CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCES

(July 24 – 30, 2020)

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HHS Issues New Report Highlighting Trends in COVID-19 Telehealth Utilization

HHS published a new report regarding trends in Medicare beneficiary telehealth utilization amid COVID-19. The report includes an analysis of claims data from January through the beginning of June. HHS discovered that by April, nearly half of Medicare primary care visits were provided through telehealth (compared with less than one percent in February). A press release is available here.

CMS Updates Data on COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries

CMS released a monthly update of data showing the impact of COVID-19 on the Medicare population. The data set spans the period from January 1 through June 20, 2020. A press release is available here.

FDA Posts Template for COVID-19 Emergency Use Authorization Requests

The Food and Drug Administration posted a new template for commercial developers to use in submitting emergency use authorization requests for COVID-19 diagnostic tests that can be performed at home, or in other settings besides a lab, such as offices or schools. A news release is available here.

CMS Updates COVID-19 FAQ on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing

CMS updated FAQs that address Medicare Fee-for-Service billing. Among other things, the FAQs include new information on CPT code 99211 and on the use of the Cost-Sharing (“CS”) modifier on claims for pre-surgery examination services that include COVID-19 testing. The FAQs can be found here.