Emergency and Disaster Instructions

Published 09/02/2022

When a natural disaster, extreme weather or other emergency occurs that affects Medicare providers and the beneficiaries that they serve, special emergency-related policies and procedures may be implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For detailed information on these policies and procedures, please see the following resources:

For information when an applicable 1135 waiver (PDF) has been granted
For information on the Medicare Fee-For-Service Emergency-Related Policies and Procedures (PDF) where no 1135 waivers are required

This section provides information regarding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). CMS has developed helpful information regarding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources: What Partners Need to Know Now
COVID-19 Vaccine Policies & Guidance
COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit

Coronavirus: Overview

CMS Current Emergencies: Coronavirus
CMS Coronavirus Waiver and Flexibilities
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
USA.gov has the latest information about what the U.S. Government is doing in response to COVID-19
Read CMS' Coronavirus Press Releases
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing (PDF)

General Information and Updates

CMS MLN Connects

MLN Connects — Thursday, May 5, 2022: COVID-19: Patients Can Get Free Over-the-Counter Tests from Participating Providers
MLN Connects — Thursday, April 14, 2022: COVID-19: New Codes for Moderna Vaccine Booster Doses
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, April 7, 2022: Eligible Individuals Can Receive Second COVID-19 Booster Shot at No Cost
MLN Connects Special Edition — Wednesday, April 6, 2022: Eligible Individuals Can Receive Second COVID-19 Booster Shot at No Cost
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, April 4, 2022: A New Way for Medicare Beneficiaries to Get Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests
MLN Connects — Thursday, March 10, 2022: COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibodies: Revised Emergency Use Authorization for EVUSHELD
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, February 18, 2022: COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibodies: FDA Authorized Bebtelovimab
MLN Connects — Thursday, February 10, 2022: COVID-19: New HCPCS Code for Convalescent Plasma in Outpatient Setting
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, February 3, 2022: COVID-19: Medicare Will Cover Free Over-the-Counter Tests
MLN Connects — Thursday, January 27, 2022: COVID-19: Tools to Determine if Vaccine Requirements Apply
MLN Connects — Thursday, January 20, 2022: COVID-19: Long-term Care, RHCs, & FQHCs
MLN Connects — Thursday, January 13, 2022: COVID-19: Long-term Care, Remdesivir, & Booster Doses
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, January 7, 2022: COVID-19: New HCPCS Code for Remdesivir Antiviral Medication
MLN Connects — Thursday, December 23rd, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Long-Term Care Settings
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, November 2, 2021: CMS Encourages People with Medicare to get COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot
MLN Connects — Thursday, November 18, 2021: COVID-19: Changes to Nursing Home Visitation & Survey Activities
MLN Connects — Thursday, November 4, 2021: COVID-19: Changes for Medicare Advantage Plan Claims Starting January 1
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, November 4, 2021: Biden-Harris Administration Issues Emergency Regulation Requiring COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Care Workers
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, October 22, 2021: COVID-19: Moderna & Jansen (J&J) Booster Shots
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, September 24, 2021: CMS Will Pay for COVID-19 Booster Shots, Eligible Consumers Can Receive at No Cost
MLN Connects — Thursday, September 23, 2021: COVID-19: Compare Nursing Homes by Vaccination Rate
MLN Connects — Thursday, September 17, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccines: Act Now
MLN Connects — Thursday, September 9, 2021: SNF: WBT & COVID-19 Reminder
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, August 24, 2021: CMS Expands Medicare Payments for At-Home COVID-19 Vaccinations
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, August 16, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccines Additional Doses: Codes & Payment
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, August 13, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccine Additional Dose
MLN Connects — Thursday, August 12, 2021: COVID-19: Vaccinate Your Patients
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, August 2, 2021: CMS Final Rule Improves Health Equity, Access to Treatment, Hospital Readiness, and COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting of Hospital Workers
MLN Connects — Thursday, July 22, 2021: COVID-19: EUA for Tocilizumab Monoclonal Antibody Product
MLN Connects — Thursday, July 8 , 2021: COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments: Updated FAQs
MLN Connects — Thursday, June 17, 2021: COVID-19: EUAs for Monoclonal Antibody Products
MLN Connects Special Edition — Wednesday, June 9th, 2021:
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, May 11, 2021: CMS Expanding Efforts to Grow COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Uptake Amongst Nation’s Most Vulnerable
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, May 6, 2021: CMS Increases Medicare Payment for COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Infusions
MLN Connects — Thursday, May 6, 2021: COVID-19: Ambulance Treatment in Place Waiver
MLN Connects — Thursday, April 22, 2021: COVID-19: Partnership to Vaccinate Dialysis Patients & Health Care Personnel
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, April 20, 2021: COVID-19 Update: FDA Revoked the EUA for Bamlanivimab When Administered Alone
MLN Connects Special Edition — Wednesday, April 14, 2021: J&J COVID-19 Vaccine: Health Alert
MLN Connects — Thursday, April 1, 2021: Repayment of COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, March 15, 2021: Medicare Payment Increase for COVID-19 Vaccine
MLN Connects — Thursday, March 4, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccine Codes: EUA for Janssen Biotech
MLN Connects — Thursday, February 18, 2021: COVID-19: EUA for Antibody Treatment
MLN Connects — Thursday, January 7, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccines: CDC Long-Term Care Facility Toolkit
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, December 22, 2020: COVID-19 Vaccine Codes: Updated Effective Date for Moderna
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, December 18, 2020: COVID-19: Add-on Payment for New Treatments
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, December 14, 2020: COVID-19 Vaccine Codes: Updated Effective Date for Pfizer-BioNTech
MLN Connects Special Edition — Wendesday, December 9, 2020: COVID-19: Medicare Coverage of Antibody Treatment
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, December 3, 2020: COVID-19 Antibody Treatment and Enforcement Discretion Reminder
MLN Connects — Thursday, November 19, 2020: Nursing Homes: Take COVID-19 Training
MLN Connects — Thursday, November 12, 2020: COVID-19: Non-Physician Practitioner Billing for Audio Services
