Hurricane Gustav

Evacuees

• Hospitals should provide lists to their RACs of evacuee patients from both Texas and Louisiana who need help returning home.
• RACs already should have contacted hospitals with procedures to follow. If your RAC has not contacted your facility, contact them directly to establish communications protocols; if your RAC's operations center is no longer active, contact TDSHS at dshsoperations@dshs.state.tx.us. Louisiana patients who are being discharged may need to go to an interim shelter before returning to Louisiana.

Self-evacuated Patients

• Direct these patients who may need help returning home to the local Red Cross, or if the Red Cross cannot assist, contact TDSHS' Multi-agency Coordinating Council at 512/532-4950 for assistance.
  

Medicare Providers

• U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt made a Public Health Emergency Determination for counties in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for which a disaster declaration exits. This determination permits a federal program waiver under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act.
• Information for Medicaid providers has been posted on the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Web site: http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/index.shtml.
• Texas hospitals providing uncompensated care to evacuees from counties* in the declared disaster area should identify cases for future follow-up. It is especially important that the evacuee's county of residence be documented. Hospitals also should track non-payment for Medicare Advantage evacuee patients. It is possible that the waiver may be useful in obtaining payment for services provided to these patients.
  
  * All parishes/counties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were included in the declared disaster area; the list of Texas counties may be found online.
  

Other Health Plans

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas has adopted several procedural changes to assist BCBS members and providers affected by Gustav.