The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will support providers and suppliers impacted by Hurricane Helene within the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster zones, under the President’s major disaster declarations.
Accelerated payments will be made available to Medicare Part A providers, including skilled nursing facilities, that were affected by Hurricane Helene effective October 2, 2024. To apply, Medicare providers and suppliers in need of this assistance should contact their assigned Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). This is to support providers and suppliers that face significant cash flow issues from the unusual circumstances impacting facilities’ operations and potentially prevent them from submitting claims and receiving Medicare claims payments.
Accelerated and Advance payments related to Hurricane Helene may be granted in amounts equal to a percentage of the preceding 90 days of claims payments. These payments will be repaid through automatic recoupment from Medicare claims for a period of 90 days following the issuance of the accelerated or advance payment. A demand will be issued for any remaining balance on day 91 following the issuance of the accelerated or advance payment. In addition, CMS has provided certain flexibilities related to provider and supplier fee-for-service Medicare debt.
Additional Resources
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared Hurricane Helene a public health emergency, making Section 1135 CMS waivers available to providers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. A list of Blanket Waivers for each state can be found here.
CMS encourages beneficiaries and health care providers that have been impacted to seek help by visiting CMS’ emergency webpage. For more information on resources available to health care providers and consumers impacted by Hurricane Helene, read the full CMS News Alert.