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Dear Benchmarks' Members,
We are sharing with you the latest information from today related to guidance, information and resources for your consideration.
Take care of each other and stay safe and healthy!
The Benchmarks' Team
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BENCHMARKS' HAS ZOOM!!!
Friday Mornings at 8:30 am
Please include the following information in your calendar for
Benchmarks' Friday Morning Call with Members
Topic: Benchmarks' Membership Webinar
Time: Apr 17, 2020 08:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Fri, until May 15, 2020, 7 occurrence(s)
Apr 17, 2020 08:30 AM
Apr 24, 2020 08:30 AM
May 1, 2020 08:30 AM
May 8, 2020 08:30 AM
May 15, 2020 08:30 AM
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Meeting ID: 626 815 379
Password: 081879
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,626815379# US (New York)
Meeting ID: 626 815 379
Meetings will be recorded and shared with members!
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House Select Committee On COVID-19
Working Group on Health Care
Documents from April 16, 2020:
Documents from April 14, 2020:
Documents from April 9, 2020:
Documents from April 2, 2020:
Documents from March 26, 2020:
Working Group on Economic Support
Next Meeting: April 21, 2020 at 10:00 am
Documents from April 14, 2020:
Documents from April 7, 2020:
Documents from March 31, 2020:
Documents from March 25, 2020:
Working Group on Education
Documents from April 16, 2020:
Documents from April 9, 2020:
Documents from April 2, 2020:
Documents from March 26, 2020:
Working Group on Continuity of State Operations
Next Meeting: April 21, 2020 at 2:00 pm
Documents from April 14, 2020:
Documents from April 7, 2020:
Documents from March 31, 2020:
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Screening/Monitoring Guidance for BH Residential Facilities
In light of the spread of COVID-19 in North Carolina, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Council for Behavioral Health are providing guidance to Behavioral Health Facilities. This guidance recommends steps for screening and monitoring individuals that are residing and being served in these facilities to help improve infection control practices and to prevent the spread of the virus. In addition to the overarching regulations and guidance, this link includes the following information (screening questions to use) about some specific areas related to COVID-19.
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NEWS ALERT
April 16, 2020
Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), as part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, click here www.coronavirus.gov. For information specific to CMS, please visit the CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website. CMS updates these resources on an ongoing basis throughout the day; the information below is current as of April 16, 2020 at 10:15 a.m. ET.
CMS Increases Medicare Payment for High-Production Coronavirus Lab Tests
CMS announced that Medicare will nearly double payment for certain lab tests that use high-throughput technologies to rapidly diagnose large numbers of COVID-19 cases. This is another action the Trump Administration is taking to rapidly expand COVID-19 testing. Along with the March 30 announcement that Medicare will pay new specimen collection fees for COVID-19 testing, CMS's actions will expand capability to test more vulnerable populations, like nursing home patients, quickly and provide results faster. Medicare will pay laboratories for the tests at $100 effective April 14, 2020, through the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency.
CMS Implements CARES Act Hospital Payment and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Waivers
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act increases payment for Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) inpatient hospital care attributable to COVID-19. CMS provided guidance for IPPS hospitals and LTCHs on how to code claims to receive the higher payment.
The CARES Act also waives the requirement that Medicare Part A fee-for-service patients treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities receive at least 15 hours of therapy per week.
CMS Approves Additional State Medicaid Waivers and Amendments to Give States Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS has approved 52 COVID- related emergency waivers, 31 state amendments, 11 COVID-related Medicaid Disaster Amendments and one CHIP COVID-related Disaster Amendment in record time. States are using a toolkit CMS developed to expedite the application and approval of Medicaid state waivers and State Plan Amendments.
CMS recently approved two additional COVID-related emergency Medicaid waivers, delivering urgent regulatory relief to ensure the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands can quickly and effectively care for their most vulnerable citizens. CMS also approved COVID-related Medicaid Disaster Amendments that bring relief to Arkansas and Rhode Island. These approvals help to ensure that states have the tools they need to combat COVID-19 through a wide variety of state plan flexibilities. CMS continues to authorize amendments to ensure emergency flexibilities in programs that care for the elderly and people with disabilities, including most recently for Colorado, Louisiana and Nevada. These approved flexibilities support President Trump's commitment to a COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported.
