By Tim Murphy and Tim Marema

As 2020 ends, Covid-related deaths in rural counties are occurring at twice the rate of major metropolitan areas. Read more here.

By Tim Marema

But bed availability is tighter in urban areas, raising concerns that rural patients who need transfers to more specialized care may face access difficulties, a new analysis says. Read more here.

CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.

Call details are below. Conference lines are limited so we highly encourage you to join via audio webcast, either on your computer or smartphone web browser. You are welcome to share this invitation with your colleagues and professional networks. These calls are not intended for the press.

Calls recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page at: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/OpenDoorForums/PodcastAndTranscripts

CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Calls (twice a month on Tuesday at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern) 

Office Hour Calls provide an opportunity for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to:

• Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls;
• Rapidly Expand the Healthcare Workforce;
• Put Patients Over Paperwork; and
• Further Promote Telehealth in Medicare

Next Office Hours:

Tuesday, January 12^th at 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern

Toll Free Attendee Dial In: 833-614-0820; Access Passcode: 4688247

Audio Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/p5jw6syi

COVID-19 Care Site-Specific Call

COVID-19 Vaccine Safety: A Fireside Chat with CMS, CDC, and front line staff and providers

              Wednesday, January 13, 2021 4pm ET

Register in advance for this webinar (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar):   https://cms.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_VQnfc77zTaOho3-yYrtGUA

Join The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a fireside chat on vaccine safety. This is the third discussion in a special series, a part of the CMS National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call Series, aimed at addressing staff questions and concerns about the new COVID-19 vaccines. Each session will be moderated by CMS with speakers from CDC and representatives of front line staff and providers.

This chat will continue to address myths surrounding vaccine danger with the following panelist:

• Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CMS)
• Dr. Amanda Cohn, Chief Medical Officer (Acting), Office of Vaccine Policy, Preparedness, and Global Health, Office of the Director (CDC)
• Roberta Jaramillo, Environmental Services District Manager, HealthCare Services Group

Preparing for the call:

• Would you like to submit questions for the panel to discuss? Send questions to COVID-19@cms.hhs.gov . There will not be a Q&A session during the call.
• Resource: Long term Care toolkit: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/toolkits/long-term-care/index.html

For the most current information including call schedule changes, please click here

To keep up with the important work the White House Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here: https://protect2.fireeye.com/url?k=36fa2226-6aae0b0d-36fa1319-0cc47a6d17cc-2d06c219f858d641&u=http://www.coronavirus.gov/. For information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.

This toolkit provides long-term care facility (LTCF) administrators and clinical leadership with information and resources to help build vaccine confidence among healthcare personnel (HCP) and residents. You play a critical role in providing trusted information and ensuring high COVID-19 vaccination coverage in your facility.

Based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent panel of medical and public health experts, CDC recommends that HCP and LTCF residents be among those offered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

In response to a surge in COVID-19 cases in many areas of the country, the federal Healthcare Resilience Working Group has released guidance detailing strategies to help healthcare providers manage patient surge (PDF – 197 KB). State, local, tribal, and territorial governments can use these strategies to enhance their health care capabilities and support a more comprehensive healthcare system response

Health care providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing, provided treatment for uninsured individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis, and/or incurred vaccination administration fees on or after February 4, 2020 can request claims reimbursement through the HRSA COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured program.

More than $2.8 billion in claims have been paid for COVID-19 testing and treatment of uninsured individuals. Get started today to receive reimbursement typically within 30 working days.

Learn more and apply for claims reimbursement.

The Ad Council partnered with fluent360, a creative agency based in Chicago, to develop the creative concept and materials for the No One Has Time for Flu campaign. The Public Services Announcements (PSAs) highlight the different circumstances many people are experiencing as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that, now, more than ever, no one has time to be sick with flu. Also visit the website for Get My Flu Shot.

Due to the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), additional healthcare practitioners are still needed to treat ill Pennsylvanians. This need may extend beyond the capacity of the professionals currently licensed by Pennsylvania’s health-licensing boards. To increase the available number of practitioners, the Department of State requested a suspension from Governor Wolf to several provisions that create barriers to temporary licensure. The following list provides information on extensions for healthcare professionals that were published in December 2020. Click here for a complete list.

• Pennsylvania Expands Authority of Supervised Nursing Students to Administer Vaccines Outside Their Clinical Placements
• Pennsylvania Extends Waiver Temporarily Allowing Licensees to Meet Continuing Education Requirements Entirely Through Online Learning or Distance Education
• Pennsylvania Extends State Board of Medicine Renewal Deadline, Continues License Reactivations for Retired Professionals and Extends Expiration Date of Temporary Licenses Issued to Out-of-State
• Chiropractors, Dentists, Optometrists, Pharmacists and Podiatrists Who Hold Clinical Lab Permits to Order and Administer COVID-19 Tests
• Pennsylvania Further Extends Temporary Waiver of Certain CPR Rules for Pharmacists
• Pennsylvania Expands Authority of Supervised Pharmacy Interns to Administer Vaccines
• Pennsylvania Further Extends Temporary Waiver of Certain CPR Rules for State Board of Massage Therapy and State Board of Dentistry
• Pennsylvania Extends Waiver Suspending “Live Patient” Requirements for Dental Clinical Licensing Exam
• Pennsylvania Extends Temporary Practice Permits Issued to RNs and PNs Applying for PA Licensure By Endorsement

Across Pennsylvania a total of 767 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases have been reported to date in 49 counties. The percent of outpatient visits associated with influenza-like illness has been low and is still below the state epidemic threshold. A total of 17 influenza associated hospitalizations and six deaths have been reported in Pennsylvania during the current flu season. Social distancing and wearing of masks–key elements of the COVID-19 strategy–are believed to be factors in the low flu rate. The confirmed influenza laboratory tests received by the PA DOH Surveillance will be updated when numbers per county increase to a level that protects the confidentiality of the patients’ health information. For more information, visit the 2020/2021 Influenza Season Data page.