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The Trump administration has issued blanket waivers and new flexibilities to help hospitals and facilities cope with the coronavirus outbreak...“It is vital that federal requirements designed for periods of relative calm do not hinder measures needed in an emergency,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement. “The nationwide waivers we are activating today will be a godsend for those on the frontlines of the fight against this new virus.”...Some of the waivers and flexibilities that CMS took on Friday include:

• Waiving requirements that critical access hospitals limit the number of beds to 25 and length of stay to 96 hours;
• Enabling acute care hospitals to house acute care patients in a separate unit;
• Waiving replacement requirements when durable medical equipment gets damaged or unusable. A contractor can waive requirements such as a new physician’s order, face-to-face requirement and other documentation; and
• Allowing long-term care hospitals to exclude patients stays from the 25-day average length requirement if treatment is required in conjunction with the emergency.
• CMS also sought to quickly approve waivers for states and territories for Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program...READ MORE

Christina Mattina, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

The new coronavirus is moving quickly around the world. Since December, when it was first identified in Wuhan, China, the virus has spread to more than 100 countries. Some 105,000 cases have been confirmed, though the true number is surely higher, and at least 3,500 people have died. Already, the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 is straining healthcare systems in the hardest-hit regions, and threatens to do the same elsewhere as the infection total grows...BioPharma Dive compiled a roundup of our coronavirus coverage so far. There are many unanswered questions, and the drug industry's response is just beginning. We will update the roundup as we get more information...READ MORE

As the spread of COVID-19 threatens to disrupt pharma supply chains and create drug shortages, the Trump administration is reportedly looking for ways to reduce U.S. dependence on APIs and drugs from China. So, how dependent is the U.S. on China for its drugs? The fact is, the FDA doesn’t know...“The FDA doesn’t know whether Chinese facilities are actually producing APIs, how much they are producing, or where the APIs they are producing are being distributed worldwide, including in the United States,...Similarly, we do not have information that would enable us to assess the resilience of the U.S. manufacturing base, should it be tested by China’s withdrawal from supplying the U.S. market.”...READ MORE

Three major spring meetings for pharmacists have been cancelled due to the coronavirus...

• APhA...to cancel its APhA 2020 Meeting and Exhibition...March 20-23
• NACDS was...forced to cancel its 12th Annual NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill...planned for March 10 to 11
• The American College of Clinical Pharmacy...cancelled its 2020 ACCP Spring Forum...held in St. Louis, Miss., April 25 to 26

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law allowing pharmacists to test and initiate treatment for influenza and Group A Streptococcus...“The bill will improve convenient access to quality care while removing avoidable pressures on hospitals and acute settings–a meaningful benefit at all times, and a benefit that is top-of-mind amid demanding public health situations ranging from flu outbreaks to the current coronavirus concerns...READ MORE

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has been awarded a contract from the FDA to assess medication safety practices in the perioperative setting from the time patients are prepared for a procedure until they are discharged home...Due to the complexity and fast-paced setting of perioperative care procedures, ISMP’s Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Perioperative Settings will provide facilities with a way to examine their medication safety practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and compare their experiences over time with the aggregate experience of demographically similar organizations...READ MORE

Trump also announced a range of executive actions, including a new public-private partnership to expand coronavirus testing capabilities with drive-through locations, as Washington tries to subdue the new virus whose spread is roiling markets, shuttering institutions and disrupting the lives of everyday Americans...READ MORE

Legislation recently introduced in the US House of Representatives will help curb drug shortages, particularly in light of potential COVID-19 supply chain issues...The Preventing Drug Shortages Act (H.R. 6080) was introduced by a group of Congressional representatives...It would help mitigate shortage triggers by enhancing transparency throughout the drug supply chain process and strengthening FDA interagency efforts to fend off drug shortages...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.