Five procurement trends shaping government financial reporting

Read this if your organization, business, or institution has leases and you’ve been eagerly awaiting and planning for the implementation of the new lease standards.

Ready? Set? Not yet. As we have prepared for and experienced delays related to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842, Leases, we thought the time had finally come for implementation. With the challenges that COVID-19 has brought to everyone, the FASB recognizes the significant impact COVID-19 has brought to commercial businesses and not-for-profits and is proposing a one-year delay in implementation, as described in this article posted to the Journal of Accountancy: FASB effective date delay proposals to include private company lease accounting.

But what about lease concessions? We all recognize many lessors are making concessions due to the pandemic. Under current guidance in Topics 840 and 842, changes to lease contracts that were not included in the original lease are generally accounted for as lease modifications and, therefore, a separate contract. This would require remeasurement of the new lease contract and related right-of-use asset. FASB recognized this issue and has published a FASB Staff Questions and Answers (Q&A) Document,  Topic 842 and Topic 840: Accounting for Lease Concessions Related to the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Under this new guidance, if lease concessions are made relating to COVID-19, entities do not need to analyze each contract to determine if a new contract has been entered into, and will have the option to apply, or not to apply, the lease modification provisions of Topics 840 and 842.

Implementation of the lease accounting standard will most likely be delayed for Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) entities as well. On April 15, 2020, the GASB issued an exposure draft that would delay most GASB statements and implementation guides due to be implemented for fiscal years 2019 and later. Most notably, this includes Statement 84, Fiduciary Activities, and Statement 87, Leases. Comments on the proposal will be accepted through April 30, and the board plans to consider a final statement for issuance on May 8. More information may be found in this article from the Journal of Accountancy: GASB proposes postponing effective dates due to pandemic.

More information

Whether you are a FASB or GASB entity, you can expect a delay in the implementation of the lease standard. If you have questions, please contact a member of our financial statement audit team. For other COVID-19 related resources, please refer to BerryDunn’s COVID-19 Resources Page.

Benchmarking doesn’t need to be time and resource consuming. Read on for four simple steps you can take to improve efficiency and maximize resources.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before (from your Board of Trustees or Finance Committee): “I wish there was a way we could benchmark ourselves against our competitors.”

Have you ever wrestled with how to benchmark? Or struggled to identify what the Board wants to measure? Organizations can fall short on implementing effective methods to benchmark accurately. The good news? With a planned approach, you can overcome traditional obstacles and create tools to increase efficiency, improve operations and reporting, and maintain and monitor a comfortable risk level. All of this can help create a competitive advantage — and it  isn’t as hard as you might think.

Even with a structured process, remember that benchmarking data has pitfalls, including:

• Peer data can be difficult to find. Some industries are better than others at tracking this information. Some collect too much data that isn’t relevant, making it hard to find the data that is.
   
• The data can be dated. By the time you close your books for the year and data is available, you’re at least six months into the next fiscal year. Knowing this, you can still build year-over-year trending models that you can measure consistently.
   
• The underlying data may be tainted. As much as we’d like to rely on financial data from other organization and industry surveys, there’s no guarantee that all participants have applied accounting principles consistently, or calculated inputs (e.g., full-time equivalents) in the same way, making comparisons inaccurate.

Despite these pitfalls, benchmarking is a useful tool for your organization. Benchmarking lets you take stock of your current financial condition and risk profile, identify areas for improvement and find a realistic and measurable plan to strengthen your organization.

Here are four steps to take to start a successful benchmarking program and overcome these pitfalls:

1. Benchmark against yourself. Use year-over-year and month-to-month data to identify trends, inconsistencies and unexplained changes. Once you have the information, you can see where you want to direct improvement efforts.
2. Look to industry/peer data. We’d love to tell you that all financial statements and survey inputs are created equally, but we can’t. By understanding the source of your information, and the potential strengths and weaknesses in the data (e.g., too few peers, different size organizations and markets, etc.), you will better know how to use it. Understanding the data source allows you to weigh metrics that are more susceptible to inconsistencies.

