Resource Center | Updated July 24, 2020
Across the nation, health care stakeholders — including providers, purchasers, health care systems, and community-based organizations — are changing how they operate to confront COVID-19. Organizations serving people with complex health and social needs, who are at higher risk for the virus, play critical roles in ensuring the health and safety of these individuals and their staff.
As new policies emerge almost daily, the Better Care Playbook has created this resource center to curate federal guidance aimed at addressing COVID-19 for people with complex care needs.
For resources focused on helping complex care programs adopt new strategies to address COVID-19, as well as lessons emerging from the health care systems’ response to the pandemic, visit the Playbook's COVID-19 topic page.
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Toolkit (CMS)
- COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers (CMS, updated 4/15)
- Healthcare Professionals: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (CDC)
- State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- COVID-19 Fact Sheets in 30+ Languages (Health Literacy Project, added 4/15)
- Information Related to COVID-19 for All Medicare Advantage Organizations, Part D Sponsors, and Medicare-Medicaid Plans (CMS, updated 4/21)
- Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent Non-COVID-19 Healthcare (CMS, added 4/28)
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Guidance for Freestanding Emergency Departments to Participate in Medicare and Medicaid during the COVID-19 Emergency (CMS, added 4/29)
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A Report from the Covid Front Lines of Value-Based Primary Care (NEJM Catalyst, added 5/14)
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Identifying Patients with Increased Risk of Severe Covid-19 Complications: Building an Actionable Rules-Based Model for Care Teams (NEJM Catalyst, added 5/14)
Federal Guidance
- COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Response and 42 CFR Part 2 (SAMHSA)
- Opioid Treatment Program COVID-2019 Guidance (SAMHSA)
- Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telehealth (CMS)
Resources
- Resources and Guidance Related to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (SAMHSA)
- Behavioral Health Training Resources Related to COVID-19 (SAMHSA)
- During the COVID-19 Pandemic, States Need to Rethink their Delivery of Behavioral Health Services (National Health Law Program, added 4/15)
- Resources on COVID-19 and Serious Mental Illness (American Psychiatric Association and SAMHSA, added 4/28)
- COVID-19 Behavioral Health Resources (HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, added 4/28)
Federal Guidance
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning COVID-19 in Home Health Agencies (CMS)
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention Concerning COVID-19 by Hospice Agencies (CMS)
- Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 in Nursing Homes (CMS)
- Information for PACE Organizations Regarding Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 (CMS)
- Civil Rights, HIPAA, and COVID-19 (US DHHS, Office for Civil Rights) Outlines regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, and religion in HHS-funded programs. See select state and advocacy organization responses on non-discrimination for COVID-19-related medical treatment for people with disabilities: California, Illinois, Massachusetts.
- COVID-19 Long-Term Care Facility Guidance (CMS, added 4/15)
- Requirements for Notification of Confirmed COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff in Nursing Homes (CMS, added 4/28)
- D-SNPs COVID-19 CY2021 State Medicaid Agency Contract Requirements (CMS, added 4/28)
- Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes (CMS, added 5/28)
Resources
- COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions for State Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Agencies (CMS) – See in particular, questions related to flexibilities for home- and community-based services, family caregivers, and home health and nursing facility providers.
- Preparing for COVID-19: Long-Term Care Facilities, Nursing Homes (CDC)
- Long-Term Care Nursing Homes Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit (CMS)
- Confronting Disability Discrimination During the Pandemic (Hastings Center)
- Coronavirus and COVID-19 Information (Leading Age) – See in particular, provider and setting-specific resources: Adult Day/PACE/Senior Centers; Assisted Living Communities; Home Health; Hospice; Nursing Homes.
