Special Bulletin – CA Wildfires Public Health Emergency

Special Bulletin – CA Wildfires Public Health Emergency
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP); Special Bulletin; 1/14/2025 
HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for California to Aid Health Care Response to Wildfires. The declaration follows President Biden’s major disaster declaration and gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting the emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. HHS has waived sanctions and penalties for violations of certain provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule against hospitals in the emergency area. [Click on the title's link to continue reading]

• CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of California: CMS announced that additional resources and flexibilities are available in response to the 2025 Southern California Wildfires. CMS is working closely with the State of California and federal partners to put these flexibilities in place to ensure those affected by this natural disaster have access to the care they need – when they need it most. ...
• CMS will continue to work with the State of California and those areas impacted by the wildfires. We encourage beneficiaries and providers of healthcare services that have been impacted to seek help by visiting CMS’ emergency webpage (www.cms.gov/emergency).
• Click here for CHAP's full Special Bulletin and its links.