We will not be holding a COVID-19 member call today, March 5. We will continue to send a reminder the day of the scheduled calls.

 

In lieu of a call, I wanted to pass along a few notes:

Sincerely,

DMAS has published a Medicaid Memo on COVID-19 flexibilities in effect through April 20, 2021. It includes information on the specific flexibilities for nursing facilities that continue to be waived including items related to PASRR assessments, MDS authorizations, and the four month training and certification requirements for employees.

Medicaid Memos are available via the Medicaid Memos and Bulletins to Providers portal. Search by year to find the March 5, 2021 memo. 

The memo also addresses flexibilities for other providers and services including home health and hospice, durable medical equipment, pharmacy, and eligibility and enrollment.

VDH is continuing to accept responses to its survey on vaccine uptake in long term care facilities (LTCFs). We continue to encourage you to take the survey. The responses will help VDH best estimate vaccine uptake and help plan for remaining vaccine distribution.

The agency would like to achieve a 100 percent response rate. If you have already responded, thank you. (VDH is developing a list of facilities that have not responded so we can do targeted follow-up in the near future.)

The survey collects accurate census data and vaccine uptake in staff and residents of LTCFs. This will allow VDH to calculate vaccine uptake rates in LTCFs in Virginia and determine the kind of educational and outreach material the agency can develop around vaccine hesitancy.

The survey link was sent last week from [email protected] to the vaccine point-of-contact and directs that contact to an individual-specific REDCap survey link. Providers can also use this link to respond to the survey:

Please contact Mounika Bazar at VDH with any questions.

AHCA/NCAL has drafted new guidance​ on accessing COVID-19 vaccine in long term care (LTC) after the LTC Pharmacy Partnership Program is completed. This guidance lays out action steps members should take immediately to ensure ongoing access to vaccine, including how they will receive and administer the vaccine.

Specific to Virginia, VDH has set up a process for facilities to request vaccines for residents and staff following the completion of your third clinic. (Additional info about this process if available here.)  Use this REDCap form to report you needs:

VDH is continuing to work on a process for incorporating the COVID-19 vaccine into the existing LTC pharmacy infrastructure. VHCA-VCAL has been providing information and guidance to the agency on how to facilitate this and will provide additional updates as they become available. 

State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver issued a clinician letter on March 4. It covers a range of topics including information about the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, updated quarantine recommendations for fully vaccinated people, work restrictions for exposed healthcare personnel, SARS-CoV-2 variants in Virginia, and more. We encourage you to read the letter in its entirety.

AHCA/NCAL has created a fact sheet providing an overview of COVID-19 vaccine coverage under Medicare Part B and how it interacts with Medicare Part A and Medicare Advantage. It discusses common situations where external mass immunizers, such as LTC pharmacies, may be responsible for vaccine administration and ​claim billing. For SNFs that elect to administer and bill for the COVID-19 vaccine, it summarizes the key coverage and claim coding requirements. SNF billing staff should review these requirements and discuss with billing software vendors to assure that the required specifications are included to permit COVID-19 vaccine billing.

How the New Stark and Anti-Kickback Regulations Will Affect LTC