COIPA May Advocate
COVID - 19
Preparedness 5/06/2020
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In this issue:
- Recent COVID Updates & Resources From OHA
- FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program
- 2020 OAFP Doctor Of The Year
- COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers For Health Care Providers From CMS
- Technical Assistance For EHR's
- COVID-19 Lab Testing
- Clinics Open & Here To Help
- Webinar: Navigating The Moving Target Of PPP Loan Forgiveness By Jones & Roth
- Staying Informed On COVID-19
- CORD (Central Oregon Resource Directory): Central Oregon Health Council
- Washington State Department Of Health
- Oregon Health Authority
- Homemade Masks From COIPA
- SMGOR Dermatology Offers Same Day Appointments
- Funding Options: First Interstate Bank
- At Home Work Stations: Pacific Office Automation
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Recent COVID Updates and Resources from the Oregon Health Authority [Added: May 5, 2020]
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COIPA strongly encourages all of our members to visit the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Coronavirus information page frequently for news and updates on the pandemic and response in Oregon. On the site, OHA provides slides and recordings from the weekly Provider Update webinars. Important topics covered by OHA on the May 5 webinar included detailed updates on up-to-date epidemiology, public health strategies including surveillance and contact tracing, guidelines and PPE requirements for resuming regular patient care and other health services, and a range of frequently asked questions from Oregon’s providers.
Resource 2:
OHA COVID-19 Webinar Series for Healthcare Providers
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FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program (Added 5/6/2020)
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated $200 million dollars to eligible providers In response to the COVID pandemic. The text below is copied directly from the FCC’s FAQ web site, and according to social media, applications and payments are being processed quickly by the FCC.
What is the COVID-19 Telehealth Program?
“The Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) adopted the $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program in a Report and Order released April 2, 2020. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program was established by the Commission in response to the public health emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this program, the Commission will distribute the $200 million Congress appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers provide telehealth services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Is this a grant program?
“No, the COVID-19 Telehealth Program is not a grant program. To receive disbursements, eligible health care providers that are approved for funding will be required to submit an invoicing form and supporting documentation in order to receive reimbursement for eligible expenses and services. Applicants who receive funding will be required to comply with all program rules and requirements, including applicable reporting requirements, and may be subject to compliance audits.”
Note:
Caravan Health presented an informational webinar on May 5 and has offered to assist the COIPA ACO participants with reviewing and applying for the FCC telehealth funds (we will post a public recording in the next Advocate). For COIPA members who are NOT part of the ACO, please contact
jmccormack@coipa.org
for more information or assistance applying.
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2020 OAFP Doctor of the Year
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Gary Plant, MD FAAFP was recognized by the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians as the 2020 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year. Dr. Plant has been practicing family medicine in Madras, Oregon for over 15 years. He is the senior partner of Madras Medical Group, a physician-owned family medicine practice in rural Central Oregon.
“It was a wonderful surprise to be recognized by my colleagues from around the state,” said Plant. “Family medicine is about teamwork, relationships, and caring for families within a community. The fact that nominations for Family Doctor of the Year come patients in the community makes the award that much sweeter.”
Dr. Plant practices a broad scope of family medicine, including inpatient and outpatient care, maternity care with C-sections, upper and lower endoscopy, and numerous office-based surgical procedures. He has been a volunteer faculty member with Oregon Health & Science University since 2004, providing third- and fourth-year medical students and second-year physician assistant students with educational experiences in rural primary care.
“Students love the breadth of medicine and continuity of care they get to see here in Madras,” he explained. “Some of our students will deliver more babies in Madras than they will on their OB rotation. Then, they see those babies back in the clinic the next week and see how caring for mom and baby are all intertwined.”
Growing up in the rural community of Philomath, Oregon, Dr. Plant had early exposure to strong mentors in family medicine.
“My own family physicians growing up—Drs. David Cutsforth and David Grube—were also close family friends. Their kids were my classmates, and I saw how a physician could be more than just a doctor, but an important part of the community.”
Dr. Cutsforth, Dr. Grube, and their partner, Dr. Bruce Byram, were each chosen previously as Oregon Family Doctor of the Year.
“Apparently I grew up with three of the best,” laughed Plant. “I would like to think that one of my own patients might go on to become a Family Doctor of the Year someday.”
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COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers: CMS (Added May 5, 2020)
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On May 1, 2020, CMS announced major modifications to the Medicare payment structure and visit requirements for telehealth that supersede guidance in the April 21, 2020 release linked in the last Advocate. Links to the CMS announcement and an excellent analysis by COIPA’s ACO Partner, Caravan Health cover CMS’ additional flexibility on conducting both video and telephone visits. Access to the Caravan COVID content is available to all providers and is not specific to the ACO. We recommend reviewing Caravan’s suggestions for moving Annual Wellness Visits to a telehealth delivery model to anyone considering shifting well care to video and phone visits. While focused on Medicare, there is good advice on workflows and billing for remote well visits.
