic Testing for SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19 Emergency Use Declarations for Medical Devices (Ventilators, PPE, In Vitro Diagnostics)

National Institutes of Health

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources Page

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT

• COVID-19 Response: Tools and Resources for the Health IT and Clinical Community