Emergency and Disaster Instructions

When a natural disaster, extreme weather or emergency occurs that affects providers and the Medicare beneficiaries that they serve, special emergency-related policies and procedures may be implemented. For detailed information on these policies and procedures, please see the following resources:

• For information when an applicable 1135 waiver (PDF, 580 KB) has been granted
• For information on the Medicare Fee-For-Service Emergency-Related Policies and Procedures (PDF, 1.22 MB) where no 1135 waivers are required

This section provides information regarding the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). CMS has developed helpful information regarding the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) .

Coronavirus-Overview

• CMS Current Emergencies: Coronavirus
• CMS Coronavirus Waiver and Flexibilities
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• USA.gov has the latest information about what the U.S. Government is doing in response to COVID-19
• Read CMS' Coronavirus Press Releases
• COVID-19 Interim Final Rule FAQs

General Information and Updates

• CMS Coronavirus Partner Virtual Toolkit    

CMS MLN Connects

• MLN Connects Special Edition - Tuesday, August 4, 2020: PFS, OPPS, and IRF: FY 2021 Payment Rules
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Friday, July 31, 2020: FY 2021 Medicare Payment Policies for IPFs, SNFs, and Hospices
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Thursday, July 30, 2020: Payment for COVID-19 Counseling, Reporting Hospital Therapeutics, Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs
• MLN Connects - Thursday, July 30, 2020: COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries – Updated Data
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Thursday, July 23, 2020: COVID-19: New Resources to Protect Nursing Home Residents
• MLN Connects for Thursday, July 23, 2020: Telemedicine Hack: 10-Week Learning Community for Ambulatory Providers
• MLN Connects for Thursday, July 16, 2020: Nursing Homes & COVID: Five Things to Know, Additional Resources, Training
• MLN Connects for Thursday, July 9, 2020: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes: FY 2021
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Monday July 6, 2020: News
• MLN Connects for Thursday, July 2, 2020: Attend Nursing Home Training Series Webcasts
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Friday, June 26, 2020: News
• MLN Connects for Thursday, June 25, 2020: COVID-19: New Data Details Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Friday, June 19, 2020: COVID-19: Using the CR Modifier and DR Condition Code
• MLN Connects for Thursday, June 18, 2020: COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory Tests: Billing for Clinician Services
• MLN Connects for Thursday, June 11, 2020: COVID-19: Reopening Health Care Facilities
• MLN Connects for Thursday, June 4, 2020: MLN Connects for June 4, 2020
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Monday, June 1, 2020: COVID-19: Using the CR Modifier and DR Condition
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, May 29, 2020: New COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing
• MLN Connects for Thursday, May 28, 2020: MLN Connects for May 28, 2020 MLN Connects for Thursday, May 21, 2020: Join Upcoming COVID-19 Calls
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, May 15, 2020: COVID-19 deadlines, new releases, and important calls
• MLN Connects for Thursday, May 14, 2020: IPPS/LTCH PPS: FY 2021 Proposed Rule
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Tuesday, May 12, 2020: COVID-19: Additional Waivers, Price Transparency, and the CMS
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, May 8, 2020: COVID-19: Nursing Home Reporting, Updated Telehealth Video, Pharmacies & Other Suppliers Can Enroll as Labs, IRF Flexibilities
• MLN Connects for April 30, 2020: COVID-19: Lessons from the Front Lines
• Special Edition MLN Connects - April 27, 2020: COVID-19: CMS Reevaluates Accelerated Payment Program and Suspends Advance Payment Program 
• MLN Connects for April 23, 2020: Report Clinical Trial  Data to Fight COVID-19 & Earn MIPS Credit 
• Special Edition MLN Connects - April 20, 2020: COVID-19: Nursing Home Transparency, Recommendations for Areas with Low Incidence of Disease 
• Special Edition MLN Connects - April 17, 2020: COVID-19: RHC & FQHC Flexibilities, Increased Payment for Lab Tests, Hospital Waivers, Call Audio and Transcript
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Wednesday, April 15, 2020: COVID-19: Reprocessing Hospital Claims, Essential Diagnostic Services, Non-Invasive Ventilators  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, April 10, 2020: COVID-19: Infection Control, Maximizing Workforce, Updated Q&A, CS Modifier for Cost-Sharing, Payment Adjustment Suspended  
• MLN Connects for Thursday, April 9, 2020: Important COVID-19 Updates 
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Tuesday, April 7, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth Video, Coinsurance and Deductible Waived, ASC Attestations, Ambulance Modifiers, Lessons From Front Lines, MLN Call Today  
• Special Edition MLN Connects – Friday, April 3, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth Billing Correction, Nursing Home Recommendations, Billing for Multi-Function Ventilators, New ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code  
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Tuesday, March 31, 2020: COVID-19: Regulatory Changes, Telehealth Billing, and Specimen Collection Codes  
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Monday, March 30, 2020: COVID-19: Financial Relief, Nursing Home Telehealth, Quality Reporting, Clinical Laboratories, Hospital Data Sharing  
• MLN Connects for Thursday, March 26, 2020: COVID-19: New Targeted Plan for Health Care Facility Inspections  
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Thursday, March 26, 2020: COVID-19: Enrollment Relief, Open Payments, Beneficiary Notices  
• Special Edition MLN Connects – Monday, March 23, 2020: COVID-19: Relief for Quality Reporting Programs and Provider Enrollment  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, March 20, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth and Non-Essential Procedures  
• MLN Connects for Thursday, March 19, 2020: Medicare FFS Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Tuesday, March 17, 2020: COVID-19: President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Monday, March 16, 2020: COVID-19: FFS Response and Nursing Home Visitor Guidance  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, March 13, 2020: COVID-19: Test Pricing, Diagnostic Lab Tests, Pricing & Codes, and EHB Coverage  
• MLN Connects for Thursday, March 12, 2020: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Guidance 
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Monday, March 9, 2020: COVID-19 Response: CMS Issues FAQs to Assist Medicare Providers  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Friday, March 6, 2020: CMS Develops Additional Code for Coronavirus Lab Tests  
• Special Edition MLN Connects - Wednesday, March 4, 2020: CMS Announces Actions to Address Spread of Coronavirus  
• MLN Connects for Thursday, February 27, 2020: COVID-19 Coding Guidance 
• MLN Connects for Thursday, February 20, 2020: Bill Correctly for Medicare Telehealth Services

