ASAP: PPP changes, CMS/AMA COVID survey, health equity statement and more

ASAP e-newsletter: June 8, 2020

New law relaxes Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) requirements

On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed into law H.R. 7010, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (PPPFA). The PPPFA attempts to address concerns expressed by the small business community around the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) aimed at providing COVID-19 relief. Specifically, the new law provides more leeway along with guidance and clarity around how employers can apply for PPP loan forgiveness. The PPP, as established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has created roughly $659 billion in loans, mostly for small and medium-sized employers, including nonprofit organizations. As summarized in this Forbes article , the PPPFA makes the following changes to address flaws or restrictions in the original PPP: (1) it lowers the amount of the loan needed to be spent on payroll from 75 percent to 60 percent; (2) it extends the time period to use the funds from eight to 24 weeks; (3) it pushes back the June 30 deadline to rehire workers to Dec. 31, 2020; (4) it eases rehire requirements by adding additional exceptions for a reduced head count; and (5) it extends the repayment term from two years to five.

Your response needed: AMA and CMS team up on COVID-19 survey

The Colorado Medical Society has partnered with the American Medical Association on a national COVID-19 survey so that we can compare Colorado-specific results with national data. We urge you to take 8-10 minutes to complete it before the survey closes Friday, June 12. Click here to go to the survey.

Questions address important issues: how much time you have spent caring for COVID-19 patients, the availability of PPE, health care staff and patient safety and wellbeing, telehealth, billing and reimbursement, how the pandemic has affected your practice, your expectations for what will transpire over the next several months, the efficacy of the federal relief packages, and “re-opening” barriers. AMA and CMS will share the results of this survey with legislators, regulators and other key stakeholders.

In case you missed it: CMS statement on race and health equity

The Colorado Medical Society released a statement on Friday, June 5, condemning all racism and senseless acts of violence. Read the full statement here .

Additional resources from the American Medical Association:

Prioritizing Equity: Policy Brutality and COVID-19 - a recording of a live-streamed event with a panel of distinguished speakers held June 4
Police brutality must stop - editorial by AMA Board Chair Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, and AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, MA
Ethics Talk: Antiracism, Health Equity, and a Post-COVID Future - videocast from the AMA Journal of Ethics

Submit feedback on the Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP)

CMS encourages all physicians to submit their feedback on the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations’ Healthcare Professions Profile Program (HPPP) by noon on Tuesday, June 9. You can do so either by responding to the survey you received via email from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies or online here . Your responses will help inform the sunset review of the HPPP that is currently taking place. The Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act of 2010 and its expansion legislation, which created the HPPP, is scheduled for repeal in 2021, so a sunset review is being performed to determine whether the program is necessary and should be continued, modified or eliminated. This review will produce a report with recommendations to the Colorado General Assembly and result in subsequent legislation based on the report’s recommendations. The HPPP is an online database where consumers can find information about a health care provider such as disciplinary actions, restrictions or suspensions, criminal convictions, business interests, and malpractice insurance settlements (among other information useful to the public). Licensed health care providers are required to report profile information.

Health First Colorado (Medicaid) needs your help

Due to record unemployment in the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) is projecting a surge of more than 500,000 Coloradans between April 1 and Dec. 31, reflecting a more than 40 percent increase in Medicaid and CHP+ members. They are calling on providers to help by:

Sharing a HCPF-developed coverage guidance tool with patients so they know what Medicaid and CHP+ cover, how to apply, how to find a doctor and who to call with questions.
Recruiting care providers to serve Health First Colorado members; providers can enroll at this join us now link. HCPF is allowing temporary enrollment for providers during the COVID-19 emergency, waiving the application fee and fingerprinting process for applicable providers, and waiving site surveys for applicable providers.

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Upcoming events for physicians

NEW! Earn up to 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 1 COPIC Point

Register today for Virtual Grand Rounds: COVID-19 Treatments this Wednesday, June 10, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Physicians can earn up to 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 1 COPIC Point. With so much information swirling around treatments for COVID-19, our expert panelists will present what you need to know (and what your patients have been asking) about convalescent plasma, remdesivir, the mechanism of anti-viral and other therapies, as well as the latest epidemiology of COVID in Colorado. There will be time for questions from participants.

Confirmed panelists:

Pampee Young, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Biomedical Services for the American Red Cross
Stephen V. Cantrill, MD, Emergency Physician, Denver Health
Rachel Herlihy, MD, MPH, State Epidemiologist
John Hammer, MD, Carepoint Infectious Disease

ACCME Accreditation Statement

The Colorado Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

The Colorado Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships:

The planners, faculty, and all others in control of the content of this CME activity have reported no financial relationships with commercial interests that would create a conflict of interest for CME purposes.

This presentation is valid for 1 COPIC point.

Colorado Consortium lunch and learn sessions

Wednesdays May-October, 12:30-1:15 p.m.

The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention’s Provider Education work group continues their series of free lunch-and-learn sessions Wednesdays through October from 12:30-1:15 p.m. Each presentation is eligible for 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™. You must pre-register here to receive CME credit ; this link also takes you to each program's individual accreditation statement, objectives and disclosures. If you’d simply like to drop-in and not receive CME credit, no pre-registration is required. The 45 minute sessions will include a didactic session followed by Q&A. Click here for a complete list of topics and dates. All sessions will be held via Zoom at the link here . Programs will be recorded and posted online for future viewing.