South Carolina Emergency Response Provider Registration

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) is committed to ensuring reimbursement for services rendered by qualified providers, in good faith, during the Hurricane Florence emergency response period.

As communicated in Medicaid Bulletin No. 18-014, Emergency Response Provider Enrollment Requirements, released Sept. 12, 2018, SCDHHS implemented several emergency response provisions and flexibilities to ensure continued access to care for Healthy Connections Medicaid beneficiaries. These included:

• Allowing beneficiaries to replace certain prescription drugs and medical equipment lost during the emergency more than customary limitations;
• Authorizing reimbursement for medical care from in-state, out-of-network providers; and
• Relaxing prior authorization requirements for certain medically necessary and time-sensitive services.

Additionally, to act on the 1135 waiver issued by Alex M. Azar II, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sept. 11 in response to Hurricane Florence for North Carolina and South Carolina, SCDHHS implemented the following flexibilities:

• Reimbursement for medically necessary and time-sensitive services rendered during the emergency response period by qualified providers currently not enrolled with or otherwise pre-approved by SCDHHS.
• Reimbursement for services provided by individuals not certified or licensed in the State of South Carolina, if the rendering provider holds an equivalent license in another state and is not specifically prohibited from practicing in the State of South Carolina.
• Suspension of civil sanctions under 1877(g) of the Social Security Act, relating to prohibited physician referral, only to ensure the timely provision of necessary services during the emergency response.

To receive reimbursement, providers serving Healthy Connections Medicaid beneficiaries during the emergency response period, Sept. 11-Oct. 22, 2018, must register as a South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid provider through an abbreviated, expedited process called the SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration. The process involves completing and submitting a brief, one-page form. Providers can mail the form to SCDHHS Provider Enrollment, P.O. Box 8809, Columbia, S.C. 29203 or fax it to (803) 264-5913, Attn: SCDHHS ERPR.

Emergency Response Instructions for Filing Claims:

1. Complete the SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration form.
2. Make a copy of the SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration form for your file. You will need this at a later date.
3. Submit the SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration form by mail or fax to: 
                  SCDHHS Provider Enrollment 
                  P.O. Box 8809 
                  Columbia, S.C. 29203 
                  (803) 264-5913 fax 
                  Attn: SCDHHS ERPR  
4. Collect all claims for services delivered during the emergency response period. The official start of the emergency response period for Hurricane Florence was Sept. 11, 2018, and will end Oct. 22, 2018. Should the emergency response period extend, SCDHHS will inform emergency response providers about new allowable dates of service when this declaration occurs.
5. Using the contact information provided with your submitted SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration form, SCDHHS will communicate when and how to send the aggregate claims at the end of the emergency response period, Sept. 11-Oct. 22, 2018, for reimbursement.

If you have questions on what services can be rendered or how to complete the SCDHHS Emergency Response Provider Registration form, please contact the SCDHHS Provider Service Center at (888) 289-0709.

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