Q: There have been frequent waivers and regulatory changes throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. What are the most important changes that case managers need to be aware of?
Q: HRSA says that COVID-19 diagnoses must be in the primary/principal diagnosis field for hospitals to be reimbursed for treatment of uninsured patients, but this violates the coding guidance we’ve received from CMS and Coding Clinic. How should we handle such claims?
COVID-19 was officially classified as a global pandemic on March 11 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The rate of fatality varies by age group, with the elderly being more at risk. The statistical projections by the Society of Critical Care Medicine anticipate that approximately 4.8 million people will be hospitalized for COVID-19 in the United States. Some mathematical models predict that this new virus will infect over half the U.S. population.
