Pandemic Flexibilities in Long-Term Care

October 6, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed both new and longstanding needs of long-term care patients. Congress and the administration modified over 200 Medicare regulations, which has afforded response flexibility to providers, Medicare Advantage plans, and Part D plans. But how do these flexibilities impact the long-term care sector? Experts overviewed the recent changes, remaining gaps, and benefits and risks to long-term care patients, caregivers, providers, and payers. Panelists discussed whether similar actions should be replicated in future public health emergencies and highlight policy options to bolster the long-term care system moving forward.

Speakers

  • David C. Grabowski, Ph.D., Professor of Health Care Policy, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School
  • Eric De Jonge, M.D., Chief of Geriatrics, Capital Caring Health, Chair, Public Policy Committee for AAHCM
  • Gretchen Jacobson, Ph.D., Vice President, Medicare, The Commonwealth Fund (moderator)

This event was made possible with support from The Commonwealth Fund.

Event Resources

Additional Resources

Event Resources

Key Resources

“Long-Term Care Policy After COVID-19 – Solving the Nursing Home Crisis.” Werner, R., Hoffman, A., Coe, N. The New England Journal of Medicine. September 3, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/qpVX.

“Commission Final Report.” Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes.September 2020. Available here http://allh.us/aJCU.

“Strengthening Nursing Home Policy for the Postpandemic World: How Can We Improve Residents’ Health Outcomes and Experiences?” Grabowski, D. The Commonwealth Fund. August 20, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/fNPB.

“Physicians and Other Clinicians: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19.” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. August 20, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/UQDv.

“CMS Payment Policies & Regulatory Flexibilities During COVID-19 Emergency.” American Medical Association. August 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/cVQR.

“Regulatory Changes to Medicare in Response to COVID-19.” Podulka, J., Blum, J. The Commonwealth Fund. August 4, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/9EHr.

“Early Impact of CMS Expansions of Medicare Telehealth During COVID-19.” Verma, S. Health Affairs. July 15, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/T3yv.

“Long-Term Services & Supports State Scorecard.” AARP, The Commonwealth Fund, The SCAN Foundation. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/cEnX.

Additional Resources

“Experiences of Nursing Home Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Montgomery, A., Slocum, S., Stanik, C., Altarum. October 1, 2020. http://allh.us/wdyr.

“The Overlooked COVID Crisis in America’s Assisted Living Facilities.” Paulin, E. AARP. September 29, 2020. http://allh.us/fFNJ.

“Verma: CMS Will Mull Which COVID-19 Flexibilities May Stick Around Post-Pandemic.” Minemyer, P. Fierce Healthcare. September 21, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/AfvH.

“AARP Answers: Nursing Homes and the Coronavirus.” Markowitz, A. American Association for Retired Persons. September 17, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/bT4a.

“Telemedicine: What Should the Post-Pandemic Regulatory and Payment Landscape Look Like?” Mehrota, A., Wang, B., Snyder, G. The Commonwealth Fund. August 5, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/AFyW.

“Key Questions About Nursing Home Regulation and Oversight in the Wake of COVID-19.” Musumeci, M., Chidambaram, P. Kaiser Family Foundation. August 3, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KJE3.

“Building the Long-Term Care System of the Future: Will the COVID-19 Nursing Home Tragedies Lead to Real Reform?” Chernof, B., Mann, C. Health Affairs. July 31, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/RPWY.

“Telehealth: Delivering Care Safely During COVID-19.” U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. July 15, 2020.  Available at http://allh.us/E9jW.

“Solving the COVID-19 Crisis in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care.” Laxton, C., Nace, D., Nazir, A. The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. June 16, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/dFbB.

“Reimagining the Nursing Home Industry After the Coronavirus.” Eaton, J. AARP. June 8, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/U3Qt.

“More Flexibility Still Needed in Health Care for COVID-19 Response.” Schaefer, N. The Heritage Foundation. June 8, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/KbTv.

“Grappling With COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities.” Strohman, A. American Action Forum. May 15, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/XwhA.

“COVID-19 Issues and Medicaid Policy Options for People Who Need Long-Term Services and Supports.” Musumeci, M., Chidambaram, P. Kaiser Family Foundation. April 16, 2020. Available at http://allh.us/9xwg.

“COVID-19 Helpful Links.” National Association for the Support of Long-Term Care. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/BJkf.

“Medicare & Coronavirus.” U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2020. Available at http://allh.us/Agke.

Experts

Speakers

Eric DeJonge
Capital Caring Health
Chief of Geriatrics
edejonge@capitalcaring.org

David Grabowski  
Harvard Medical School
Professor of Health Care Policy
Grabowski@hcp.med.harvard.edu

Gretchen Jacobson
The Commonwealth Fund
Vice President, Medicare
Gj@cmwf.org

Experts and Analysts

Jonathan Blum
Health Management Associates
Vice President, Federal Policy and Managing Director, Medicare
jblum@healthmanagement.com

Cindy Mann   
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Partner
cmann@manatt.com

Vincent Mor
Brown University, Florence Pirce Grant University Professor
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice
Vincent_Mor@brown.edu

Jennie Chin Hansen  
Altarum, Senior Strategic Advisor;
The SCAN Foundation, Board Chair
chinhansensf@comcast.net

Government

Larry Bonander
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Deputy Director, Medicare
lbonander@cms.hhs.gov

Lance Robertson             
U.S. Department Health and Human Services
Assistant Secretary for Aging, Administrator of the Administration for Community Living
administrator@acl.hhs.gov

Stephanie Cameron
MedPAC
Assistant Director
scameron@medpac.gov

Edwin Walker
Administration for Community Living, Administration on Aging
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging
edwin.walker@acl.hhs.gov

Stakeholder

Jean Accius
AARP
Senior Vice President, AARP Global Thought Leadership
JAccius@aarp.org

Michael J. Barnett     
National Association for the Support of Long-Term Care
Manager of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs
michael@nasl.org

Alison Barkoff   
Center for Public Representation
Director of Advocacy
abarkoff@cpr-us.org

Gina Buccalo   
UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
Chief Medical Officer
gbuccalo@rhac.com

Richard Feifer 
Genesis HealthCare
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Richard.Feifer@GenesisHCC.com

Christine Aguiar Lynch
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Vice President for Medicare and MLTSS Policy
clynch@communityplans.net

Anne Montgomery
Altarum
Co-Director, Program to Improve Eldercare
anne.montgomery@altarum.org

Shannon McCracken
ANCOR
Vice President, Government Relations
SMcCracken@ancor.org

Cheryl Phillips   
Special Needs Plan Alliance
President and CEO
cphillips@snpalliance.org

Rylin Rodgers
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Director of Public Policy
rrodgers@aucd.org

Maria Town
American Association of People with Disabilities
President and CEO
mtown@aapd.com

Scott Tittle     
National Center for Assisted Living
Executive Director
stittle@ncal.org

Transcript

(This is an unedited transcript. For accurate quotes and presentations, please refer to the full-event video.)