Greetings!

Today we're hosting our Friday afternoon member call on COVID-19 at 3:30 pm. Please note, we have added a requirement that each attendee should register in advance for the meeting, which is a very quick process. The registration link is provided below.
 
This message also includes:
  • a message from Mark Parkinson about the distribution of $30 billion of the $100 billion COVID-19 health care stimulus fund and what SNFs can expect to receive (we are aware that some VHCA-VCAL members have already received these funds today);
  • a clip from an interview Mark did yesterday on CNN; and
  • information from DMAS on Medicaid member reinstatement.

We look forward to talking with everyone at 3:30 pm.

Sincerely,

April Payne, LNHA
Vice President of Quality Improvement | Director of VCAL
Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living 
VHCA-VCAL Member Call: COVID-19
April 10, 2020 | 3:30 pm
 
Register for the meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including calendar notices for the calls over the next month.

Agenda
  1. Welcome | Novel Martin | Chairman of the Board
  2. Update from VHCA-VCAL | Keith Hare | President and CEO
  3. Stimulus Furnding Disbursement | Steve Ford | Senior Vice President of Policy and Reimbursement
  4. Hot Topic Review | April Payne | Vice President of Quality Improvement and Director of VCAL
  5. Q&A

Please mute your line to improve the sound quality on the call. Zoom has a chat feature you can use to send questions or comments if you join via your computer.
Message from AHCA/NCAL President & CEO Mark Parkinson

HHS Releases a Portion of the
$100 Billion COVID-19 Health Care Fund

We are pleased to report that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now announced the distribution of the first $30 billion of the $100 billion stimulus fund. You can read a brief description of the process. Highlights are the following: 

  1. SNFs are included. Reporting that this was solely for the hospitals was incorrect. 
  2. All Medicare providers will receive payments based on their 2019 Part A and Part B billings. 
  3. We will provide more detailed information in a few days, but a quick back of the envelope analysis indicates that providers will receive roughly 6.2% of their 2019 billings. 
  4. HHS intends to get the money to you directly. It may hit your accounts as early as today, with the goal being no later than next week. 
  5. This is a grant; it is not a loan. 
  6. This is in addition to the Accelerated Payment Program. You can participate in both. 
  7. We are told that the next distribution will be $50 billion, and it will be more focused on skilled nursing facilities and more tilted toward Medicaid providers and buildings that have been hit by COVID-19. HHS’s goal is to get that money out in 10 days. Of course, that could be delayed. 

We know this payment is not enough to cover all your losses. We hope it is a part of a number of wins we can have in D.C. that, collectively, will make a difference. 

Mark Parkinson
President and CEO
AHCA/NCAL
Mark Parkinson on CNN: Testing, PPE Needed

Mark Parkinson addressed the nation on CNN yesterday with a simple message: "What we now need is for the country to rally around nursing homes and assisted living buildings the same way it has around hospitals, and get us the equipment and the testing that we need."
Please watch and share the video: https://youtu.be/sxsjDXnmVlQ.
Medicaid Member Reinstatement

DMAS has received guidance from CMS indicating that during the COVID-19 emergency, no Medicaid enrollments are to be closed. DMAS and DSS will implement system changes to remove auto-closures of enrollment due to life events such as attaining a maximum age for a Medicaid covered group or reaching two months post-partum. DMAS is currently working to reinstate all enrollments which were closed effective March 31, 2020. A mass re-enrollment will occur prior to April 16, 2020. This re-enrollment will retroactively reinstate coverage for these individuals back to April 1, 2020 and will re-enroll these individuals in their previously enrolled health plan until the end of the state of emergency.
 
DMAS will send a letter to all affected individuals notifying them of their reenrollment into Medicaid until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This letter will include instructions on how to reapply for Medicaid coverage if the individual's Medicaid coverage is to terminate at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
 
DMAS is asking all Medicaid stakeholders to continue providing Medicaid services to these individuals during this time with an assurance the agency will provide reimbursement for those who have disenrolled. All individuals who have been disenrolled with an effective date of March 31, 2020 will be retroactively enrolled back into Medicaid by April 16, 2020, with a retroactive date of April 1, 2020.
Quick Links
www.vhca.org | (804) 353-9101 | Calendar of Events