CMS increases payment for at-home COVID-19 vaccinations

CMS will pay more money to Medicare providers for administering the COVID-19 vaccine in the home, according to a news release Wednesday morning.

 

There are approximately 1.6 million adults 65 or older who may have trouble accessing COVID-19 vaccinations because they have difficulty leaving home, CMS noted. To get the vaccine in more of these arms, CMS will pay providers an additional $35 per dose for COVID-19 vaccine administration in a beneficiary’s home.

 

That increases the total payment for at-home vaccination from approximately $40 to approximately $75 per vaccine dose, according to CMS. For a two-dose vaccine, this results in a total payment of approximately $150 for the administration of both doses, or approximately $70 more than the current rate.

 

CMS noted in its statement that the cost of transporting the vaccine and administering it to homebound patients can be prohibitive, and notes the payment increase is an effort to “address the financial burden associated with accommodating these complications.”

 

The payment rate for administering each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the additional in-home payment amount, will be geographically adjusted based on where the service is furnished, according to CMS.

 

More information on Medicare payment for COVID-19 vaccine administration, including a list of billing codes, payment allowances and effective dates, is available at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/covid-19/medicare-covid-19-vaccine-shot-payment.

 

More information regarding the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Requirements and how the COVID-19 vaccine is provided through that program at no cost to recipients is available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccination-provider-support.html.