Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

CMS updates with new HCPCS code.

As worries about the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) plague the nation, the feds are working round the clock with updates, clinical advice, and more. Read on to see four things that every Medicare provider should know about the outbreak.

1. Backstory: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that the details on COVID-19 are “emerging” and “rapidly evolving.” The virus originated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and is spreading quickly across the world. Tens of thousands are infected with the virus in China, and reports suggest that more than 2,000 have died from the disease.

Of the 467 individuals that the CDC is currently monitoring for COVID-19 in the U.S., 15 have tested positive, 392 have tested negative, and 60 are pending results, notes a CDC chart updated on Feb. 17, which breaks down the categories of “persons under investigation.”

Symptoms: According to the CDC, COVID-19 “causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person to person.” Providers can see more CDC advice on identifying symptoms, lab tests, flowcharts, alerts, and treatment options at  www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html.

2. Public health: On Jan. 31, Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the entire United States in response to the spread and threat of COVID-19. The agency’s announcement followed the World Health Organization (WHO) international PHE rollout on Jan. 30.

“While this virus poses a serious public health threat, the risk to the American public remains low at this time, and we are working to keep this risk low,” Azar said in a release. “We are committed to protecting the health and safety of all Americans, and this public health emergency declaration is the latest in the series of steps the Trump Administration has taken to protect our country.”

3. HCPCS code for lab test: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) “developed a new HCPCS code for providers and laboratories to test patients for SARS-CoV-2,” an agency release says.

Providers testing patients with the CDC’s “2019 Novel Coronavirus Real Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Test Panel may bill for that test using the newly created HCPCS code (U0001),” CMS advises. This will also allow the feds to track possible cases and circumvent the spread of the disease, the release suggests.

See the HCPCS code details and further lab guidance at  www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/public-health-news-alert-cms-develops-new-code-coronavirus-lab-test.

4. Vaccine update: Though there is currently no vaccine, HHS subsidiary Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is working closely with Janssen Research & Development, part of Johnson & Johnson, and others to develop therapeutics and a vaccine, according to an HHS release on the collaboration.

“This is the third coronavirus to emerge and cause severe respiratory disease in humans within 18 years, and there are still no proven therapies to treat this disease,” warns BARDA director Rick A. Bright, PhD, in the release. “In partnering with Janssen, BARDA is breaking this barrier to protect against this, as well as the next, coronavirus outbreak. This partnership may accelerate discovery and development of new potentially lifesaving medicines for people with coronavirus infections.”

Read more on the forthcoming research and product aims at  www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/02/18/hhs-janssen-collaborate-to-develop-coronavirus-therapeutics.html.