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Why Using Telehealth Is Important During the COVID-19 Pandemic
There are a lot of reasons why it's important to keep seeing your health care provider even while North Carolina's Stay at Home order is in effect to slow the spread of COVID-19. Across North Carolina, insurance companies, including Medicaid and Medicare, are covering your telehealth visits. It is a two-way office visit from the comfort of your home using a computer, tablet, smart phone or other technology. Learn more about telehealth by watching this video.
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Why Using Telehealth Is Important
During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
Please Feel Free to Share This Video Far and Wide
Attention: Very Cool News
All Approved In-Lieu Of Services (ILO)
Per LME/MCO Are Now Posted Online!
Local Management Entities - Managed Care Organizations (LME-MCOs) manage the care of beneficiaries who receive services for mental health, developmental disabilities or substance use disorders. The following contracts and reports are related to NC Medicaid.
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Below you will find links to the slide deck from this past Monday's webinar, as well as a recording of the program.
The coronavirus pandemic is the most significant public health crisis in recent memory and has started to impact many facets of daily life. COVID-19 has also been the subject of non-stop media coverage which has been overwhelming, sometimes inflammatory, and often confusing. Faced with this deluge of information, rumor, and speculation, our team has distilled the most critical information for employers in this rapidly changing environment.
The webinar covered the following topics:
* Health and Safety Guidance
* Leave and Benefit Topics
* Employee Retention Tax Credit
* Unemployment Assistance
* Payment Protection Program
* Economic Impact Disaster Loans (Including Grant Advances)
* Expansion Of Accelerated And Advance Payment Program
* Public Health And Social Services Emergency Fund
* Business Interruption Insurance Policies
* North Carolina Medicaid Policy Changes
* LME/MCO Changes
* North Carolina Licensure Changes
Reminder:
If you are interested in joining the continuation of this webinar on
Monday, April 20, 2020 from 11:00 am through 11:40 am. This webinar will cover:
- Select Federal Regulatory Changes
- North Carolina Medicaid Policy Changes
- North Carolina LME/MCO Changes
- North Carolina Licensure Changes
- Guidance on Outbreak Preparation and Response
Webinar Recording
: Register for the webinar even if you can't attend live. We will send you the recording to view later.
Who Should Attend
: Suggested attendees are behavioral health provider owners, managers, administrators, compliance staff, in-house counsel, and other interested stakeholders
Confirmation
: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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ANCOR's Advocacy for Expansion of Eligibility to SBA Loans
An announcement from ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill:
As has been widely reported (including all of the related problems), the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, provides eligible organizations with flexible loans intended to cover operating expenses. These loans are forgivable for certain organizations who maintain their workforce and salary levels - providing much needed financial relief to hundreds of ANCOR members. In addition, the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) provided tax relief for businesses, including tax exempt entities, as outlined by the IRS
here
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That's why I want to assure you that ANCOR is working closely with Congress and the Administration in an effort to ensure that nonprofits with more than 500 employees will have access to future relief funding opportunities that include forgiveness. In coalition with other national associations, ANCOR has signed on to several letters to congressional leadership asking that the 500 employee limit be lifted or modified. Additionally, ANCOR, in partnership with the National Council for Behavioral Health, has retained an outside lobbying firm dedicated to supporting ANCOR and NCBH members who were excluded from the Paycheck Protection Program and working towards their inclusion in subsequent relief measures.
But please allow me to be candid. It will be extremely difficult to expand the PPP beyond the 500 because of the overall cost and current underfunding of the existing program. ANCOR's primary advocacy goal remains focused on achieving our "Wildly Important Goal " of obtaining access to grants for IDD providers for all ANCOR providers regardless of size, or corporate status. Our external lobbyists, ANCOR government relations staff, and our Government Relations Committee Co-Chairs, based on multiple conversations with members of Congress and key staff, believe that approach has a far more realistic chance of inclusion in the next package. That's why you will see the focus of ANCOR's action lobbying and grassroots efforts on grants for all, with more targeted advocacy for expanding PPP for the 500+ through our partnership with NCBH.
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