Health Care Facilities

• New and Expanded Flexibilities for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) (SE20016 [PDF, 253 KB])
• New Waivers for Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Hospitals, Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) due to Provisions of the CARES Act (SE20015 [PDF 179 KB])
• Credit Balance Reporting Extension Information for Quarter Ending March 31, 2020
• Cost Report Filing Extensions
• Letter requesting hospitals report data in connection with their efforts to fight the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (PDF, 416 KB)
• Accelerated and Advanced Payments Fact Sheet (PDF, 100 KB)
• Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes-Revise (PDF, 151 KB)
• Guidance for Use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel (3/10/20)
• Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Home Health Agencies (3/10/20)
• Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dialysis Facilities (3/10/20)
• Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act ( EMTALA ) Requirements and Implications Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (3/9/20)
• Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by Hospice Agencies (3/9/20)
• Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): FAQs and Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement and Hospital Discharge (3/4/20)
• Information for Healthcare Facilities Concerning 2019 Novel Coronavirus Illness (2019-nCoV) (2/6/20)  

All Health Professional Guidance

• Medical Review Administrative Relief Related to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic
• Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) ( SE20011  [PDF, 226 KB])
• CMS COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing (last update 6/25/2020) (PDF, 934 KB)  

Telehealth

• Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services Video
• Special Edition MLN Connects – Friday, April 3, 2020
• MLN Connects Special Edition - Tuesday, March 31, 2020
• President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak Tuesday, March 17, 2020
• Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet Tuesday, March 17, 2020
• Medicare Telehealth Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Tuesday, March 17, 2020 (PDF, 111 KB)
• Telehealth Benefits in Medicare are a Lifeline for Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak Monday, March 9, 2020
• Telehealth Services MLN Booklet (PDF, 2.71 MB)
• General Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Tool Kit (PDF, 289 KB)

Labs

• CMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) , CLIA Guidance During the COVID-19 Emergency (PDF, 72 KB)
• Notification to Surveyors of the Authorization for Emergency Use of the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel Assay and Guidance for Authorized Laboratories on the CMS website

Billing and Coding

• Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes Subject to and Excluded from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) (MM11640 [PDF, 203 KB])
• Update to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for Vaping Related Disorder and 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) ( MM11623 [PDF, 166 KB])

Finance

• COVID-19 Accelerated/Advance Payment (AAP) Repayment FAQ
• CMS Reevaluates Accelerated Payment Program and Suspends Advance Payment Program
• COVID-19 Accelerated Payment Hotline FAQs
• Accelerated/Advance Payments Related to COVID-19
• Accelerated/Advance Payment Request Form
• COVID-19 Accelerated/Advance Payment Request
• April 2020 Integrated Outpatient Code Editor (I/OCE) Specifications Version 21.1 ( MM11680 [PDF, 178 KB])

Provider Enrollment

• Provider Enrollment Hotline: Temporary Provisional Medicare Billing Privileges
• 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Medicare Provider Enrollment Relief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the CMS website (PDF, 124 KB)

Palmetto GBA COVID-19 Education

• Part A COVID-19 Resources: April 16, 2020

• Part A COVID-19 Blanket Waiver Updates: Webcast Recording

• Part A Medicare Telehealth Expansion for COVID-19 Webcast Briefing: Webcast Recording

• Palmetto GBA's Commitment To The Community During COVID-19