A short summary below from the CPC+ Newsletter (May 5, 2020) appears below:
CMS Announces Additional Telehealth Flexibilities,
CPC+ community weekly update, Vol 180, May 5, 2020
“CMS has announced a second round of changes to Medicare telehealth policies to support practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These changes include:
• For the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, CMS is waiving limitations on the types of clinical practitioners who can furnish Medicare telehealth services. Prior to this change, only doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certain others could deliver telehealth services. Now, other practitioners are able to provide telehealth services, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists
• CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by audio-only telephone between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. Now, CMS is broadening that list to include many behavioral health and patient education services. CMS is also increasing payments for these telephone visits to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This would increase payments for these services from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020
• Since some Medicare beneficiaries don't have access to interactive audio-video technology required for Medicare telehealth services or choose not to use it even if offered by their practitioner, CMS is waiving the video requirement for certain telephone evaluation and management services, and adding them to the list of Medicare telehealth services. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to use an audio-only telephone to get these services”
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Technical Assistance for EHR's
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COIPA will continue to provide health IT assistance free of charge to help members incorporate virtual visits and telemedicine into their practice workflows. As we shift into a “new normal”, remember that we are available to help with many areas of COVID-related HIT including making sure you have the current codes, are exchanging data with the community, updating lab interfaces for new testing options, patient messaging, ad hoc reporting, etc.
If you would like assistance with EHR features or health IT solutions, please don’t hesitate to contact James McCormack, COIPA’s Director of Informatics, directly at
jmccormack@coipa.org
or by cell phone at 503-307-7994. In addition to extensive experience with eClinicalWorks, COIPA has access to an expert Athena consultant, Jensina Hawkins, who is also standing by to help. For users of Epic and other EHRs, COIPA recognizes that you may already have strong health IT support from your internal IT and/or vendors, but we stand ready to help in any way we can.
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t. Charles Health System has created a new information page for COVID-19 the lab’s testing services that includes testing criteria, details on SCHC’s drive up collection sites, and scheduling information. If your electronic health record is already interfaced to St. Charles Laboratory, you should be able to order COVID tests as usual and either collect the specimen yourself, or refer patients to the collection sites. COIPA appreciates SCHC’s efforts to keep us informed on local testing options.
For the most recent information and guidance on viral and antibody testing available to you and your patients, your best source for up-to-date information will be the official public health resources (see below) and your laboratory’s web site (Quest, LabCorp, and Interpath have all posted good information specimen collection, ordering, resulting, and reporting of positive results.
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Clinics spreading the word that they are open, offering telehealth, and here for you.
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Navigating the Moving Target of PPP Loan Forgiveness
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In this live webinar session, we will discuss opportunities to increase success for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness.
We’ll hear from Jones & Roth CPAs Jeremy Prickel, CPA and Nicole McOmber, CPA on topics such as staff reopening plans, managing cash flow issues, reporting & expense tracking, incurred vs. paid expenses, and tax credits.
We’ll also hear from Ashley Horner, VP and SBA Program Administrator at Summit Bank, to gain an understanding of the bankers’ role and perspective, including topics such as the criteria for loan forgiveness, how to apply for loan forgiveness, and reporting guidance.
This session is an excellent opportunity to submit your questions and get the latest information available on the PPP Loan Forgiveness Program.
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Staying informed on COVID-19
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The Department of Health for Washington has created a web page dedicated to keeping our community up to date and informed on the current state of COVID-19. Click the link below for the most current information.
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Central Oregon Health Council has created a web page dedicated to keeping our community up to date and informed on the most impactful COVID-19 communications. Below is link to the new site.
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Oregon Health Association has a dedicated site to keep you update on the pressing COVID-19 impacts. Below is a quick link to the site.
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If your clinic(s) needs PPE urgently, COIPA has a supply of homemade masks ready for our members.
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COIPA Clinics in need of CE & FDA Approved disposal medical masks can contact
Kira
to place an order.
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SMGOR Dermatology offers same day appointments!
Summit Medical Group Oregon’s dermatology team, including both female and male providers, is now offering same-day appointments for people of all ages!
Summit Medical Group Oregon’s dermatology team can diagnose and treat conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails. We offer screening and dermatology procedures for a variety of skin issues, including common and serious skin cancers. We also offer cosmetic services with a variety of products.
Services include:
- Acne
- Aging skin, photodamage, and other cosmetic skin issues
- Basal cell carcinoma (and other skin cancers)
- Eczema
- Hair loss (male and female)
- Itching, rashes, and skin irritations
- Melanoma
- Mohs surgery
- Moles
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Nail disorders
- Psoriasis
- Skin infections
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Vitiligo
- Warts
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Matthew Clark, MD
- Mohs micrographic surgery
Jill Olinger, MD
– general dermatology
Andrew Jensen, DO
– general dermatology & cosmetic dermatology
Sean Healy, PA-C, MS
– general dermatology
Phone and schedule your appointment with one of our capable providers today!
541-706-2370
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Clinics Needing Additional Funding During This Time
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For our clinics needing information regarding obtaining a loan from First Interstate to assist with operations during the COVID-19 outbreak please reach out to:
Dawn Cofer
541-330-7555
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Remote Workstation Assistance To POA Clients
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The team at Pacific Office Automation can help with setting up at home workstations to help keep your office and staff going.
Sean Walsh
Doug Judish
541-388-1276
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Mission
COIPA is committed to our members' success by:
- Providing sustainable support services
- Incentivizing quality care
- Engaging individuals for improvement
- Partnering with the community
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We want to hear all of the exciting changes, new services, promotions, and events that our members have scheduled in 2020 and share it monthly in the Advocate.
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