Announcements
2/23/21 – New one-time funding is available to help open, licensed child care providers meet the pandemic procedures for safe operations and business operating expenses. DHS also will begin new applications for financial assistance to help cover child care expenses for essential workers on March 1. Essential workers include but are not limited to emergency responders, health care providers, public heath personnel, sanitation workers, child care and early childhood staff, K-12 educators, and individuals involved in the food supply chain during the pandemic. Eligibility is not based on income. Children must go to eligible child care providers and assistance is contingent upon available funding.
02/17/2021 – New Funding for Community Investment Grants from CARES Funds. Funds help organizations provide direct services to clients and meet immediate community needs not being addressed by other sources. Organizations selected must provide direct services to individuals in high poverty areas (poverty rate of the city or county must be greater than 15 percent based on the 2010 Census). Organization proposals are capped at $10,000, 85 percent of which must go to pay for direct services.
CARES Community Outreach Funding Online Application
DHS wants to assure you that prior authorizations are being processed, claims and invoices are being processed and paid.
Note: If you work with a program that allows paper claims or invoices, please know that you could experience a delay in payment as this situation evolves. We encourage providers to submit electronic claims to ensure payment more quickly.
Enrolled Medicaid providers can register for the online Medicaid Provider Portal to submit electronic claims by visiting: https://portal.mmis.arkansas.gov/armedicaid/provider/Home/ProviderEnrollment
Has DHS Issued Any Guidance to Providers During this Time?
As we work to ensure the essential services DHS provides through providers like you, we may come across rules or regulations that we need to temporarily suspend to ensure we can meet the needs of our clients. You can find a list of suspended rules here: Emergency rule suspensions
Current COVID-19 Guidance
- Behavioral Health
- CARES Act Community Investment Funding
- CARES Act Nursing Home Funding
- Care Continuity Emergency Response Reimbursement Payments
- Child care
- Developmental Disabilities Services
- EMS Worker Payment
- Emergency Transportation
- Federal Laws Passed in Response to COVID-19
- HIPAA
- Hospital Services
- Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Payments
- Laboratory / Testing
- Living Choices Assisted Living Providers
- Long-Term Care
- LTSS Direct Care Payments
- Medicaid Provider/Services Requirements
- Pharmacy & Medical Devices
- Rural Health Centers & Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Therapeutic Community
Behavioral Health
- Behavioral Health FAQs 5/5/20
- Outpatient Behavioral Health Agencies Certified as Acute Crisis Units
- Telemedicine for Behavioral Health Well-Check Service
- Telemedicine for Certain Behavioral Health Providers
- Telemedicine for Crisis Intervention Services
- Telemedicine for Marital and Family Behavioral Health Counseling
- Telemedicine for Mental Health Diagnoses for Persons under Twenty-One (21) Years of Age
- Telemedicine Delivery of Substance Abuse Assessments
- Veterans Mental Health Outreach & Services Initiative Application
- Veterans Mental Health Outreach & Services Initiative FAQs
CARES Act Community Investment Funding
- CARES Act Community Investment Initiative Application – Round One
- CARES Act Community Investment Initiative FAQs – Round One
- CARES Act Community Investment Information – Round Two
- CARES Community Outreach Funding Request Form – Round Two
- New Round Two Information Session Video
CARES Act Nursing Home Funding
- Cluster Payment Request Form
- Costs Above Cap Payments Request Form
- CARES Act Payments to Hospital Direct Care and Nondirect Care Workers FAQs
- Costs Above Cap Payments and Cluster Payments Arkansas Coronavirus Relief Fund (ACRF) FAQs
Care Continuity Emergency Response Reimbursement Payments
- Care Continuity Emergency Response Procedures
- Care Continuity Emergency Response Reimbursement Extension
- Care Continuity Emergency Response Reporting Form (Note: form will automatically download)
- Care Continuity Emergency Response FAQs: Extended Reimbursements for Original Providers
- Care Continuity Emergency Response FAQs: Newly Added Eligible Provider Types
Child care
For child care voucher providers who remain open, DCCECE will reimburse through claim payment an additional $10 per infant/toddler, $7 per preschool, and $5 school-age/out of school time care for children receiving federal child care assistance through the Child Care Development Block Grant open through the public health emergency as declared by the Governor.
