Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS updated the COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare FFS Billing on February 8, 2021. This is currently a 167-page document. Each Q&A is dated within this document.  The most recent updates are: L. Ambulance: Data Collection and Reporting Requirements for the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System…… Continue reading CMS Updates COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted COVID-19 data in nursing homes for week ending January 31, 2021.  Other data and graphs are found here. Please note and check out the recent updates to the CDC COVID Data Tracker: CDC’s COVID Data Tracker shows this data as of late afternoon…… Continue reading CMS and CDC Post COVID-19 Data

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On February 9, 2021 the FDA announced that an emergency use authorization (EUA) has been issued for “bamlanivimab and etesevimab to be administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older weighing at least…… Continue reading FDA Authorizes Monoclonal Antibodies for Treatment of COVID-19

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On February 10, 2021, CMS posted updated visitation guidance … QSO-21-14-ICF/IID & PRTF for Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs) and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs).  This is a 10-page memorandum. This guidance is significant in that it is the 1st readdressing of…… Continue reading CMS Updates Visitation at ICF/IIDs and PRTFs During Public Health Emergency

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On February 10, 2021, MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) posted an early release of Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure. “Controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission is critical not only to reduce the widespread effects of the…… Continue reading Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On February 10, 2021, CDC updated Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States.  All the updates are significant and should be reviewed.  I want to point out the 4th bullet that updates quarantine recommendations for fully vaccinated persons…… Continue reading Recent Updated COVID-19 Information from CDC

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare In addition to the tools NHSN posted February 4, 2021, NHSN has posted a slide deck for the Point of Care Test (POCT) Reporting Tool for COVID-19.  The training slide deck references the updated February 4th tool and also carries a date of February 11, 2021…… Continue reading NHSN POCT Reporting + Upcoming NHSN Webinar(s)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The State Profile Report (SPR) “provides easily interpretable information on key indicators for each state, down to the county level. For each state, this report provides a weekly snapshot in time that: Focuses on recent outcomes in the last seven days and changes relatively to the…… Continue reading Updated COVID Data Tracker: State Profile Report

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS just posted the county COVID-19 positivity data for February 8, 2021. As always, this reminder that past postings are archived and the regulation for the frequency of staff testing is found here.  

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare After the emergency use authorization (EUA) or licensure of each COVID-19 vaccine product by FDA, CMS will identify the specific vaccine code(s), by dose if necessary, and specific vaccine administration code(s) for each dose for Medicare payment. CMS and the American Medical Association (AMA) are working collaboratively on…… Continue reading Coding for COVID-19 Vaccine Shots