NJAASC has curated authoritative information and a list of resources for our Membership’s reference. We will continue to update this as more information becomes available.
PAST COVID E-BLAST HAVE BEEN ARCHIVED DUE TO SPACE RESTRAINTS AND TO KEEP THINGS CURRENT.
ELECTIVE SURGERIES TO BEGIN MAY 26th – 5/15/20
All:
It has been a long road, but we got there!
Today the Governor announced that elective surgery would return to New Jersey for
BOTH HOSPITALS AND ASCS
, implementation on May 26
th
.
He tasked the Department of Health with promulgating guidelines, out no later than May 18
th
.
The Commissioner then mentioned a few other things.
COVID test 3 days prior to procedure.
Screening on day of procedure.
Patient to quarantine for three days prior to procedure.
LOOK FOR NEWS AND REGISTRATION FOR A WEBINAR ABOUT GUIDELINES NEXT WEEK- FROM NJAASC & BRACH EICHLER
Now that we are at this point, I just wanted to let everyone know exactly what their organization- NJAASC has been doing for the past month.
There have been those who bombard me with questions and want answers, who quite honestly don’t understand how the system works. As I say all the time, unfortunately I cannot disclose exactly what is being discussed and with whom all the time, that is the nature of the beast. But what I could share with all of you, I always made sure I did. During this process rumors abounded like mushrooms after a rain storm, trust me! If what was out there was not verified from either DOH or Governor’s Office, I was not going to pass it on. Too much of that went on quite frankly.
With the almost daily COVID e-blasts that went to ALL ASCs in New Jersey, no-one can ever say we did not keep you informed.
I have put an incredible amount of blood sweat and tears into this over the past several weeks! Fortunately I am assisted by a wonderful Board of Directors,
John Fanburg
and Brach Eichler, the best health care law firm in New Jersey, and most importantly the absolute best Government Affairs shop in the state- PSI.
Joe Simonetta
our lobbyists from PSI is the cream of the crop, no-one better. As I always have told membership, NJAASC only utilizes the best people, and Joe is certainly that.
NJAASC has been intimately involved in this process from the beginning- thru PSI and in conjunction with the broader health care coalition that NJAASC is a part of. Our voice was heard loud and clear by both the Governor’s Office and NJDOH. For the past several weeks there was never a doubt that both ASCs and Hospitals were going to be opened up, contrary to the rumors and hysteria that flourished. That was always the message from the Governor’s Office and from NJDOH. As late as yesterday, what the Governor said today was not what was on the menu! That shows you how fluid these situations are, and why telling anyone anything definitive is almost impossible.
NJDOH contacted me yesterday afternoon and asked if we could assist with guidelines, ASAP. Andrew Weiss and I got on it and were able to get the Department something within an hour. This was received extremely well by them, and indeed our documents were distributed to others (organizations and stakeholders) who expressed how much they liked what we sent and proposed. Hopefully a lot of it will be part of the guidelines due out next Monday, and we look forward to working with the Department on these and anything else they need us for.
I want to send a special shout-out to
Andrew Weiss
, Immediate Past President of NJAASC. He stepped up to the plate big time yesterday, and only because of his dedication and knowledge were we able to get NJDOH great recommendations in such a short period of time.
NJDOH asked NJAASC to be the point of contact for ALL ASCs in New Jersey and we have done that. That said, considering what we have done-proven ourselves again, well EVERYONE should be a member. There are still a lot of you out there that are reading this now and receiving our e-blast that are not NJAASC members- I have no idea what you are waiting for. We were able to accomplish what we did because we are who we are: the only full time/full service and nationally recognized state organization for ASCs in New Jersey.
Jeff Shanton
President, NJAASC
SENATE TO HOLD RECOVERY HEARINGS MONDAY- NJAASC ASKED TO TESTIFY- 5/15/20
A bi-partisan senate committee will hold the first of a series of public hearings on Monday dealing with economic recovery.
The Monday hearing will deal with health care.
NJAASC President Jeff Shanton has been invited to testify on behalf of the ASC industry.
Senate’s Fiscal Recovery Strategists to Conduct Public Hearing
Trenton –
The team of economic recovery strategists leading the State Senate’s work to develop plans to restart the state’s economy from the coronavirus shutdown will conduct a public hearing on Monday to get input from health care professionals, Senator Paul Sarlo said today.
Senator Sarlo, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, is working with Senator Steve Oroho, the Senate Republican Officer, Senate President Pro Tempore M. Teresa Ruiz and Senator Troy Singleton to assess the damage to the economy and map out recovery strategies.
The remote hearing will be held on Monday, May 18 at 11:00 a.m. It will include health care executives from medical providers, who will be identified in the coming days.
Senator Sarlo said the public session will be the first of a series of hearings that will also focus on government and small businesses, and will include the participation of business groups, “main street” business owners, and local government officials.
“One of our first steps is to get direct input from the people and organizations that understand the complexities of running businesses while dealing with Covid-19,” said Senator Sarlo. “To start, we want to hear from the health care providers who are providing critical medical care and recognize the importance of addressing the needs of individuals who have had to struggle without access to medical care for over two months. Hearing from the medical community first will provide the roadmap for the safe re-opening for other crucial business sectors.
“The next hearings will have us hear from government officials who continue to deliver essential services despite uncertain revenue and the small businesses that are looking to survive the shutdown,” said Senator Sarlo. “The public’s health and safety is the ongoing priority, but we also have to do what we can to address the financial consequences that are having such an impact on the lives and livelihoods of almost everyone. We have already taken steps to restart some activities in New Jersey and we should look for additional actions we can take to regain economic movement while protecting the health and safety of everyone. It takes planning and preparation.”