3. Identify what is important to your organization and focus on it. Remove data points that have little relevance for your organization. Trying to address too many measures is one of the primary reasons benchmarking fails. Identify key metrics you will target, and watch them over time. Remember, keeping it simple allows you to put resources where you need them most.

4. Use the data as a tool to guide decisions. Identify aspects of the organization that lie beyond your risk tolerance and then define specific steps for improvement.

Once you take these steps, you can add other measurement strategies, including stress testing, monthly reporting, and use in budgeting and forecasting. By taking the time to create and use an effective methodology, this competitive advantage can be yours. Want to learn more? Check out our resources for not-for-profit organizations here.

Read this if your CFO has recently departed, or if you're looking for a replacement.

With the post-Covid labor shortage, “the Great Resignation,” an aging workforce, and ongoing staffing concerns, almost every industry is facing challenges in hiring talented staff. To address these challenges, many organizations are hiring temporary or interim help—even for C-suite positions such as Chief Financial Officers (CFOs).

You may be thinking, “The CFO is a key business partner in advising and collaborating with the CEO and developing a long-term strategy for the organization; why would I hire a contractor to fill this most-important role?” Hiring an interim CFO may be a good option to consider in certain circumstances. Here are three situations where temporary help might be the best solution for your organization.

Your organization has grown

If your company has grown since you created your finance department, or your controller isn’t ready or suited for a promotion, bringing on an interim CFO can be a natural next step in your company’s evolution, without having to make a long-term commitment. It can allow you to take the time and fully understand what you need from the role — and what kind of person is the best fit for your company’s future.

BerryDunn's Kathy Parker, leader of the Boston-based Outsourced Accounting group, has worked with many companies to help them through periods of transition. "As companies grow, many need team members at various skill levels, which requires more money to pay for multiple full-time roles," she shared. "Obtaining interim CFO services allows a company to access different skill levels while paying a fraction of the cost. As the company grows, they can always scale its resources; the beauty of this model is the flexibility."

If your company is looking for greater financial skill or advice to expand into a new market, or turn around an underperforming division, you may want to bring on an outsourced CFO with a specific set of objectives and timeline in mind. You can bring someone on board to develop growth strategies, make course corrections, bring in new financing, and update operational processes, without necessarily needing to keep those skills in the organization once they finish their assignment. Your company benefits from this very specific skill set without the expense of having a talented but expensive resource on your permanent payroll.

Your CFO has resigned

The best-laid succession plans often go astray. If that’s the case when your CFO departs, your organization may need to outsource the CFO function to fill the gap. When your company loses the leader of company-wide financial functions, you may need to find someone who can come in with those skills and get right to work. While they may need guidance and support on specifics to your company, they should be able to adapt quickly and keep financial operations running smoothly. Articulating short-term goals and setting deadlines for naming a new CFO can help lay the foundation for a successful engagement.

You don’t have the budget for a full-time CFO

If your company is the right size to have a part-time CFO, outsourcing CFO functions can be less expensive than bringing on a full-time in-house CFO. Depending on your operational and financial rhythms, you may need the CFO role full-time in parts of the year, and not in others. Initially, an interim CFO can bring a new perspective from a professional who is coming in with fresh eyes and experience outside of your company.

After the immediate need or initial crisis passes, you can review your options. Once the temporary CFO’s agreement expires, you can bring someone new in depending on your needs, or keep the contract CFO in place by extending their assignment.

Considerations for hiring an interim CFO

Making the decision between hiring someone full-time or bringing in temporary contract help can be difficult. Although it oversimplifies the decision a bit, a good rule of thumb is: the more strategic the role will be, the more important it is that you have a long-term person in the job. CFOs can have a wide range of duties, including, but not limited to:

• Financial risk management, including planning and record-keeping
• Management of compliance and regulatory requirements
• Creating and monitoring reliable control systems
• Debt and equity financing
• Financial reporting to the Board of Directors

If the focus is primarily overseeing the financial functions of the organization and/or developing a skilled finance department, you can rely — at least initially — on a CFO for hire.

