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

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…
Headline
AHA to make donation supporting Indiana flood victims
The AHA will make a donation to the Indiana Hospital Association in support of hospital personnel impacted by the recent flooding in Indiana caused by severe…
Headline
Agencies say cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to lettuce has expanded to 15 states 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday announced that the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce has expanded to 15 states…
Headline
CDC reports more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cyclosporiasis cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention July 28 reported 18,207 confirmed or suspected cases of cyclosporiasis across the U.S. from the current outbreak…