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, November 12, 2020: COVID-19 Vaccine Codes and PC-ACE Software Update
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, November 10, 2020: CMS Takes Steps to Ensure Medicare Beneficiaries Have Wide Access to COVID-19 Antibody Treatment
MLN Connects — Thursday, November 5, 2020: COVID-19 Vaccine: Find Out How to Prepare
MLN Connects Special Edition — Wendesday, October 28, 2020: Coverage of Life-Saving COVID-19 Vaccines & Therapeutics
MLN Connects — Thursday, October 15, 2020: COVID-19 Testing: Protecting Integrity
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, October 8, 2020: CMS Announces New Repayment Terms for Medicare Loans Made to Providers During COVID-19
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, September 18, 2020: New COVID-19 Nursinig Home Visitation Guidance, Kidney Disease Care Model, & Radiation Oncology Payment Model
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, September 17, 2020: Nursing Home COVID-19 Commission Findings, Oregon Wildfires, & Flu
MLN Connects — Thursday, August 27, 2020: COVID-19: Training to Strengthen Nursing Home Infection Control Practices
MLN Connects — Thursday, August 20, 2020: Routine Provider Inspections Resume
MLN Connects — Thursday, August 13, 2020: COVID-19: CMS/CDC Nursing Home Training Series Webcast – August 13
MLN Connects — Thursday, August 6, 2020: Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule Listening Session: Register Now
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, August 4, 2020: PFS, OPPS, and IRF: FY 2021 Payment Rules
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, July 31, 2020: FY 2021 Medicare Payment Policies for IPFs, SNFs, and Hospices
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, July 30, 2020: Payment for COVID-19 Counseling, Reporting Hospital Therapeutics, Out-of-Pocket Drug Costs
MLN Connects — Thursday, July 30, 2020: COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries – Updated Data
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, July 23, 2020: COVID-19: New Resources to Protect Nursing Home Residents
MLN Connects for Thursday, July 23, 2020: Telemedicine Hack: 10-Week Learning Community for Ambulatory Providers
MLN Connects for Thursday, July 16, 2020: Nursing Homes & COVID: Five Things to Know, Additional Resources, Training
MLN Connects for Thursday, July 9, 2020: ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes: FY 2021
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday July 6, 2020: News
MLN Connects for Thursday, July 2, 2020: Attend Nursing Home Training Series Webcasts
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, June 26, 2020: News
MLN Connects for Thursday, June 25, 2020: COVID-19: New Data Details Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries
MLN Connects Special Edition — Friday, June 19, 2020: COVID-19: Using the CR Modifier and DR Condition Code
MLN Connects for Thursday, June 18, 2020: COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory Tests: Billing for Clinician Services
MLN Connects for Thursday, June 11, 2020: COVID-19: Reopening Health Care Facilities
MLN Connects for Thursday, June 4, 2020: MLN Connects for June 4, 2020
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, June 1, 2020: COVID-19: Using the CR Modifier and DR Condition
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, May 29, 2020: New COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing
MLN Connects for Thursday, May 28, 2020: MLN Connects for May 28, 2020
MLN Connects for Thursday, May 21, 2020
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, May 15, 2020: COVID-19 deadlines, new releases, and important calls
MLN Connects for Thursday, May 14, 2020: IPPS/LTCH PPS: FY 2021 Proposed Rule
Special Edition MLN Connects — Tuesday, May 12, 2020: COVID-19: Additional Waivers, Price Transparency, and the CMS
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, May 8, 2020: COVID-19: Nursing Home Reporting, Updated Telehealth Video, Pharmacies & Other Suppliers Can Enroll as Labs, IRF Flexibilities
MLN Connects for April 30, 2020: COVID-19: Lessons from the Front Lines
Special Edition MLN Connects — April 27, 2020: COVID-19: CMS Reevaluates Accelerated Payment Program and Suspends Advance Payment Program
MLN Connects for April 23, 2020: Report Clinical Trial Data to Fight COVID-19 & Earn MIPS Credit
Special Edition MLN Connects — April 20, 2020: COVID-19: Nursing Home Transparency, Recommendations for Areas with Low Incidence of Disease
Special Edition MLN Connects — April 17, 2020: COVID-19: RHC & FQHC Flexibilities, Increased Payment for Lab Tests, Hospital Waivers, Call Audio and Transcript
Special Edition MLN Connects — Wednesday, April 15, 2020: COVID-19: Reprocessing Hospital Claims, Essential Diagnostic Services, Non-Invasive Ventilators
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, April 10, 2020: COVID-19: Infection Control, Maximizing Workforce, Updated Q&A, CS Modifier for Cost-Sharing, Payment Adjustment Suspended
MLN Connects for Thursday, April 9, 2020: Important COVID-19 Updates
Special Edition MLN Connects — Tuesday, April 7, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth Video, Coinsurance and Deductible Waived, ASC Attestations, Ambulance Modifiers, Lessons From Front Lines, MLN Call Today
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, April 3, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth Billing Correction, Nursing Home Recommendations, Billing for Multi-Function Ventilators, New ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, March 31, 2020: COVID-19: Regulatory Changes, Telehealth Billing, and Specimen Collection Codes
MLN Connects Special Edition — Monday, March 30, 2020: COVID-19: Financial Relief, Nursing Home Telehealth, Quality Reporting, Clinical Laboratories, Hospital Data Sharing
MLN Connects for Thursday, March 26, 2020: COVID-19: New Targeted Plan for Health Care Facility Inspections
MLN Connects Special Edition — Thursday, March 26, 2020: COVID-19: Enrollment Relief, Open Payments, Beneficiary Notices
Special Edition MLN Connects — Monday, March 23, 2020: COVID-19: Relief for Quality Reporting Programs and Provider Enrollment
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, March 20, 2020: COVID-19: Telehealth and Non-Essential Procedures
MLN Connects for Thursday, March 19, 2020: Medicare FFS Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Special Edition MLN Connects — Tuesday, March 17, 2020: COVID-19: President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak
Special Edition MLN Connects — Monday, March 16, 2020: COVID-19: FFS Response and Nursing Home Visitor Guidance
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, March 13, 2020: COVID-19: Test Pricing, Diagnostic Lab Tests, Pricing & Codes, and EHB Coverage
MLN Connects for Thursday, March 12, 2020: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Guidance
Special Edition MLN Connects — Monday, March 9, 2020: COVID-19 Response: CMS Issues FAQs to Assist Medicare Providers
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, March 6, 2020: CMS Develops Additional Code for Coronavirus Lab Tests
Special Edition MLN Connects — Wednesday, March 4, 2020: CMS Announces Actions to Address Spread of Coronavirus
MLN Connects for Thursday, February 27, 2020: COVID-19 Coding Guidance
MLN Connects for Thursday, February 20, 2020: Bill Correctly for Medicare Telehealth Services

