Friday, March 27, Congress approved and President Trump signed a massive $2 trillion stimulus and COVID-19 relief package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The bill includes a variety of measures designed to support small businesses, including medical practices. Notably, it would create a new loan product within the Small Business Administration for loans of up to $10 million to help cover payroll and overhead costs, with expanded loan forgiveness criteria designed to ensure that small businesses do not lay off employees.  Read more here.

We know this is an extremely challenging time for physicians generally and for practice owners specifically as you try to maintain your practices' financially stability. As detailed above, Congress approved a massive $2 trillion stimulus and COVID-19 relief package. Even before all of the details are available, there are resources that can help you now.

Please join your colleagues this Wednesday evening for the next Physicians' Town Hall on COVID-19 brought to you by CMS and many co-sponsors from the Colorado house of medicine. Register here for the town hall on April 1, 6 - 7 p.m., which will feature U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner answering your questions on the new federal stimulus. Town halls are limited to 500 participants; archived recordings are available on our website the following day.

The Colorado Physician Health Program (CPHP) has established a support line for any Colorado physician or physician assistant to call for support in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. By contacting the Care Line at 720-810-9131, you will be linked with a physician peer who will listen and discuss stresses associated with the COVID-19 crisis, and caring for those suffering from the disease. Calls are free of charge and confidential to the extent allowed by the law. Call today or find more information on the CPHP website.

CMS has received many questions about how retired physicians or medical students can join in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Complete the form on the Help Colorado Now website and indicate your experience to be matched with the needs of hospitals, testing sites or care facilities.

With the entire state of Colorado under a stay-a-home order, documents are encouraged to prove a worker/business is deemed "essential/critical." CMS recommends physicians traveling to or from an essential job carry ID badges and proof you fall under the health care worker exemption. The Mesa County Health Department created a template for employee documentation; access the template for employees here. Note that anyone using this form should replace "Mesa County" with the name of your county. Special thanks to the Mesa County Medical Society for sharing this resource. The State of Colorado released instructions for critical businesses to self-certify. Access the template for businesses here.

Did you miss Friday's webinar, "Telehealth & Virtual Private Practice Strategies"? Watch the archived version on the CMS website here. Carolynn Francavilla, MD, of Green Mountain Partners for Health, and Andrew Brookens, MD, of Altitude Kidney Health share their personal experiences and advice for success in telehealth, and answer participants' questions.

The American Medical Association released three new or updated resources for private-practice physicians in response to the unique operational and business challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.