Regardless of what you choose to do, your decision will have an impact on the financial health of your organization — from avoiding finance department dissatisfaction or turnover to capitalizing on new market opportunities. Getting outside advice or a more objective view may be an important part of making the right choice for your company.

BerryDunn can help whether you need extra assistance in your office during peak times or interim leadership support during periods of transition. We offer the expertise of a fully staffed accounting department for short-term assignments or long-term engagements―so you can focus on your business. Meet our interim assistance experts.

Read this if you are a leader at a state Medicaid agency.

Leveraging Medicaid to support and fund state efforts
In infectious disease control and prevention, contact tracing is the process of identifying people who may have come into contact with an infected person and tracking with whom the infected person has been in contact. The intent is to halt the chain of transmission. State Medicaid Agencies (SMAs) may be able to leverage the Medicaid program to support state efforts with systems, training, and reimbursement for contact tracing. 

What is contact tracing?
Tracing the contacts of infected individuals throughout a community, testing their contacts for infection, and treating and quarantining the disease when it is found is a long-standing practice to address infectious diseases. While contact tracing may not be a service that is reimbursable by Medicaid, it may be possible for Medicaid to cover a broader package of services designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Contact tracing has three major components:

1. Contact identification—Confirmation of an individual’s infection is the first step. Once identified, it is essential to identify any additional people with whom that person came into contact, including family, co-workers, community members, etc.
2. Contact tracing—After conducting a complete review of the individual's contacts, outreach begins to inform them of their contact status and discuss critical next steps, starting with testing.
3. Contact follow-up—Continued follow-up with identified contacts helps prevent the spread of infection by monitoring spread and/or additional symptoms.

Public health experts maintain that contact tracing is one of the tools needed to manage the pandemic. Medicaid can play a key role in supporting systems, training, and reimbursement for contact tracing. This is enabled through Medicaid’s unique role as a significant payer in the healthcare system, along with its role as a government partnership between federal and state governments. In addition, acting to implement contact tracing may offer an opportunity to increase employment at a time when the economy has shed countless jobs. 

Systems and training: Medicaid support for health IT system
To support contact tracing, Medicaid agencies can leverage 75% or 90% federal match or Federal Financial Participation (FFP) for the systems, training, and equipment. This match is applicable for the Medicaid population, while the remainder likely needs to be cost-allocated to other state programs. Activities that can qualify include:

• Design, development, and installation (DDI) of Medicaid solutions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may allow this funding to apply to data-tracking systems or changes to support new reimbursement models. 
• Provider outreach and training related to systems operation, such as training on claims submissions, claims processing, and eligibility inquiries related to case management and care coordination.
• Training of vendor or state personnel directly engaged in the operation of an approved system, including workers processing claims or determining eligibility.

To obtain this type of funding, states must submit an advanced planning document (APD). 

Reimbursement: Services and authority options for contact tracing
For Medicaid to support contact tracing, SMAs need to identify both state plan services and authority to provide the service. Defining a service and authority may be challenging, as contact tracing is historically a public health intervention and not a medical service that directly benefits a Medicaid member. CMS does not typically allow this type of service under Medicaid. Given the flexibility afforded under current disaster declarations, however, CMS may have more flexibility than usual. Some options for services include: 

Case management

• How it works 
  First, an individual tests positive and contact-tracing interviews occur. Then, a healthcare provider, such as a hospital, reaches out to the individual, facilitates testing and education, delivers results, and follows up for any care needed. This process applies to any Medicaid members or other individuals who have private insurance that is identified. The provider can discharge the member from case management once the individual recovers. Case management as a Medicaid service is unique in that a diagnosis requiring medical management is the impetus for providing the service.
• Federal approval rationale
  Hospitals may be a good partner for this service due to CMS’s Hospital Without Walls guidance. If the hospital partners with the Public Health Entity for contact tracing, then the case management piece could—in theory—be billed by the staff providing case management through the hospital. The hospital would also be able to bill for testing and lab, care, etc. Public Health could track where there is capacity through the medical community for treatment, especially hospital beds, ventilators, and alternative testing sites. The case manager providing coordination of care for COVID-19 testing and treatment would have access to the hospital medical record system, and the hospital could bill for the service.

