PMDA Past President David A. Nace, MD, MPH, CMD Elected President of AMDA Board of Directors for 2020-2021
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PMDA Past President David A. Nace, MD, MPH, CMD has been elected president of the AMDA Board of Directors for 2020-2021.
AMDA is the only medical specialty society representing the community of medical directors, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other practitioners working in the continuum of post-acute and long-term care settings. The organization promotes professional development and evidence-based clinical guidance and advocates on behalf of their members, patients and their families, and staff.
Dr. Nace served as PMDA president in 2003. In 2015, he received the Duncan S. MacLean Founder’s Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his significant contributions to building the organizational strength, image and mission of PMDA. Most recently, Dr. Nace co-chaired PMDA’s Public Policy Committee.
Dr. Nace is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He serves as the Director of Long-Term Care and Flu Programs for the school and as Chief of Medical Affairs for UPMC Senior Communities. Dr. Nace leads and collaborates on a variety of studies on adverse drug events, safety culture, antibiotic resistance, vaccine effectiveness, and quality assessment and improvement. He has received grants supporting his work from the Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Center, the Josiah Macy Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health, among others. He is the outgoing Chair of AMDA’s Public Policy Committee.
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Pennsylvania's Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)
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David Luschini, MD, CMD, FACP
By the time this article gets to this newsletter many of you may have registered for the Pennsylvania Electronic Death Registrations System (EDRS). However, I believe this information remains important and can prevent potential issues that one would hope to avoid if not registered.
As stated in the March 6, 2020 notice from the Pennsylvania State Registrar, all deaths attributed to Covid-19 are
require
d
to be reported electronically to the Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries (BHSR) through the EDRS website. The paper certificate may not be used to report these deaths as there is a significant time lapse from the date of death until notification is received by BHSR. Due to the critical need of timely reporting at state and national levels, EDRS must be used to report these deaths. As further stated in this notice, medical professionals must submit the report of death
prior
to release of the body to a funeral home. I have had personal experience with this issue as one of my attending physicians was not registered with the EDRS which resulted in refusal by the funeral home director to transport the decedent from the nursing home to the funeral home. This caused a delay in transportation until the physician was registered with the EDRS and able to complete an electronic death certificate, a scenario any medical director or attending physician would certainly like to avoid.
For those who have not yet registered, the following is the link to the EDRS to initiate this:
https://www.dohdave.PA.gov
.
The process is reasonably straightforward. Once registered, teaching webinars are available with a choice of dates and times. Adequate opportunity is provided during the webinars for questions and answers. In addition, as other questions arise, one may contact the Vital Events Stakeholder Hotline at 800-323-9613.
Regarding the online certificate completion process, some of my colleagues expressed concern about needing to know the pronouncer’s name and license number, as reported on the paper certificate. This detail is not required for completion of the electronic death certificate. To start the process, one must enter the decedent’s name (first and last), sex, and date of death. Other required information is either the time of pronouncement or death. When reporting a Covid-19-related death we are being asked to detail in Part I, when possible, the chain of events leading to death with approximate interval onset to death. For example: Line A: Acute respiratory distress syndrome – 2 days; Line B: pneumonia – 6 days; Line c: Corvid 19 – 10 days. Also, if the decedent had other chronic conditions (e.g. COPD) that may have contributed to death, these conditions must be reported in Part II. Per my personal discussion with the hotline representative, we are permitted to use “probable” or “suspected” Covid-19 when a confirmatory Covid-19 test was not done but clinical features of the decedent were consistent with Covid-19 illness.
When all the sections of the electronic certificate are completed correctly a
green
check will appear in the left margin of the section heading. After this appears, proceed to certify by affirming all information provided is correct. An eight-digit case number is provided for future reference.
I hope you will find this information helpful and timely as we adapt to these challenging times.
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Saturday, May 16, 2020
8:45 AM – 12:00 PM – Virtual
The COVID-19 pandemic is testing every sector of the medical profession. Its infection and transmission are of monumental concerns for the post-acute and long-term care healthcare providers who deliver clinical and personal care every day. This conference will provide guidance and current best practices to help you monitor and manage COVID-19, whether in skilled nursing or assisted living facilities.
CME and CMD Credits are available!
Click here
to download the conference brochure for meeting topics, speakers, objectives, and more!
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The PMDA Trainee Education Fund supports PMDA’s efforts to educate, recognize and inspire post-acute and long-term care clinicians in training in the benefits and rewards of a career in the PALTC continuum. Your contribution will allow us to continue to offer complimentary registration to the Annual Symposium for fellows, residents and students and support PMDA’s contribution to AMDA’s Futures Program. Help us invest in the future of practice in PALTC medicine.
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Upcoming PMDA Events
- Spring Board Meeting - 5/15/20 - Zoom Virtual Meeting
- PMDA 2020 Spring Consortium - 5/16/20 - Zoom Virtual Educational Event
- Regional Meeting - 9/15/20 - Six (6) locations and individual virtual attendance. Registration fees: $25 PMDA Members; $30 non-members.
- Fall Board Meeting - 11/5/20 - Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA
- 2020 Annual Business Meeting - 11/6/20 - Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA
- 28th Annual Symposium - 11/6/20 - 11/7/20 - Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA
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PMDA COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update:
PMDA is very aware of the concerns with the spread of the coronavirus. The PMDA board and staff are closely following and monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We will provide regular updates to the attendees and PMDA members.
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Trauma Informed Care
Date: May 19, 2020
Time: 7:00PM – 8:00PM
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Recently Archived Webinars
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AMDA Statement on Reopening PALTC Facilities
Recently, AMDA issued a statement on the reopening of PALTC facilities. It noted that (1) the decision to reopen must be made with great caution and on an individual basis, regardless of the status of the surrounding community; (2) the decision to reopen should rest entirely with the clinical leaders managing the care of the patients and residents; and (3) PALTC facilities should be the last to open to visitors and outside contractors and vendors.
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AMDA's New Career Center
AMDA is excited to announce our new Career Center, offering more features than ever before!
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AMDA On-The-Go
Podcast Series
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AMDA's COVID-19 Resources
- AMDA Guidance, Resources & Tools
New resources include:
All of the above resources are available for free! AMDA members also receive COVID-19 Daily Update emails; and can participate in discussions on AMDA’s Member Forum.
Click here to join AMDA.
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