According to reports Hurricane Harvey 25 dumped trillions of gallons of water which required evacuation of thousands of residents from over 95 nursing centers and assisted living communities in Texas. A public health emergencies has been declared in both Texas and Louisana and healthcare providers are temporarily waiving or modifying certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements to provide immediate relief to hurricane Harvey’s victims in flood devastated areas. HHS on its website reported that they are working with the federal government to get approval to issue disaster SNAP food benefits and emergency SNAP benefits for people in counties with a federal disaster declaration. CMS has also announced that they are offering “immediate administrative relief actions to Texas and Louisiana including issuing several general waivers of certain requirements for specific types of providers in impacted counties and geographical areas”
According to reports from healthcare informatics: CMS can also waive or modify certain Medicare provisions for providers, including certain deadlines, conditions of participation and certification requirements. Providers can now submit waiver requests to the state survey agency or the CMS regional office and they will be evaluated to ensure that they meet the requirements set out under the law. To help clarify billing instructions, CMS has issued technical direction to the Medicare Administrative Contractors regarding the waivers and has reminded area Medicare Advantage plans regarding their responsibilities to relax certain requirements during a disaster or emergency.
The Texas Medical Board reported that health care workers, nurses and providers who are licensed and in good standing in other states and who are coming to work at a hospital or facility can practice in Texas while the state’s disaster declaration is in place. Hospitals must provide details for each provider. Texas Care providers