Health home

• How it works
  A health home under the state plan could also serve as a vehicle for services for this population. To better care for Medicaid members with chronic conditions, the Affordable Care Act created an optional Medicaid state plan benefit to coordinate care. Health homes are designed to integrate all physical and behavioral healthcare. Participation in health homes is voluntary. In order for members to participate, they must possess at least one chronic condition (e.g., high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, diabetes, or any serious chronic condition) and be at risk for a second (e.g., COVID-19).
• Federal approval rationale
  The health home may be a good support model, as it is eligible for FFP of 90% for the first two years—likely long enough to respond to the pandemic—making it economically attractive. 

The most flexible potential authority for a Medicaid agency to use for contact tracing is the 1115 waiver. As part of the Medicaid Disaster Response Toolkit, CMS made expedited review available. In addition, State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL) #20-002 provides guidance on a new section 1115 waiver available to assist states in addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

Section 1115 demonstration waiver
The 1115 waiver is the most dynamic option available, and states can access it through the 1115 disaster waiver option under the Medicaid toolkit. The state may be able to show that providing contact tracing will result in savings for services billed under Medicaid. These savings may be able to be justified by decreasing the number of people who test positive for the virus, leading to budget neutrality. The budget neutrality model would need to show “with” and “without waiver” scenarios that demonstrate to Medicaid the cost of the spread of the virus with and without contact tracing. A challenge to this approach is the time necessary to develop the waiver and budget neutrality model and gain CMS approval. 

Recently, CMS approved one of these new section 1115 waivers for the state of Washington. While Washington did not request to cover contact tracing, the speed of approval and the fact that CMS has indicated for the pandemic 1115 requests states will not be required to submit budget neutrality calculations, is a positive indicator for states to consider in envisioning creative models for leveraging Medicaid to minimize the impacts of COVID-19. 

Next steps

• Check in with your CMS contacts. COVID-19 is new, and America’s response continues to evolve. Check in with your CMS contact for input on the latest guidance that may be applicable to your agency. 
• Develop an APD. Develop your state’s APD to help fund the technology needs for tracking COVID-19, along with training for your SMA team and providers. 
• Determine services. In partnership with CMS, determine if case management, a health home, or other service makes the most sense for your state to help trace contacts, reduce the spread of COVID-19, and encourage employment in this important work. 
• Submit your waiver for state plan amendment. After working with CMS to determine the service that makes sense for your state, develop and submit the request to provide this service through a 1115 waiver, 1135 waiver, or if necessary, emergency state plan amendment. 

We’re here to help
If you have more questions or want to have an in-depth conversation about your specific situation, please contact the Medicaid consulting team. 

Read this if you are a leader at a state Medicaid agency, Long-Term Care Hospital, Rural Health Clinic, Federally Qualified Health Center, or intermediate care facility.

New toolkit launches to help states navigate COVID-19 health workforce challenges 

In order to maximize workforce flexibility to help confront COVID-19, CMS and the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) have released a new toolkit to assist state and local healthcare decision makers. The toolkits are available as a set of resource collections including:

• COVID-19 Federal Regulatory and Funding Flexibilities 
• COVID-19 Healthcare Workforce Training Resources 
• COVID-19 Licensure 
• COVID-19 Liability Protections 
• COVID-19 Matching Volunteer Workforce Needs 
• COVID-19 Pre-Hospital/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Resources 
• COVID-19 Scope of Practice Expansions 
• COVID-19 State, Territorial, and Local Resources 
• COVID-19 Workforce Protection Resources 
• COVID-19 Workforce Resilience/Sustainability Resources 
• COVID-19 Additional Healthcare Planning Resources

Our team will be taking a closer look at these resource collections in the coming week and plan to have detailed information on the opportunities within.

Compliance flexibilities announced for implementation of interoperability final rules due to COVID-19

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), in conjunction with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), have announced a policy of enforcement discretion to allow compliance flexibilities regarding the implementation of the interoperability final rules previously announced on March 9, 2020.

