Covid rates continue to rise across the state as do hospitalizations. Testing access has become more strained with delays in test scheduling and long waits at testing centers. Turnaround time once tests are sampled seem to be holding for now across different labs. Practices are managing higher volumes of Covid patients and exposures. We have updated adult triage and treatment guidelines along with updated testing information below. We have not yet heard of any plans for elective procedure disruption at this time. Please take the time to reassess your practice's PPE and safety protocols as we are bound to encounter Covid patients given the high rate of prevalence. PPE protocols work and will keep our clinicians, staff and patients safe. Increased use of telemedicine where appropriate should be considered at this time. Reimbursement for telemedicine remains essentially unchanged and is outlined below. Please see our website for more detailed information regarding PPE and reopening plans.
CMG will hold its Annual Meeting via zoom on December 3rd at 6:30 PM. Please click here for a link to the invite where you can register. We are encouraging everyone to attend, but at least one member from every practice is expected to attend. I look forward to seeing you there.
Please see today's summary from the CDC and DPHhere.
Please see the links below for updated Adult Ambulatory Triage and Treatment guidelines. Pediatric versions are still under development and will be published once they are available.
We have created a summary of various locations for COVID testing across the state. Some require a provider order and others do not. Turnaround time will vary based upon test type and location. For YNHH, placing the order directly in Epic will result in a quicker scheduling turnaround than faxing. This list has been updated from last week.
YNHH is extending their Employee and Family Resource Program to all members of the medical staff and their families for the duration of the public health crisis. This program provides a variety of wellness programs including emotional support, legal and financial advice, including the ability to meet with a counselor for a number of visits free of charge. It offers many resources to help us deal with these challenging times. All of these services are completely confidential and no personal information is shared with YNHH. The website to access these services can be found here, along witha description of services here.
AMA Posts COVID Testing and Vaccination Information. The American Medical Association (AMA) had a webpage dedicated to providing up-to date coding and billing information for COVID testing and future vaccination CPT codes. Read more on the webpage here.The AMA spreadsheet along with an AMA sponsored article on CPT coding guidelines is available for your review.
Our regular newsletters continue to come out monthly. Click here to view our November issue. All COVID- 19 Clinical Guidelines, Telemedicine Policies, Helpful Links, and more are updated regularly on ourwebsite.
