Latest News
As mentioned on yesterday’s “Today with Macrae” call, we’ve published a new Program Assistance Letter (PAL) and added more clarity to the Telehealth and Health Center Scope of Project PAL.:
Updated PAL to Add Temporary Service Sites in Response to Emergency Events
In response to recently declared emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic, HRSA issued PAL 2020-05: Requesting a Change in Scope to Add Temporary Sites in Response to Emergency Events. This PAL updates and replaces the information in PAL 2014-05: Change in Scope Requests to Add Temporary Sites in Response to Emergency Events.
The updated PAL does not establish new policy, but it clarifies key terms, such as providing a definition of an “impacted” health center. This clarification allows HRSA to streamline the amount of information health centers submit when requesting a temporary service site. The PAL also allows health centers to request HRSA approval for an extension of the temporary site beyond 90 days.
For further assistance regarding a change in scope request to add a temporary service site during an emergency, Health Center Program awardees and look-alikes are encouraged to contact their BPHC Project Officer.
Updated Telehealth PAL
In response to requests for clarification regarding additional scenarios received from stakeholders, HRSA has added two additional telehealth scenarios to the table in PAL 2020-01: Telehealth and Health Center Scope of Project.
These two new scenarios are:
- When a health center patient presents at an in-scope service site and the health center provider delivers services at a location that is NOT an in-scope service site (for example, the provider's home); and
- When a health center patient presents at a physical location that is NOT an in-scope service site and the health center provider delivers services at a location that is NOT an in-scope service site (for example, both the patient and the provider are at their own homes).
The updated PAL does not establish new policy; is not exhaustive; and does not reflect any temporary changes HRSA made to establish policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health centers should continue to direct their health center specific questions (including questions related to change in scope requests) to their Project Officers and other external stakeholders should direct questions to Health Center Program Support (contact information is below).
New FAQ
We continually update our Health Center Program COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage. We recently added:
Will a deemed health center’s providers remain covered by liability protections under the FTCA if they are directed to provide continuous or permanent services to non-health center inpatients at a local hospital as part of a community-wide emergency response during the declared COVID-19 public health emergency?
|
Sign up for eNews
Connect with HRSA
