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Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) response to the disaster in Florida from the effects of Hurricane Idalia
Last Modified: 9/8/2023
Location: FL, PR, USVI
Business: Part A, Part B
On August 30, 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services declared that a public health emergency (PHE) exists in Florida, and authorized waivers and modifications under 1135 of the Social Security Act (SSA). In response, CMS authorized waivers under 1812(f) of the SSA for Florida for those people who are evacuated, transferred, or otherwise dislocated as a result of the effects of the disaster. These actions and flexibilities are retroactive to August 27, 2023.
The impacted Florida counties applicable for this PHE are Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla.
• Use of the “CR” modifier and the “DR” condition code are mandatory on claims for items and services for which Medicare payment is conditioned on the presence of a “formal waiver” including, but not necessarily limited to, waivers granted under either 1135 or 1812(f) of the Social Security Act.
• Temporary emergency coverage of Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) services that are not post-hospital SNF services is provided for beneficiaries who are evacuated, transferred, or otherwise dislocated as a result of the effects in the impacted areas, regardless of where the “host” SNF providing post-disaster care is located:
• Coverage will also be provided for extended care services, with no requirement for a new spell of illness to renew provision of services by a SNF.
• These temporary emergency policies will apply to the timeframes specified in the waiver issued under 1135 of the SSA.
First Coast is also implementing the following flexibilities related to medical review activities for providers in the impacted counties:
• We’ll not issue additional documentation requests nor deny claims from providers for lack of documentation or insufficient documentation through October 6, 2023.
• We’ll re-schedule any medical review education sessions upon request of the provider/supplier.
• We’ll reduce the level of priority for medical review through December 5, 2023.
Visit the CMS Emergency Preparedness and Response Operations page to learn more about Medicare’s response to Hurricane Idalia on its
current emergencies 
section, including:
You can also read Q&As applicable to the items and services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries within the impacted areas. These Q&As are available on the CMS website in two files:
Please continue to check eNews for further updates and notifications related to Hurricane Idalia as they become available. If you are not enrolled in eNews,
click here to join.
• CMS YouTube training videos:
First Coast Service Options (First Coast) strives to ensure that the information available on our provider website is accurate, detailed, and current. Therefore, this is a dynamic site and its content changes daily. It is best to access the site to ensure you have the most current information rather than printing articles or forms that may become obsolete without notice.