Here are six updates from the CDC, CMS, HHS and President Joe Biden from the last two weeks:
1. The CDC will publish preliminary acute care hospital staff COVID-19 vaccination data in a dashboard.
2. CMS released states' preliminary disproportionate share hospital allotments for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, as well as final disproportionate share hospital allotments for fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
3. President Biden proposed a $5.8 trillion budget March 28 for fiscal year 2023 that includes funding for healthcare.
4. Hospitals are asking federal officials to renew the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health emergency. In a March 28 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, national healthcare associations cited concerns about vulnerable populations, including children younger than 5 and the immunocompromised, who cannot be vaccinated, as well as the potential for additional surges.
5. HHS, through the Health Resources & Services Administration, distributed more than $11.7 billion in phase 4 of the Provider Relief Fund payments to more than 82,000 providers.
6. The CDC updated its COVID-19 infection control guidance to make it clear that healthcare facilities should permit patients and visitors to wear more highly protective masks, such as N95s.