The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is urging hospitals and health care facilities to begin preparing for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). In the same Aug. 18 announcement, CMS also made clear that the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) does plan to renew the PHE at least once more this fall.
“To minimize any disruptions, including potential coverage losses, following the end of the PHE, HHS Secretary Becerra has committed to giving states and the health care community writ large 60 days’ notice before ending the PHE,” CMS states. “In the meantime, CMS encourages health care providers to prepare for the end of these flexibilities as soon as possible and to begin moving forward to reestablishing previous health and safety standards and billing practices.”
CMS recently updated its list of COVID-19 blanket waivers and also provided 10 fundamental actions to guide states through the eventual PHE wind down. In its announcement, CMS also states that it “is continuously considering impacts on the communities we serve, including underserved communities, and the potential barriers and opportunities flexibilities may address.”
The news comes on the heels of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA’s) efforts urging HHS extend the PHE beyond October. The PHE allows for CMS to issue blanket waivers ensuring health care organizations the flexibility to deal with heightened patient demand while facing labor shortages, supply chain delays, and the cost increases that come with both.
AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack wrote to HHS Secretary Becerra expressing appreciation for and the importance of the flexibilities the waivers have provided, including hospital bed flexibilities, expanded access to telehealth services and enhanced ability for health care professionals to practice across state lines. However, as hospitals continue grappling with many of the challenges seen at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and new SARS-CoV-2 variants, the AHA says that ending the PHE declaration too soon will negatively impact patient care across the country.
In fact, a recent survey of the AHA’s 5,000 member hospitals found that 93% say their hospital would be negatively impacted if the waivers were rolled back, and 89% report they still depend on the flexibilities provided by the waivers to deliver needed care.
In addition, 72% say the withdrawal would significantly affect patient access to health coverage. In light of these concerns, Pollack says that the AHA “will continue to fight for some of these valuable waivers to become permanent Medicare policy, and others to stay in place long enough to ensure a smooth shift to a post-public health emergency world.”