• Announced in March, the Interoperability and Patient Access final rule (CMS-9115-F) is focused on the pursuit of interoperability and patient access to health information.
• CMS-regulated payers, including Medicaid Fee-for-Service (FFS) programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP FFS programs, and CHIP managed care entities are required to implement and maintain a secure, standards-based (HL7 FHIR Release 4.0.1) API that allows members access their claims and encounter information, as well as provider directory information available through third-party applications of their choice.
• Due to the public health emergency posed by COVID-19, CMS is exercising the “enforcement discretion” to adopt a temporary policy of relaxed enforcement for the final rule.

CMS releases additional blanket waivers for Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and intermediate care facilities

CMS is providing additional blanket waivers related to care for patients in LTCHs, temporary expansion locations of RHCs and FQHCs, staffing and training modifications in intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and the limit for substitute billing arrangements (locum tenens).

• The new flexibilities do not require a waiver or any requests be sent to CMS electronically or any other notification to CMS regional offices.
• The guidance includes flexibilities related to provider location, staffing, reporting requirements, discharge, patient rights and other areas regulated by CMS.
• The blanket waiver authority exercised by CMS in this case applies only to federal requirements and does not apply to state requirements for licensure or conditions of participation.

State of Washington COVID-19-related section 1115(a) demonstration approval

Washington’s approval is the first section 1115(a) demonstration specifically intended to combat the effects of COVID-19 in a state.

• CMS authorized a time-limited approval for several of the requests in Washington’s March 24, 2020 section 1115(a) demonstration with a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020 through 60 days after the public health emergency declaration.
• CMS approved two waiver authority requests, as well as six expenditure authority requests from Washington’s section 1115(a) demonstration. 
• CMS did not require the state to submit budget neutrality calculations for the Washington COVID-19 section 1115(a) demonstration. 

CMS issues guidance allowing Independent Freestanding Emergency Departments (IFEDs) to provide care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

CMS issued guidance On April 21, 2020 which allows licensed IFEDs in the states of Colorado, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Texas to temporarily provide care to Medicare and Medicaid patients to address any surge.

• IFEDs generally offer a range of services including basic imaging services, computed tomography (CT) scans, ultrasound, and basic on-site laboratory services. During this public health emergency these entities can temporarily bill Medicare and Medicaid as a certified hospital.
• CMS is waiving certain conditions of participation for hospital operations to maximize patient care capabilities during this public health emergency. IFEDs may participate in Medicare and Medicaid in one of three ways: 
   
  • Becoming affiliated with a Medicare/Medicaid-certified hospital under the temporary expansion 1135 emergency waiver; 
  • Participating in Medicaid under the clinic benefit if permitted by the state; or
  • Enrolling temporarily as a Medicare/Medicaid-certified hospital to provide hospital services.

We’re here to help. If you have more questions or want to have an in-depth conversation about your specific situation, please contact the team. 

Read this if you are a leader at a state Medicaid agency.

CMS has delivered nearly  $34 billion, later updated to $51 billion, in the past week to the healthcare providers on the frontlines battling the 2019 novel coronavirus

• The process in which CMS is implementing requests has reduced times of an accelerated or advance payment to four to six days. Previously the timeframe was three to four weeks. 
• To date, CMS has received over 25,000 requests from providers and suppliers for accelerated and advance payments. Of these, CMS has approved over 17,000 requests in the past week. 
• It should be noted that this funding is separate and distinct from the $100 billion provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

CMS issues new wave of infection control guidance based on CDC guidelines to protect patients and healthcare workers 

CMS has issued a series of updated guidance documents focused on infection control to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a variety of inpatient and outpatient care settings.

• The updated guidance includes a number of updates, notably the option of providing home dialysis training and support services. These are designed to help some dialysis patients stay home during the pandemic.
• In particular, the guidance includes the establishment of Special Purpose Renal Dialysis Facilities (SPRDFs), which can allow dialysis facilities to isolate vulnerable or infected patients.
• For hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and CAHs, the updated guidance provides recommendations on screening and visitation restrictions, discharge to subsequent care locations, as well as staff screening and testing.

