On April 12, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days. The PHE had been scheduled to expire on April 16.

The PHE originally went into effect in January 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. It provides important flexibilities for healthcare providers, including expanding the types of telehealth services that are reimbursable for Medicare beneficiaries and waiving key reporting requirements.

HHS Secretary Becerra promised that providers and states will receive at least 60 days’ notice of the end of the PHE, so we should learn in about a month whether it will be extended again beyond July.