HHS waives certain requirements for Texas, La. and Calif. emergencies

Aug 27, 2020 - 02:34 PM
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Seal

The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday declared public health emergencies and waived certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements in Louisiana and Texas due to Hurricane Laura, and in California due to wildfires.

The waivers give health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs.

HHS said it also has activated an incident management team and positioned National Disaster Medical System medical personnel and equipment to help states respond to the hurricane, and coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make 50 additional ambulances available to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes if needed.

The agency said NDMS and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps also are prepared to provide medical care and public health support in California if needed.

Related News Articles

AHA Cyber Intel
Making Headway Toward Cyber Resilience
While we may feel inundated with alarming news about escalating cyber threats against healthcare organizations, there is also some good news. Let’s explore how…
Headline
New resources on supply chain resilience and hospital capacity management during public health emergencies 
Two new AHA briefs outline field-tested strategies on strengthening supply chain resilience and hospital capacity readiness to maintain quality of care during…
Perspective
The Courage to Care: The Spirit We Saw on 9/11 Still Endures
Public
Twenty-five years ago, our nation experienced one of the darkest days in its history. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took thousands of innocent lives…
Headline
Webinar to discuss conversion to rural emergency hospital designation
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s Rural Health Redesign Center will host a webinar on Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. ET, where hospital CEOs will discuss the…
Headline
Webinar to explore pathogen control strategies for environments with rapid microbial rebound
The AHA’s Association for the Health Care Environment will host a webinar Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. ET that will discuss strategies environmental services leaders can…
Headline
CDC reports nearly 16,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases nationwide 
There have been 15,716 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico since May 1, the Centers for Disease Control and…