CMS acts to ensure US healthcare facilities can maximize frontline workforces to confront COVID-19 crisis 

CMS has temporarily suspended a number of rules in order for hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities to boost their frontline medical staffs.

The CMS guidance focuses on reducing supervision and certification requirements so that practitioners can both be hired rapidly and perform work to the extent of their licensure. CMS guidance allows the following:

• Doctors can now directly care for patients in certain settings without having to be physically present.
• Nurse practitioners may now perform some medical exams on Medicare patients at skilled nursing.

CMS approves additional state Medicaid waivers and amendments to give states flexibility to address coronavirus pandemic

CMS continues to deliver regulatory relief to a number of new states in the form of waivers and state plan amendments.

• In total, CMS has now approved 49 emergency 1135 waivers, 26 state amendments, seven COVID-19 related Medicaid disaster amendments and the first CHIP COVID-related disaster amendment
• The COVID-related Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) disaster amendment is for the State of Maine. 
• CMS has now approved COVID-related Medicaid disaster state plan amendments for North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.

HHS authorizes licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests

On April 8, HHS released new guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act that authorizes licensed pharmacists to order and administer FDA-approved COVID-19 tests.

• The guidance allows pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests to their patients will provide easier access to testing and will expand testing for healthcare workers and first responders. 

We’re here to help. If you have more questions or want to have an in-depth conversation about your specific situation, please contact the team. 

Read this if you are a leader at a state Medicaid agency.

Here is a summary of information we have gleaned from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Verma’s recent call.

CMS is implementing new rules and waivers that increase provider flexibility and free up resources to deal with a surge in COVID-19 patients. CMS is working with the provider community to provide clarity around specific changes that impact their operations.

• The rulemaking process has been dramatically expedited to accommodate recent and forthcoming regulatory changes
• CMS is in the process of working out details to administer CARES Act provisions, including further regulatory flexibilities, expansion of accelerated payment program, and $100 billion appropriated to reimburse eligible health care providers
• CMS clarifies that the 3-Day Rule Waiver for skilled nursing facilities applies throughout the country and to all patients, regardless of their COVID-19 status

Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telehealth, and Rural Health Care and Medicaid Telehealth Flexibilities Guidance

This informational bulletin is composed of two parts: Rural Health Care and Medicaid Telehealth Flexibilities and Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telehealth.

• The informational bulletin identifies opportunities for telehealth delivery for services to increase access to Medicaid services. It is composed of two parts, Rural Health Care and Medicaid Telehealth Flexibilities and Medicaid Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Services Furnished via Telehealth
• The bulletin provides SUD guidance around Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), counseling, high risk populations, and other areas critical to providing SUD services.

Long-Term Care Nursing Homes Telehealth and Telemedicine Tool Kit

CMS is issuing an electronic toolkit regarding telehealth and telemedicine for Long Term Care Nursing Home Facilities.

• The toolkit includes electronic links to sources of information regarding telehealth and telemedicine, including the changes made by CMS over the last week in response to the national health emergency.
• Much of the toolkit’s information is intended for providers who may wish to establish a permanent telemedicine program, but there is information here that will help in the temporary deployment of a telemedicine program as well.
• There are specific documents identified that may be useful in choosing telemedicine vendors, equipment, and software, initiating a telemedicine program, monitoring patients remotely, and developing documentation tools. 

CMS makes regulatory changes to help US healthcare system address COVID-19 patient surge

CMS has issued a number of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to assist the nation’s healthcare system with improved flexibility.

• Increased hospital capacity. CMS will allow communities to take advantage of local ambulatory surgery centers that have canceled elective surgeries, per federal recommendations.
• Healthcare workforce expansion. CMS’s temporary requirements allow hospitals and healthcare systems to increase their workforce capacity by removing barriers for physicians, nurses, and other clinicians to be readily hired from the local community as well as those licensed from other states without violating Medicare rules.
• Paperwork requirements. CMS is temporarily eliminating paperwork requirements.
• Telehealth in Medicare. CMS will now allow for more than 80 additional services to be furnished via telehealth.

