COVID-19 End of PHE

Public Health Emergency Ended May 11, 2023

The Biden Administration renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) for the final time in February and announced that the PHE would expire May 11. The PHE ending means many temporary policies in response to the pandemic will be phased out. Here's what you need to know for your practice and patients.

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ending:
6 Things to Know

Post-PHE Telehealth HIPAA Enforcement Begins in August

How Practices can Prepare for the Post-PHE Medicaid "Unwinding"

A Guide for Navigating Changes to Post-PHE Resident Supervision

Now On-Demand: The AAFP and CMS Discuss PHE Unwinding

Watch AAFP President Tochi Iroku-Malize speak with Will Harris, a CMS senior adviser, about what's next for family physicians as the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. Member log in required.

Recent COVID-19 and PHE Wind-down News

May 2023: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) updated its Interim Clinical Considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. Please visit the Interim COVID-19 vaccine schedules to obtain the most updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations.

5/12/23: Guidance for use of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine has been removed as the vaccine is no longer available in the United States.

5/9/23: The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Fact Sheet offers updates on flexibilities from the COVID-19 emergency declaration and how they will be impacted after May 11.

5/8/23: The DEA and SAMHSA released the regulation extending COVID-19 telehealth controlled substance prescribing flexibilities.. This applies to buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD. It goes into effect on May 11.

Maintains the full set of telemedicine flexibilities for prescription of controlled medications that were in place during the COVID-19 PHE.
Creates a new grace period for practitioner-patient telemedicine relationships that are established on or before Nov 11, 2023.

5/1/23: CMS shared updates to coverage for COVID-19 tests, including a new English and Spanish consumer fact sheet. It includes guidance on health insurance coverage before May 11 and after.

4/21/23: The CDC has simplified recommendations to receive bivalent C19 vaccines. The FDA removed authorization for monovalent vaccines. Vaccines are essential, cost-effective public health tools to ensure your eligible patients are protected against COVID-19.

4/5/23: An HHS Fact Sheet outlines the progress made in responding to Long COVID and future actions to prevent, detect and treat Long COVID.

4/3/23: In a Message from the AAFP President, Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize explains why the PHE needs a thoughtful wind-down.

3/22/23: This Getting Paid Blog, "The end of the public health emergency: what you need to know" offers you a high level look at what will likely change and how it'll affect your practice and patients.

3/14/23: The FDA amended the EUA of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent to provide for a single booster dose of the vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years of age at least 2 months after completion of primary vaccination.