With the flu season not that far away, a new Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) page discusses the similarities and the differences between influenza (flu) and COVID-19 that may be of interest to health center staff and patients. Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. Flu and COVID-19 share many characteristics, but there are some key differences between the two. While more is learned every day and there is still a lot that is unknown about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, the page offers the best available information to date.

The world of telehealth has expanded into what some may consider “non-traditional” arenas. Retailers Walgreens, Walmart and CVS have all entered the healthcare space in a variety of ways, including telehealth. Walgreens and CVS offer virtual visits and telehealth services to consumers while Walmart includes telehealth services in its employee benefits plan. Here are some things to know about each retail company’s telehealth strategy. See article in Becker’s Hospital Review.

• Walgreens offers 24/7 online doctor visits to consumers for $75 cash through MDLIVE; doesn’t accept insurance but some insurance companies will accept telehealth claims from the visits; takes HSA and FSA cards for payment; physicians can write prescriptions for non-narcotic medications and information is provided to primary care physicians in accordance with state and federal laws.
• CVS offers consumer video visits for $59 per visit; available 24/7 for 365 days per year; accepts debit and credit cards as well as FSA and HSA cards; accepts some insurance but isn’t required for treatment; video visits are available in 44 states and the District of Columbia; they are not available in Nevada, Montana, Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
• Walmart offers telehealth to employees through their benefits plan with 24/7 access; video chat with a doctor with the premier plan, saver plan and local plans is $0 through Doctor On Demand; and associates and families not enrolled in the Walmart medical plan can use Doctor On Demand for $75 for medical visits, $70 for a 25-minute psychology consultation, $119 for a 50-minute psychology consultation, $99 for a 15-minute call with a psychiatrist or $229 for a 45-minute call with a psychiatrist.

Now in addition to searching for those health centers that offer COVID-19 testing, the HRSA Find a Health Center tool has also been updated to allow users to filter their search for health center sites that offer telehealth services.

Health Information Technology, Evaluation, and Quality Center (HITEQ) has issued a printable PDF checklist which provides a guide for health center staff to mitigate cybersecurity risks and threats during times of emergency and incident response that have them working remotely from the health center. It includes specific instructions for securing the router, updating the operating system on all devices and other critical tasks to ensure cybersecurity when working from home.

The Trump administration has ordered hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all COVID-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning today. The move has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public. Read more.

The New York Times reported on July 13, that the number of adults without health insurance in America rose by 5.4 million between February and May, according to a consumer advocacy group Families USA study. The study shows that about 16 percent or nearly 30.8 million adults are now uninsured. Job loss related to COVID-19 accounted for the spike in the number of uninsured adults, the study says. Not included in the count are family members of the newly uninsured, who may have also lost coverage. Nearly half the coverage losses were in five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York and North Carolina.

Lawmakers in the PA House of Representatives sent a slate of proposed constitutional amendments to the Senate that could significantly change how governors implement disaster declarations – the latest chapter in a battle between Republican legislators and Gov. Tom Wolf over the Democratic governor’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Proponents of a bill said Tuesday that the constitutional amendments would help curtail the excessive use of executive powers by a governor.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced on June 25, 2020, that Medicaid providers cannot charge patients for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used in connection with medical or dental services. DHS has determined that PPE is considered part of the providers overhead and cost of doing business. Read More.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development is making $50 million available through the COVID-19 PA Hazard Pay Grant to help reimburse front-line workers in health care and several other industries. Community Health Centers   have until July 31, 2020, to apply. According to a press release from DCED, “grant funds may be used for hazard pay for direct, full-time and part-time employees earning less than $20/hour, excluding fringe benefits and overtime for the 10-week period from Aug. 16 to Oct. 24, 2020. Applicants may apply for up to $1,200 per eligible full-time equivalent (FTE) employee.” This does not include teleworking employees. Front-line employees are all employees deemed necessary by the employer to report to work during the COVID-19 pandemic for life-sustaining eligible industries. This is in addition to federal CARES Act funding (H8D and H8E). However, you must make sure your accounting accurately reflects base pay charged to Federal grants and hazard pay charged to the COVID-19 PA Hazard Pay Grant.  Download the nine-page program guidance PDF.