The Washington D.O.
News You Can Use
March 28, 2020
  This is a publication to keep you informed of issues and events pertaining to the osteopathic profession in Washington State. We invite you to submit topics or articles of interest to your colleagues for consideration. Submissions may be emailed to executivedirector@woma.org
A Message About COVID-19
From The President:


I hope that all our members and their families are safe and well. WOMA leadership has been thinking about you and monitoring news, policy and events with our members in mind. 

I would like to quote the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt at his first inauguration in 1932, another time of national crisis:  "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the  only thing we have to fear  is... fear  itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." We have seen this sort of fear in stockpiling, and in the hoarding of medications that won't even help. This fear is also present in many of our patients, who feel helpless and hopeless in the face of a rapidly-evolving pandemic. As osteopathic physicians, we can counter these trends in a few simple ways.

First, choose your sources of information wisely. 
The Washington State Department of Health has a dedicated page for all things COVID19:  https://www.doh.wa.gov/emergencies/coronavirus . 

Your county Health Department may have additional resources as well. The AOA conducted a special webinar this week with the CDC. You can find info from the AOA at:  https://osteopathic.org/practicing-medicine/providing-care/covid-19-resources/cdc-covid-19-update-aoa-public-policy-webinar/

Second, be a source of reliable information for your practice, family, friends and community. You are an expert by virtue of your training. Armed with info from the sites above, you can correct misinformation that other people are spreading. And, you can speak strongly in favor of social distancing as our most important health intervention at this time.

Third, continue our osteopathic tradition of healing with our hearts. The antidote to fear is connection. When facing any difficulty, we will all benefit from having a community to uplift us.
While researchers worldwide are racing to find new ways to save lives, we can begin right now to address needs in our community, which may include anything from lunches for school kids to check-ins on vulnerable neighbors.

If there is anything that WOMA can do to help you at this time, please let us know!

Jeanne Rupert, DO, PhD
HCA supports increased telehealth options for Medicaid clients, public and school employees

Telehealth options support continuity of care, minimize physical presence in health care facilities during COVID-19 pandemic

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is committed to multiple health care service delivery options to help ensure access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are three main ways to deliver health care services:
  • Face-to-face
  • Audio and video
  • Audio only by phone
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HCA has taken several steps to support expanded use of telehealth, including: providing services through telephone interaction; online digital interaction through a patient portal; and video-based evaluation and management health services. 
These steps support continuity of care while avoiding congregation of individuals in health care settings.
“During this pandemic, we know the usual ways of providing care and billing for services may not be feasible,” said HCA Director Sue Birch. “In the interest of public health, we are working to be as flexible as possible and creating policies that allow providers to offer medically necessary services and bill as appropriate.”
The following is a summary of telehealth payment information that is relevant to the outbreak—both policies specifically put into place for the outbreak, as well as applicable pre-existing policies:
Apple Health (Medicaid) (serves more than 1.8 million clients)
  • Policies put into place for the outbreak: We have increased the fee paid to matched audio (phone) only visits and online digital services through a patient portal (both not considered telemedicine per state rule, but considered telehealth) to in-person visit rates. This will support patients’ access to services through the telephone.
  • Existing policies to support telehealth: HCA will continue reimbursing telehealth clinical services (evaluation and management procedure codes) for Apple Health clients in cases where face-to-face visits may not be a feasible option, and when it is medically appropriate for the member to be evaluated and managed by telehealth. HCA was already paying the same as in-person visits for telemedicine services as described in WAC 182-531-1730 (audio and video together, not audio alone) for Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care before COVID-19, and will continue doing so afterward. HCA has provided billing codes and guidance for providers.
Public and school employees (serves more than 700,000 members)
  • Uniform Medical Plan (UMP)—HCA’s self-insured plan that serves more than 353,000 Washingtonians through our Public Employees Benefits Board and School Employees Benefits Board programs—has updated its telehealth guidance for providers. HCA will reimburse telehealth services at the same rate as the same services provided for in-person; and telephone-only care is reimbursable for counseling visits during the pandemic. Find more information on the Regence COVID-19 webpage(Regence is HCA’s third-party administrator for UMP).
  • HCA is working with the fully insured carriers (Premera, Kaiser Permanente NW, Kaiser Permanente WA) for PEBB and SEBB to ensure they also implement telehealth services and are reimbursed appropriately.
Provider support
HCA has purchased Zoom telehealth technology licenses  to support providers who may not already have access to a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant tool. We are prioritizing distribution of licenses to providers who:
  • Serve a meaningful number of Medicaid clients,
  • Do not already have other HIPAA or 42 CFR Part 2-compliant video capabilities,
  • Are in smaller practices with less infrastructure,
  • Serve children, adolescents, pregnant or parenting women or tribal members,
  • Opioid treatment programs,
  • Prescribe or support prescribers of medications to people diagnosed with significant mental illness or substance use disorder, or
  • Serve as community mental health centers.
Providers should visit  HCA’s COVID-19 response page  for the latest information about billing and clinical policy.

WOMA Members Invited to
COVID-19 Call-in Series

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  will be hosting another call and asked that we share this information with our members.

On behalf of CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, I am writing to invite the physician membership of your organization to the next call in our new series for physicians:  Lessons from The Front Lines: COVID-19 . The call will take place on  Saturday, March 28 th  from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST , and the topic of discussion is:  COVID-19 Therapeutics . We invite you to join us to share your ideas, strategies, and insights with one another.

Please see dial-in details below.  Conference lines are limited, so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser .

Participant Dial In: 877-251-0301
Conference ID: 9409959

If you have specific best practices related to COVID-19 therapeutics you are interested in sharing with your peers, please respond to me by 5 PM today and we would be glad to add you to our agenda.
 
As always, we appreciate your feedback and collaboration as we address this important issue together.
 
Sincerely,
Alina 
Alina M. Czekai, MPH
Office of the Administrator | Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Osteopathic Medical School Students Can Now Apply For Tuition Scholarships from the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation!

Osteopathic medical school students currently in their first, second or third year can apply for tuition scholarships between $5,000 and $20,000. The online application process is on the Foundation website:  https://www.nwosteo.org/what-we-do/scholarship/

Updated Application

The application process had been simplified for the 2020-2021 academic year. Applicants need only submit one letter of recommendation, plus two short essays and one “selfie-style” video introducing themselves to the selection team. Complete instructions, as well as a 4-minute instructional video, are available at  https://www.nwosteo.org/what-we-do/scholarship/

Scholarship Criteria

The purpose of this program is to provide tuition scholarships to those osteopathic medical school students that we believe are most likely to:
  • Practice in the Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon or Washington) upon completion of their residency program, fellowships, etc.
  • Practice medicine following the Principles of Osteopathic Medicine.
  • Contribute to their community beyond the practice of medicine. 

Application Period

Applications will be accepted until April 15.
 Do you have member news to share with your osteopathic colleagues?

Please send it and a related photo, if available, to executivedirector@woma.org
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