Additional COVID-19 FAQs for state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies

CMS released an update to the COVID-19 FAQs posted on March 18, 2020 related to emergency preparedness and response, eligibility and enrollment flexibilities, benefit flexibilities, cost sharing flexibilities, financial flexibilities, managed care flexibilities, fair hearing flexibilities, health information exchange flexibilities, and COVID-19 T-MSIS coding guidance. Notably:

• States that have CHIP disaster provisions in their state plans can activate these provisions. CMS considers a significant outbreak of an infectious disease to be a disaster. CMS also recommends that states that do not have disaster relief provisions in their CHIP state plans include language that a federal- or governor-declared emergency is considered an event that can trigger the disaster provisions.

States may not suspend use of their AVS, however CMS reminds states that they can rely on self-attestation of assets and verify financial assets using their AVS post-enrollment in Medicaid.

• CMS can help provide technical assistance regarding approaches states can use to rapidly scale telehealth technologies.
• CMS clarified and provided COVID-19 T-MSIS coding guidance.

For more information

We’re here to help. If you have more questions or want to have an in-depth conversation about your specific situation, please contact the team. 

Per CMS, all state Medicaid agencies, including territories, are eligible for the increased Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), provided they adhere to the conditions outlined in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). 

Key takeaways:

• The increase in FMAP will be retroactive to January 1, 2020 and will be available to state Medicaid agencies through the end of the quarter in which the public health emergency for COVID-19 ends.
• This guidance answers some of the following questions for states, including:
  • How long the funding will be available and when it begins
  • What costs are matchable under the enhanced funding 
  • The specific conditions under which states are eligible to claim the funds 
  • What documentation and processes will be needed in order to gain full access to funding

Trump administration releases COVID-19 checklists and tools to accelerate relief for state Medicaid & CHIP programs

In order to assist states as part of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Trump administration has released a number of tools and checklists that constitute a federal authority toolkit to support states in applying for and receiving federal waivers and other key flexibilities for their program. 

Key takeaways:
The tools released today include:

• 1115 Waiver Opportunity and Application Checklist 
  Under this demonstration opportunity states may select from a variety of options to deliver the most effective care to their beneficiaries as a result of COVID-19.
• 1135 Waiver Checklist 
  CMS released a template that states can use to help develop their 1135 Waiver request to temporarily waive certain Medicaid program requirements.
• 1915(c) Appendix K Template 
  Appendix K is a standalone appendix that states can utilize during emergency situations to request an amendment to approved 1915(c) waivers.
• Medicaid Disaster State Plan Amendment (SPA) Template 
  CMS released a SPA template and instruction document dedicated to temporary changes to support COVID-19 response.

CMS issues FAQs on catastrophic health coverage and the coronavirus

A catastrophic health plan may not provide coverage of an essential health benefit prior to an enrollee meeting the deductible for that plan. In order to clarify treatment and coverage of COVID-19 for catastrophic health plans CMS has issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Key takeaways:

• Catastrophic plans currently include coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 as they must cover the essential health benefits (EHB) as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
• Issuers of catastrophic plans will be able to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 for enrollees who have not yet met their deductible without CMS taking enforcing action.
• The FAQ document encourages states to take an enforcement approach and CMS does not “consider a state to have failed to substantially enforce section 1302(e) of the PPACA if it takes such an approach.”

Relief for clinicians, providers, hospitals, and facilities participating in quality reporting programs in response to COVID-19

CMS is granting exceptions from reporting requirements and extensions for clinicians and providers participating in Medicare quality reporting programs.  

Key takeaways:

• The exceptions include pending dates for measure reporting and data submission for related programs. 
• For data submission deadlines in April and May of 2020, submission of those data will be optional, based on the facility’s choice to report.
• 2019 data submission
  • Deadline extended from March 31, 2020 to April 30, 2020.
  • Deadlines for October 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019 (Q4) 
  • Data submission is optional for inpatient rehabilitation and hospital-acquired conditions.

