Webcast: How the pandemic is changing health care

UPDATES FROM FALLON HEALTH

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WBJ webcast

How the pandemic is changing health care

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the health care industry. For a discussion of what has changed and what is likely to be different in the future, register for the Worcester Business Journal’s free Health Care Forum, to be held on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.

Fallon Health is proud to be the presenting sponsor for this important discussion, which will feature Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., as keynote speaker. Dr. Berwick is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Carolyn Langer, M.D., Fallon’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, will be part of a panel of experts for a discussion of topics such as:

Changes in health care delivery models during the pandemic. What lessons have been learned? How is health care delivery likely to evolve after the pandemic?

Public policies that the crisis has shown to be broken and in need of repair.

New models for delivering affordable, quality care.

How the outcome of the November election may affect the health care industry.

Behavioral health during the pandemic. What funding and new models of service delivery are needed?

How COVID-19 has changed health and wellness responsibilities for employers and employees.

Visit the WBJ website to sign up for this free event or to find more information.

Deadline approaching

Plans for retirees

If you have clients with employees who are nearing retirement or are already eligible for a Medicare plan, you can help them make informed choices during Medicare's Annual Election Period (AEP), which continues only until this Monday, Dec. 7.

Because we know that Medicare is complicated, Fallon Health is offering comprehensive Medicare presentations that are available to all via live Zoom meetings or prerecorded presentations.

Visit our website to see the schedule and register. Or watch the prerecorded presentation on YouTube. Our retirement checklist can also help those who are making plans to retire.

COVID-19 resources: Testing options

Fallon covers COVID-19 diagnostic testing, based on CDC and other regulatory guidance, for members who are in one of the following three categories:

A health care provider has identified the individual as having COVID-19 related symptoms.

A local Board of Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Community Tracing Collaborative or a health care provider has determined that the individual has been in close contact with someone confirmed or clinically diagnosed with COVID-19.

An individual is admitted to a health care facility, such as a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Testing solely to meet back-to-work/school COVID-19 testing requirements is not covered, unless it’s deemed medically necessary by a provider.

The state of Massachusetts is running a strategic testing program called Stop the Spread, which is providing free testing in certain cities and towns. Asymptomatic individuals may be tested at these sites, even if they don’t reside in the particular city or town. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 Test Site Locator provides information on additional testing locations.

Health and wellness

Information you can use and share

You can find health and wellness information for your clients and their employees on our website. A library of health and wellness flyers and kits is also available.