CMS Granting Exceptions to Medicare Quality Reporting Programs in Hurricane-Impacted Areas
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs to acute care hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care hospitals, among other care facilities located in areas affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria. These providers will be granted exceptions without having to submit an extraordinary circumstances exception request if they are located in one of the Florida counties, Puerto Rico municipios, or U.S. territories that have been designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a major disaster county, municipio, or county-equivalent.
The scope and duration of the exception under each Medicare quality reporting program is described in the memo posted on September 15; however, all of the exceptions are being granted to assist these providers while they direct their resources toward caring for their patients and repairing structural damages to facilities. CMS will continue to monitor the situation and adjust exempted reporting periods and submission deadlines accordingly.
Additional details and materials are available on the Hurricane webpage. Please check back frequently for updates.
The content of Psychiatric News does not necessarily reflect the views of APA or the editors. Unless so stated, neither Psychiatric News nor APA guarantees, warrants, or endorses information or advertising on this site. Clinical information is not peer reviewed and thus should be independently verified. Privacy Policy.