How we can help

Our Emergency Preparedness and Response Operations (EPRO) pulls together resources to help you plan, respond, and recover from disasters and other emergencies.

We work with our regional offices and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Networks to watch, collect, and send out near real-time emergency event information to our licensed and certified health care facilities and beneficiaries. This information is used to make key decisions about how federal health care resources can help states and tribes during an emergency. 

We also handle Public Health Emergency requests. Our program waiver authorities give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to temporarily waive or adjust certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements to make sure that our beneficiaries have the health care items and services they need.  

Here are quick resources to help you before, during, and after an emergency:

Regional Office contacts

Once an 1135 Waiver is authorized, health care providers can submit requests to operate under that authority or for other relief that may be possible outside the authority to either the State Survey Agency or CMS Regional Office. Request can be made by sending an email to the CMS Regional Office in their service area, or by calling the State or CMS Regional Office. Information on your facility and justification for requesting the waiver will be required.

Email addresses for our Regional Offices:

• ROATLHSQ@cms.hhs.gov (Atlanta RO):  Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
• RODALDSC@cms.hhs.gov (Dallas RO): Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
• ROPHIDSC@cms.hhs.gov (Northeast Consortium): Delaware, District of Columbia,  Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
• ROCHISC@cms.hhs.gov (Midwest Consortium): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
• ROSFOSO@cms.hhs.gov (Western Consortium): Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories.

emPOWER

The emPOWER map is a public, interactive map that provides monthly de-identified Medicare data and near real-time hazard tracking services to help community partners better anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of electricity dependent populations in their community.

Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS)

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

• Emergency preparedness for dialysis facilities (PDF)
• Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER)

Public Health Emergency (PHE) information

Program flexibilities

• Medicare Fee For Service with 1135 waiver FAQs (PDF)
• Medicare Fee For Service without 1135 waiver FAQs (PDF)

Provider survey & certification FAQs (PDF)

Medicare Claims During Public Health Emergencies