- ElderCare Locator (Administration for Community Living)
- COVID-19: A Guide for Direct Care Workers (Care Academy)
- COVID-19: Tips for Dementia Caregivers (Alzheimer’s Association, added 4/15)
- Fair Resource Allocation During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Ruderman Family Foundation, added 4/20)
- Resources to Support Family Caregivers (ARCH National Respite Network, added 4/28)
- Survey on Older Adults: Disruptions in Care due to COVID-19 (NORC, added 5/5)
- How North Carolina’s Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities System Is Responding to COVID-19 (Milbank Memorial Fund, added 5/14)
- Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations Frequently Asked Questions (CMS, added 5/28)
- COVID-19 State Resource Guide: Leveraging Federal and State Authorities to Ensure Access to Long-Term Services and Supports for High-Risk Individuals (Manatt, added 6/8)
- California’s Use of Federal and State Policy Flexibilities to Ensure Access to Long-Term Services and Supports During the COVID-19 Pandemic (The SCAN Foundation, added 7/24)
Resources
- COVID-19 Response Resources (Center to Advance Palliative Care) – See in particular, symptom management protocols, palliative care team tools, and patient and family support resources.
- COVID-Ready Communication Skills to Address Difficult Topics (VitalTalk)
- Respecting Choices COVID-19 Tools and Resources (Respecting Choices, added 4/15)
- COVID Communications Toolbox (Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, added 4/15)
- A Beacon for Dark Times: Palliative Care Support During the Coronavirus Pandemic (NEJM Catalyst, added 5/28)
Federal Guidance
- Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet (CMS)
- Medicaid Policy Options for Paying Providers for Services Delivered Via Telehealth (CMS)
- Guidance for Providers Using Telehealth to Communicate with Patients During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency (HHS/Office for Civil Rights)
- Medicaid Substance Use Disorder Treatment via Telehealth (CMS)
- Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency (US HHS, added 4/15)
Resources
- General Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Toolkit (CMS)
- Opportunities to Expand Telehealth Use Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic (Health Affairs)
- Serious Illness Care Program COVID-19 Response Toolkit (Ariadne Labs, added 4/15)
- Resources for Telehealth at Safety Net Settings (Center for Vulnerable Populations, University of California, San Francisco, added 4/20)
- Addressing Equity in Telemedicine for Chronic Disease Management During the Covid-19 Pandemic (NEJM Catalyst, added 5/14)
Federal Guidance
- Interim Guidance for Homeless Service Providers to Respond to COVID-19 (CDC)
- Food and Nutrition Service Response to COVID-19 (US Department of Agriculture)
- Civil Rights, HIPAA, and COVID-19 (US DHHS, Office for Civil Rights) Outlines regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, and religion in HHS-funded programs.
Resources
- COVID-19 Intervention Actions: Supporting Individuals Experiencing Homelessness (ASTHO)
- Public Health Awakened and The Spirit of 1848 COVID19 Resources (Public Health Awakened) Crowd-sourced database with tabs on issues including housing and homelessness; older adults/seniors; mental health; jails and prisons; and more.
- ElderCare Locator (Administration for Community Living)
- Local Meals on Wheels Providers (Meals on Wheels America)
- Free or Reduced-Cost Programs for People Affected by COVID-19 (Aunt Bertha)
- Local 211 Services for the COVID-19 Pandemic (211.org)
- COVID-19 Related Eviction and Utility Policies Around the Nation (Eviction Lab, Princeton University)
- State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit – COVID-19 Version (CMS, added 4/28)
- SIREN COVID-19 Resources (SIREN, University of California, San Francisco, added 5/5)
- Awareness of Social Needs Can Help Address Health Inequity during COVID-19 (American Hospital Association, added 5/28)
- COVID-19 Information for Healthcare Professionals (CDC)
- COVID-19 Fact Sheets in 30+ Languages (Health Literacy Project, added 4/15)
- Camden Coalition COVID-19 Resources (Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, added 4/15)
- Post-Acute Care Preparedness in a COVID-19 World (ATI Advisory, added 4/15) Approach for achieving system-wide resource allocation across a region’s post-acute service settings and providers over time.