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES ELECTIVES COMING FOR ASCS AND HOSPITALS BY END OF THE WEEK – 5/13/20
From Politico: Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday he expects to introduce a plan by the end of the week
for hospitals and other health care facilities to resume elective procedures
.
The plan is being developed by Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli in coordination with doctors and hospitals, the governor said during his daily briefing in Trenton.
While several health systems halted elective procedures prior to experiencing a surge in Covid-19 related hospitalizations, and in advance of
Murphy’s executive order
to suspend those surgeries, it also
strained hospital revenues
at a time when they were experiencing severe duress.
The order — which was in line with federal guidance and had already been adopted by some health systems — was designed to preserve health care resources as New Jersey entered the pandemic’s peak.
As Covid-19 hospitalizations decline, more hospitals have been able move away from a
crisis standard of care
, indicating a readiness to resume normal operations.
“We're moving slowly and deliberately because any misstep risks further outbreaks,” Murphy said during his briefing. “We want to be quick, but we have to be right.”
NJDOH GUIDANCE FOR DIAGNOSED OR EXPOSED HCP- 5/13/20
EO 141: CONTACT TRACING – 5/13/20
NJAASC 10th ANNUAL ASC CONFERENCE POSTPONED – 5/13/20
NJAASC has been sending out notices of postponement, but we just wanted to make sure that everyone was aware.
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted events of all kinds to be cancelled or postponed. Unfortunately, our much-anticipated 10
th
Annual NJAASC Ambulatory Surgery Conference (originally slated for June 10
-11,
2020) has also been postponed for the time being. We are considering all options and will keep you apprised of our future plans as soon as we have a better lay of the land about what lies ahead and what is in the best interest of our attendees and vendors. Please check our web site or our page on LinkedIn for updates.
In the meantime, we remain committed to providing the most authoritative and helpful information and resources to New Jersey’s ASCs -- please continue to follow us on LinkedIn and look to our COVID-19 Updates via email for the latest information on how the industry is being impacted by the pandemic.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me,
Jeff Shanton
President, NJAASC
NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS COMFORTABLE WITH HOW GOVERNOR IS MOVING TO RE-OPEN THE STATE – 5/13/20
This is an interesting poll, I was intrigued by the answers and the polling numbers. Quite honestly I expected a much larger number of people pushing to get the state opened up more quickly.
SENATE PRESIDENT SWEENEY URGES RE-OPENING OF SURGICAL CENTERS – 5/12/20
In an interview, Senate President Sweeney urged the re-opening of select businesses in New Jersey. He specifically mentioned surgical centers.
Again-hold tight- electives are coming!
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ANNOUNCES HIS OWN ECONOMIC COUNCIL- AND ENDORSES ELECTIVE SURGERY RETURNING -5/12/20
Not to be confused with the Governor’s Council, of which I am a part of.
As I have been telling everyone, electives are coming!
Here is more evidence.
SPEAKER COUGHLIN ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF HIS COVID-19 PANEL TO
ADVISE ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY STRATEGY
Speaker Also Encourages Elective Surgery and Infrastructure
Construction to Begin Again
(TRENTON) – Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin today named the remaining 33 members who will serve on an Economic Advisory Council he recently announced. The new working panel will advise the Speaker and other members of Assembly Leadership on efforts to ensure New Jersey can responsibly recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19 when the pandemic subsides.
The private sector panel consists of experts in the fields of government, health care, education, higher education, business, commerce, tourism, social services and more. As previously announced, the advisory panel will be chaired by George R. Zoffinger who has led six different companies in his professional career and is currently President and Chief Executive Officer at Constellation Capital Corp.
"I am pleased that so many highly regarded and well respected experts in such a vast array of fields have agreed to sit on this very important economic advisory panel," said Coughlin (D-Middlesex). "The names are well known to many New Jerseyans. These members will help the Assembly devise a strategy to ensure New Jersey is prepared to safely and successfully reopen, balancing the needs of public health and the economy. It is time to consider reopening our hospitals for elective surgeries and to begin initial infrastructure construction. We must have a game plan and with the help of these esteemed members, we will."
RWJ MASKING AND EXTENDED USE OF PPE POLICY – 5/12/20
RWJ Barnabas has graciously shared with NJAASC their masking and extended PPE use policies.
SENATE BILL WOULD PROVIDE WORKERS COMPENSATION COVERAGE FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS- INCLUDING ASCS - 5/12/20
It applies to employees of ambulatory surgery facilities. The bill takes effective immediately and is retroactive to March 9, 2020. It is in place during the public health emergency.
The bill will be considered in the Labor Committee today and by the full Senate on Thursday. No action has been scheduled yet on the identical Assembly bill.
EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR GOVERNORS RESTART COUNCIL – 5/12/20
Please see the EO below and the list of subcommittees and their members.
NJAASC President Jeff Shanton has been named to the Health Care subcommittee.
Today, Governor Murphy signed an
Executive Order
to create the Restart and Recovery Advisory Council to work in coordination with the Restart and Recovery Commission. The Council will focus on the tactics of reopening, while the Commission will focus on strategy. The advisory council will have nine subcommittees listed below:
· Facilities and Construction
· Government
· Health care
· Main Street
· Manufacturing and Supply Chain
· Professional Services
· Social Services and Faith
· Tourism and Entertainment
· Transportation and Infrastructure
To see a full list of the subcommittee members,
click here
.
The Restart and Recovery Advisory Council Co-Chairs will be:
· Dr. Zayika Smith Ellis, Secretary of Higher Education
· Tim Sullivan, NJ Economic Development Authority
· Jose Lozano, Choose NJ President and CEO
