5/13/2021 link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 Click here if you are having trouble viewing this message. Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Bipartisan letter urges additional relief fund flexibilities and extended deadlines The Iowa Hospital Association continues to advocate for an extension to the deadline for hospitals to spend unused funds from the Provider Relief Fund. This week, Reps. Cindy Axne and Mariannette Miller-Meeks led a bipartisan group of 77 members in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services calling for greater flexibility and additional time for health care providers to use financial assistance they have received from the Provider Relief Fund. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra also signed the letter, and Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley also are advocating for the same changes. Providers face a deadline of Wednesday, June 30, to spend unused funds and have limited options for how funds may be used. The letter notes that some providers have only tapped this assistance as a last resort for fear of being required to return a significant portion. This has resulted in hospitals postponing projects that would greatly help in responding to the pandemic, like converting patient care rooms to negative-pressure rooms. IDPH releases new and updated vaccine information IDPH has released the following new and updated COVID-19 vaccine information: COVID-19 Vaccine Information Brief. Vaccine Access and Wastage Guidance. Vaccine Equity Funding Questions and Answers. These documents are posted to the HAN *3 COVID-19 Vaccine folder. Call the Immunization Program at 800-831-6293, ext.1, with any questions. CMS increases rate for monoclonal antibodies CMS announced it has increased the Medicare payment rate for administering monoclonal antibodies to treat beneficiaries with COVID-19, continuing coverage under the Medicare Part B COVID-19 vaccine benefit. Beneficiaries pay nothing out of pocket, despite where the service is furnished – including in a physician’s office, health link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 1/3 5/13/2021 link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 care facility or at home. As of May 6, the national average payment rate increased from $310 to $450 for most health care settings. In support of providers’ efforts to prevent the spread of COVID- 19, CMS also will establish a higher national payment rate of $750 when monoclonal antibodies are administered in the beneficiary’s home, including the beneficiary’s permanent residence or temporary lodging (e.g., hotel or motel, cruise ship, hostel or homeless shelter). Click HERE for additional information about monoclonal antibody treatments. FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer- BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-old adolescents. The emergency-use authorization marks a critical milestone in the push to get more Americans vaccinated and fully reopen schools for in-person learning this fall. Pfizer has said its vaccine was 100% effective at protecting against COVID-19 in a trial of more than 2,200 children between the ages of 12 and 15. CDC revises COVID-19 transmission guidance The CDC has updated its guidance about COVID-19 transmission, focusing on how the virus spreads by small respiratory droplets and particles in the air. The new guidance says the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be inhaled even when someone is more than six feet away from an infected person. The CDC previously said most infections were contracted through close contact and not airborne transmission. The CDC said transmission can occur through contact with contaminated surfaces or by touching the eyes, nose or mouth with hands that have the virus on them, though this mode of transmission is more uncommon. link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 2/3 5/13/2021 link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 100 E. Grand, Ste. 100 Des Moines, Iowa 50309-1800 Click here to unsubscribe or to change your Subscription Preferences. link.ihaonline.org/m/1/42467087/02-b21132-b3e58f5eb0f84ce191345e09344306d8/1/416/521ad1d7-acdc-4b7f-806e-7563bd062853 3/3.