Health Care Facilities

New and Expanded Flexibilities for Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) — SE20016 (PDF)
New Waivers for Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) Hospitals, Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) due to Provisions of the CARES Act — SE20015 (PDF)
Letter requesting hospitals report data in connection with their efforts to fight the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (PDF)
Accelerated and Advanced Payments Fact Sheet (PDF)
Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes-Revise (PDF)
Guidance for Use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel (3/10/20)
Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Home Health Agencies (3/10/20)
Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Dialysis Facilities (3/10/20)
Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Requirements and Implications Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (3/9/20)
Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by Hospice Agencies (3/9/20)
Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): FAQs and Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement and Hospital Discharge (3/4/20)
Information for Healthcare Facilities Concerning 2019 Novel Coronavirus Illness (2019-nCoV) (2/6/20)

All Health Professional Guidance

Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) (SE20011, PDF)
CMS COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing (PDF)

Telehealth

Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services Video
Special Edition MLN Connects — Friday, April 3, 2020
MLN Connects Special Edition — Tuesday, March 31, 2020
President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet Tuesday, March 17, 2020
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Billing (PDF)
Telehealth Benefits in Medicare are a Lifeline for Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak Monday, March 9, 2020
Telehealth Services MLN Booklet (PDF)
General Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Tool Kit (PDF)

Labs

COVID-19 Laboratory Test Pricing
CMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) , CLIA Guidance During the COVID-19 Emergency (PDF)
Notification to Surveyors of the Authorization for Emergency Use of the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel Assay and Guidance for Authorized Laboratories on the CMS website

Billing and Coding

Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes Subject to and Excluded from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) — MM11640 (PDF)
Update to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for Vaping Related Disorder and 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) — MM11623 (PDF)

Finance

Provider Enrollment

Provider Enrollment Hotline: Temporary Provisional Medicare Billing Privileges
2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Medicare Provider Enrollment Relief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the CMS website (PDF)