CMS releases telehealth toolkits for general practitioners and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) providers

CMS has released two toolkits on telehealth which follow the broadened access to Medicare telehealth services under the 1135 waiver authority and Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Key takeaways:

• The toolkit consists of electronic links to sources of information pursuant to telehealth and telemedicine. 
• Generally directed towards providers, particularly ones who may be considering a permanent telemedicine program.
• CMS notes that most of the resources were established prior to the current COVID-19 crisis. As a result, there are likely references to rules and regulations whose requirements may have been waived for the duration of the outbreak.

Toolkits:

• General Practitioners
• End-Stage Renal Disease Providers

For more information

We’re here to help. If you have more questions or want to have an in-depth conversation about your specific situation, please contact the team. 

Here is a summary of information we have gleaned from recent CMS updates and guidance. 

COVID-19 stakeholder call - March 16 

CMS held a National Stakeholder Call on March 16, 2020 to update the healthcare community on the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, which was declared a national emergency by President Trump on March 13, 2020.

Key takeaways:

• Administrator Verma reaffirmed the goal of reducing administrative barriers in the way of healthcare workers and agencies and to support them as best CMS is able.
• Acknowledging that there were questions on testing, Administrator Verma outlined that there will be a ramp-up in testing in conjunction with state and local governments. 
• CMS is relaxing clinician enrollment requirements for Medicare and making the same option available to states in their Medicaid programs.
• The administration has been clear that it wants agencies to focus on infection control efforts. CMS is designing a streamlined template to evaluate infection control.
• CMS sends guidance to Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Organizations.

On March 17, 2020, CMS issued guidance to all Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Organizations (POs) on accepted policies and standard procedures with respect to infection control.

Key takeaways:

• POs will need to create, apply, and sustain a documented infection control plan that involves procedures to recognize, examine, regulate, and avert infections in PACE centers
• POs will need to work to prevent infections within each participant’s place of residence, as well as implement procedures to record and develop corrective actions related to incidents of infection.
• CMS provides guidance that recognizes POs may need to undertake strategies that do not traditionally comply with CMS PACE program requirements in order to provide benefits while guarding from COVID-19. Some examples of this may include telehealth services.
• President Trump expands telehealth benefits for Medicare beneficiaries during COVID-19 outbreak.

CMS is expanding Medicare’s telehealth benefits under the 1135 waiver authority and the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Key takeaways:

• Under the new 1135 waiver, Medicare can pay for office, hospital, and other visits provided via telehealth across the country and including in patient’s place of residence starting March 6, 2020. 
• Medicare telehealth visits: These visits are considered the same as in-person visits and are paid at the same rate as regular, in-person visits.
• Virtual check-ins: Virtual check-in services can only be reported when the billing practice has an established relationship with the member.  
• E-visits: Such services can only be reported when the billing practice has an established relationship with the patient.  

CMS coronavirus partner virtual toolkit

CMS has released a virtual toolkit to help stakeholders stay up-to-date on CMS materials available on COVID-19. Here is specific guidance from the toolkit designed for states and health plans:

• Medicaid.gov 
• Medicaid and CHIP Disaster Response Toolkit 
• Medicaid Telehealth

CMS approves first state request for 1135 Medicaid waiver in Florida and Washington

The 1135 waiver allows Florida and Washington to modify certain Medicaid program requirements, policies, operational procedures, and deadlines applicable to each state’s administration of its Medicaid program during the period of the national state of emergency to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. 

Key takeaways from Florida’s waiver

• Provider participation flexibilities for Medicaid and CHIP Waiver of Service Prior Authorization (PA) Requirements for fee-for-service delivery systems
• Waiver for Pre-Admission Screening and Annual Resident Review (PASRR) Level II Level II Assessments for 30 Days
• Waiver to allow evacuating facilities to provide services in alternative settings, such as a temporary shelter when a provider’s facility is inaccessible
• Waiver to temporarily delay scheduling for state fair hearing requests and appeal deadlines (NOTE: CMS was unable to waive all of Florida’s requested authorities in this area)

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