HHS Provides CARES Act Relief Funding Notice Of Reporting Requirement Guidance

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services previously announced that hospitals will be required to file reports about how general and targeted Public Health and Social Services Emergency Funds are used within 45 days of the end of 2020 and complete a final report no later than July 31, 2021. HHS also provided guidance on page seven of its relief funding FAQs document about the justification needed to retain the relief funding.

HHS now has provided additional guidance to entities that received payments exceeding $10,000 about the amount of funds that may be retained. HHS states, “Recipients may apply PRF payments toward lost revenue, up to the amount of their 2019 net gain from health care-related sources. Recipients that reported negative net operating income from patient care in 2019 may apply PRF amounts to lost revenues up to a net zero gain/loss in 2020.”

CMS Releases Updated Nursing Facility Guidance

Staff Contact: Sarah Willson

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released additional guidance for nursing facilities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. QSO 20-39-NH highlights new flexibilities surrounding visitation, noting visits can be conducted through different means based on a facility’s structure and residents’ needs. The guidance outlines a set of core principles that facilities should follow when increasing access to the facility. While facilities maintain the ability to restrict visitation, CMS notes such restrictions must be because there is a reasonable clinical or safety issue (i.e. facility positivity rate, visitor screening results, county COVID-19 rates, etc.). CMS provides examples of when a facility must allow visitors.

Clinical Guidance

CDC Study Suggests COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts Could Reduce Impact Of Flu

Staff Contact: Terrie Bauer

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study suggests that social distancing and other measures to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 could help reduce the impact of flu this fall and winter in the U.S. if widely practiced. U.S. flu activity declined sharply within two weeks of the COVID-19 emergency declaration and widespread implementation of community mitigation measures, including school closures, social distancing and mask wearing. The decline also occurred in other Northern Hemisphere countries and the tropics, and Southern Hemisphere temperate climates have had virtually no flu circulation. The report adds, “Influenza vaccination for all persons aged >6 months remains the best method for influenza prevention and is especially important this season when SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus might cocirculate.”

PR & Media Resources

Flu Vaccine Resources Available

Staff Contact: Dave Dillon

As health care providers, we understand the important role vaccines play in preventing disease. This year, it’s more important than ever for Missourians to get a flu shot.

To assist partners in communicating the importance of flu vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a digital media toolkit, which includes social media messages, fact sheets, videos, and print-ready materials, among other resources. Also available is a vaccine finder widget that can be embedded on your website. MHA will be actively sharing these messages on social media throughout flu season.

Testing, Reporting & Treatment

CDC Updates COVID-19 Testing Guidance

Staff Contact: Terrie Bauer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its testing guidance for SARS-CoV-2. “Due to the significance of asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the document states. For example, the guidance now recommends a diagnostic test for asymptomatic people who have been within six feet of someone with the virus for at least 15 minutes.

FDA Approves New Option Amid COVID-19-Spurred Sedation Drug Shortages