- Federal COVID Relief Package 2021
- COVID-19 Child Care Provider FAQs
- COVID-19 Guidance for Federal Feeding Program – FAQ (expired June 30, 2020)
- DCCECE Child Care Providers Pandemic Procedures
- DCCECE Child Care Funding Press Release
- DCCECE Child Care Funding Fact Sheet
- New DCCECE 2021 Federal COVID Relief Package
Developmental Disabilities Services
- ADDT/EIDT Nursing Services Outside Clinics
- ADDT/EIDT Proposed Emergency Relief FAQ
- Extension for Evaluations for ADDT, EIDT, EPSDT ABA, OT, PT, ST and DT
- Telemedicine for Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy by a BCBA
- Telemedicine for OT, PT, and ST Assistants
- Telemedicine for OT, PT, and ST Therapists
- Use of Well Checks for ADDT and EIDT Established Patients
EMS Worker Payment
- ADCWP Report Form
- EMS Worker Direct Payment FAQs
- EMS Payment Guidance and Forms with No Medicaid ID Number
Emergency Transportation
Federal Laws Passed in Response to COVID-19
- CARES Act (H.R.748): https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748/text
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R.6201): https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6201
HIPAA
Hospital Services
Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Payments
- Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Payment Report Form
- Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Worker Payment Instructions
- Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Payment FAQs 5/4/20
- Hospital Direct and Non-Direct Care Payment FAQs 5/11/20
Laboratory / Testing
Living Choices Assisted Living Providers
Long-Term Care
- Background Checks for Employees of Long-term Care Facilities
- Limiting the Transmission of COVID-19 for Long-Term Care Facilities | FAQ
- PASRR Guidance During COVID-19 Outbreak
LTSS Direct Care Payments
- Direct Care Statement of Intent/Point of Contact Form
- Direct Care Worker Payment Request Form
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 4/16/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 4/17/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 4/20/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 4/21/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 4/23/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 5/1/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 5/11/2020
- Direct Care Worker Payment FAQs – 6/15/2020
- Medicaid Payments to Direct Care Workers in an LTSS Settings
- Guidance Direct Care Worker Payment
- Guidance Indirect Care Payment
- Indirect Care Worker Payment Request Form
Medicaid Provider/Services Requirements
- Acute Hospital Care at Home
- Ambulatory Surgical Centers Allowed to Temporarily Enroll as Hospitals
- Billing Guidance on DMS-35: Prior Authorization Relaxations
- COVID-19 Vaccination Rates and Billing Codes
- Childhood Vaccination Program Reimbursement Form
- Childhood Vaccination Program Reimbursement FAQs
- Guidance on PCCM COVID 19 Childhood Vaccination Program Payment
- Elective Surgeries and Non-Essential Procedures
- Medicaid Provider Enrollment Site Visits
- Suspension of 12-Visit Annual Limit
- Telemedicine Requirements for Nurse Practitioners
- Telemedicine Requirements for Physician
- Temporarily Lift the Requirement for Prior Authorization (PA) on Specific Services
Pharmacy & Medical Devices
- Addition of Certain Inhalers to the Preferred Drug List (PDL)
- Antigen Testing for COVID-19 by Pharmacists
- Aerochamber Refill Allowances
- Coverage of COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibodies
- Coverage of Swing Beds in Critical Access Hospitals
- Early Medication Refills
- Evaluations for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics
- Extensions of Prior Authorizations for Medications
- Pharmacy Provider Enrollment to Provide Vaccinations
- Signature Requirements (e-signatures) at Pharmacies
Rural Health Centers & Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Flexibilities in Service Provision for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
- Telemedicine Billing Guidance
- Telemedicine Services to be provided by FQHC and RHC
