ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION ON MEDICAID INCREASED FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT

NCHCFA continues to work with NC Medicaid on additional funding. On Monday, NC Medicaid announced increased funding for skilled nursing facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks. The funding, which is retroactive to April 1, 2020, is outlined in Special Bulletin COVID-19 #68, and addresses:

• Increased cost of heightened safety and health practices required to limit the spread of COVID-19 in a congregate care facility in which at least two individuals have been confirmed as COVID+
• Facilitation of safe and timely discharge of COVID+ patients from acute health care settings to residential settings for convalescence and/or rehabilitation (“COVID-Response”)

Since the Special Bulletin was released, we have received additional information that clarifies certain information contained in the bulletin.

• The bulletin mentions the “NC Medicaid COVID+ Status reporting template”.  The template is under development and should be completed a few days.  Once it is available, it will be posted on the Division of Health Benefit website. The status template is required every 30 days after a facility’s initial COVID status to ensure facilities that remain in outbreak status continue to receive the increased rates.
• A facility obtains initial facility status as a COVID site through the current reporting being done through the Department of Public Health.
• When providers bill for the COVID rate add-ons, they should bill at their regular rate plus the appropriate rate add-on(s) for either positive or non-positive residents.