News

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau will begin accepting applications for Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program on Thursday, April 29 at www.fcc.gov/covid19telehealth. The filing window will last seven calendar days and close on Thursday, May 6 at 11 a.m. CT. Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program is a $249.95 million federal initiative that builds on Round 1—a $200 million program established as part of the CARES Act. 

Late last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an annual Proposed Rule that updates the SNF PPS rates effective October 1, 2021.  CMS will follow up with a final rule on the October 1 rates around August 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued memorandum QSO-21-15-ALL providing updated guidance (Appendix Z) for all providers covered by the federal Emergency Preparedness requirements. CMS is currently working on updates to the Emergency Preparedness Basic Surveyor Training Course to reflect the new changes.

A set of rules took effect this week that are designed to support secure patient access to electronic medical records, as well as smooth electronic exchange of patient information. The so-called “Information Blocking” rule was developed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Third Round of Applications for HUD COVID Supplemental Payments Expected

The House Committee on Financial Services is circulating a discussion draft of the Supporting Seniors and Tenants in Subsidized Housing Act. The draft bill is a version of 2020’s Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act introduced in the House (as HR 6873) and Senate (as S 4177). The draft bill is sponsored by Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), the chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance.

This week, staff from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program joined LeadingAge’s Housing Advisory Group call to discuss how the new program could help affordable senior housing residents as well as housing providers.

LeadingAge has launched a member survey to gauge how much Provider Relief Fund (PRF) funding members have received to date, how much unmet need remains, and the reasons for the continued need for more funding. This information will help them advocate to Congress for additional PRF appropriations and articulate why providers still need this help.

On Monday, LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association (AHCA) released a federal legislative proposal designed to allow the nursing home sector to make key changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these issues were evident for years before COVID-19 but were never fully addressed by policymakers. Through the Care For Our Seniors Act, AHCA and LeadingAge are calling on lawmakers once again to help resolve systemic challenges, as well as reflecting on ways nursing home providers themselves can improve.

In response to an evaluation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), CMS stated last week that it will continue working to publicly report on nurse staff turnover and tenure, as required by federal law.

HUD is overhauling physical inspections and you have the chance to weigh in. LeadingAge, our national partner, is urging HUD to maintain a robust yet feasible approach to portfolio oversight. Using an easy online form, you can help us urge HUD to streamline the process while incentivizing well-performing properties. Add your voice in support of LeadingAge comments to HUD and customize your comments with a brief description of your community by March 15.

The Senate has finally released the complete version of the American Rescue Plan passed on Saturday, and the bill has now gone to the House. It is expected that the House will vote on that bill today – and passage is expected – so the President can sign the bill into law by the end of the week. Because this legislation will provide the State with additional financial support, we are optimistic that its passage will support our advocacy work at the state level to support a Hero Pay Bonus for all caregivers in congregate care settings during the pandemic. 

Federal lawmakers continue to move forward with a COVID-10 response package. Last weekend, the House passed the $1.9 trillion package and now the legislation is being considered in the Senate.
While the current package includes investments in infection control teams for care centers and an enhanced Medicaid match for HCBS Waivers, it fails to provide to the existing Provider Relief Fund.

Our partners at LeadingAge Housing Advisory Group now have five Workgroups to share information among members, to improve programs, and to inform LeadingAge advocacy to HUD and to Congress.

On February 19, HUD opened the application period for Calendar Year 2021 (CY21) Service Coordinator program renewals in GrantSolutions. Under a compressed timeline for the delayed grant renewals, applications are due by March 22, with disbursements projected for June or July.

Under CMS emergency preparedness regulations, nursing facilities are required to conduct two emergency preparedness testing exercises annually – with exercises alternating between full-scale functional exercises and exercises of choice (mock drill, table-top exercise, workshop). 

The CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) team will offer trainings to review updates to the LTCF COVID-19 Module, Resident Impact & Facility Capacity Pathway, that took effect in late November 2020.

Congress is now in the process of considering the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package proposed by President Biden. This legislation, being considered through a budget-reconciliation vehicle that only needs simple majorities in both the House and the Senate and may be passed exclusively with Democratic-votes.

We noted two newsworthy items from CDC this week relating to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data collection system.

Monoclonal Antibodies
CDC has added data fields for monoclonal antibodies to the NHSN COVID-19 surveillance module.

Earlier today, LeadingAge sent all care center members Five-Star Analysis reports that reflect updates to the data implemented by CMS a couple weeks ago. For more details on the scoring updates, go to this recent Advantage story that covers the changes in depth.

Ahead of the Jan. 31 expiration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ordered the extension of the current eviction moratorium for non-payment of rent.

The order prevents residential evictions until March 31; tenants must self-certify eligibility for the protections. The extension keeps the moratorium largely unchanged, and tenants who previously submitted the self-certification should not have to resubmit.

In the meantime, we are advocating to quickly provide rent relief for senior housing communities impacted by COVID-19.