Happy Monday! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.
September 27, 2021
Legislative Update
Last week, NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA, welcomes NC Sen. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir) to discuss SB257 — Medication Cost Transparency Act, which regulates pharmacy benefit managers and recently was signed into law. Sen. Perry also offers a budget update and advice on how to make sure your voice is heard. View their conversation here.
Please note you can always view the latest health care bill summaries and sign up for Action Alerts on our legislative blog: www.ncmedsoc.org/currentsession.
Will the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program Provide Claims Reimbursement for Monoclonal Antibody Therapy?
The HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program aligns claims reimbursement for monoclonal antibody therapy with the CMS guidance issued on November 10, 2020. Per CMS’s Medicare Monoclonal Antibody COVID-19 Infusion Program Instruction, “During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), Medicare will cover and pay for these infusions the same way it covers and pays for COVID-19 vaccines (when furnished consistent with the EUA).” Information regarding coding and pricing can be found in the Medicare Monoclonal Antibody COVID-19 Infusion Program Instruction (PDF – 200 KB).
Coming Soon: Health Center Testing Supply Programs
As part of the Biden Administration’s “Path Out of the Pandemic,” health centers will have the opportunity to receive testing supplies through two separate programs launching over the next several weeks.
- The Point-of-Care Testing Distribution Program: Health Center Program award recipients and look-alikes will be able to order BD VeritorTM diagnostic testing supplies, including point-of-care analyzers and test kits, at no cost for use at in-scope service sites.
- At-Home Testing Distribution Program: Health Center Program award recipients and look-alikes will receive free, convenient, at-home rapid tests for use by patients, staff, and the community at-large.
HRSA will share additional information regarding both programs, including the specific tests available, how to access supplies, and estimated shipping times, in the coming weeks.
In the News
New Research Cautions About Possible Risks of Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy, STAT, 9-23-21
Learning Opportunity
Telehealth Best Practices Learned from the Pandemic – Tuesdays at 3:00 pm ET, September 28 – October 19
This interactive four-week Project ECHO mini-series will explore the telehealth challenges encountered by FQHCs during the start of the pandemic, including engagement of hard-to-reach populations, staff engagement, making smart and effective telehealth technology decisions and decisions about where to go with telehealth after the end of the public health emergency. Registration is free! We are working on CEs/CMEs for participation and will update should this come to fruition.
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!