Hurricane Sandy Recovery: Medicare Updates

• Under Section 1135 Authority, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued blanket waivers in the impacted area of New York and New Jersey.
  
  
• Medicare FFS-Emergency Q&As – no 1135 waivers required
  
  
• Medicare FFS - Emergency Q&As – Applicable only when an applicable 1135 waiver has been granted
  
  
• The state Department of Health has announced that they will relax prior authorization requirements for fee for service urgent care services until the State of Emergency has ended.  Click here for additional information.
  
  
• EMedNY (Emergency Medicaid) failures – if the state’s computer system is unable to verify eligibility, providers are instructed to accept Medicaid ID card as sufficient proof of eligibility.  If pharmacists cannot get real time claim adjudications out of EMedNY, they are instructed to dispense emergency supplies.  Call CSC with questions at 800-343-9000.  Click here for additional information.  
  
  
• The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared a public health emergency in NYS.  This means NYS can work with HHS to relax some rules in Medicaid and Medicare to assist health care facilities responding to patient transfers and disaster related needs.  Read more here.