State meets with LTSS provider associations. Led by State Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, a host of state officials and advisers held a lengthy conference call with long-term services and supports (LTSS) provider association representatives this afternoon to discuss a pile of documents outlining state responses to COVID-19 that are pertinent to the sector. These documents, which are generally in draft form, include:
- Health Care Isolation Centers (HCICs) - SNFs or distinct parts of SNFs designated for care of COVID-19 patients. The state laid out requirements and draft reimbursement parameters for these centers.
- A more extensive, now daily survey that the state asks providers to complete on PPE, staffing, and ventilators. The Health Department (ODH) strongly urges completion of the survey to assist with identifying areas of need and available resources.
- The state's 3-zone health care coordination concept, headed by hospital officials from Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.
- Potential regulatory waivers for SNFs.
- Protocols for admission to and discharge from hospitals and HCICs elaborating on yesterday's guidance. The state officials again emphasized that they do not want SNFs to require negative COVID-19 tests to receive admissions from hospitals, but the admission must be based on the receiving SNF's ability to care for the patient, including availability of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Regulatory relief for waiver services, telehealth, and managed care requirements.
Aside from reimbursement levels for HCICs, Director Corcoran declined to discuss increased funding for any LTSS providers or to say when that conversation would take place.
CARES Act payroll tax deferral. in another effort to improve cash flow for businesses, including long-term services and supports providers, the CARES Act allows them to defer the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax until the end of 2020. The amount deferred can be repaid over the following two years. All businesses are eligible for the deferral except small businesses that take out a loan under the Payroll Protection Program that turns into a grant because more than 75% of the proceeds is used for payroll expenses.
NAHC provides free legal webinar. On Thursday, April 9, at 12:00 p.m., NAHC and their legal counsel, Littler, will provide an update and analysis of the healthcare provider exemption to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the unemployment dilemma under Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, industry coalition efforts for the fourth stimulus package, and work to develop industry best practices. Register for the webinar here.
ODH updates letter on hospice and visitation in SNFs. Last Friday, ODH issued a revised letter that supersedes their March 16 missive addressing hospice services and visitation under the Director of Health's visitation order. ODH's Rebecca Sandholdt re-affirmed that SNFs should allow hospice providers to enter the building to provide necessary services but altered her previous statement that all people on hospice are considered end-of-life to only include patients a medical professional determines are facing imminent death.
DODD download.
- The Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) reminds waiver and ICF/IID providers to complete the resource inventory template. They add that it is not being used to take supplies from providers, but to determine who might have a need and who would have capacity in a crisis situation. DODD extended the survey deadline until Friday, April 10, to collect more responses.
- DODD finalized its Regional Residential Crisis Support Plan and a Cross-Functional Flowchart for Residential Resource Crisis Response and Coordination. The goal is to assist providers experiencing a residential crisis through regional teams that will supplement and support local teams already in place. Providers experiencing a residential crisis who exhaust their internal resources should contact their local county board representative and regional provider association representative. DODD is the last resort level of support. If any changes need to be made to the regional map or you have questions about the plan, please contact Sara Lawson, 614-420-4058, sara.lawson@dodd.ohio.gov.
Buckeye offers PPE to home care providers. Buckeye Health Plan (Buckeye) announced they are reaching out to their waiver and Medicaid home care providers to determine if they can care for COVID-positive patients. If lack of PPE is an impediment, Buckeye will aid in obtaining the needed supplies. Please contact Buckeye at the following fax number for your region/network: MyCare Northeast 866-528-9920; MyCare Northwest 844-345-7908; MyCare West Central 844-528-8683; Medicaid 866-529-0291.