Apr 9, 2020 — The Federal Communications Commission has released a rule to establish the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and the Connected Care Pilot Program. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program provides $200 million for healthcare providers to provide connected care services to patients in their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is effective April 9, 2020. The Connected Care Pilot Program will provide up to $100 million over three years to examine how the Universal Service Fund can support the trend toward connected care services to consumers, particularly for low-income and veteran populations. The Connected Care Pilot Program will be effective once approved by the Office of Management and Budget. Read more here.
HHS, CDC: Approval Tests and Standards for Air-Purifying Particulate Respirators
Apr 14, 2020 — Notice of interim final rule with comment period to update the regulatory requirements used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to test and approve air-purifying particulate respirators for use in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The rule will be effective April 14, 2020. Comments are due by August 12, 2020. Read more here.
Using Telehealth to Fight Infectious Disease
Telehealth has gained traction recently due to the opportunities in care and convenience it offers to both patients and providers. One of telehealth’s most relevant features, given the current COVID-19 crisis, is its ability to support social distancing and quarantine precautions. In a March 23, 2020 article “Using Telehealth to Fight Infectious Disease,” Athenahealth highlights a Utah-based health system’s use of telehealth to combat the dangers of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and the challenge of managing infectious diseases in remote areas. Additional telehealth resources are available on the athenahealth’s health care technology knowledge hub webpage.
Innovative State Responses to the Opioid Crisis
Recently there has been an increase in federal funding to help mitigate the opioid crisis. This funding has allowed some health centers to create and expand partnerships with housing authorities in their communities. This brief provides creative treatment ideas to work with patients who have opioid use disorder (OUD) and struggle with homelessness and includes ways to partner with various housing services to best help your patients.
COVID-19 Resources for Non-English-Speaking People
The COVID-19 Health Literacy Project provides translations of essential information about COVID-19 in more than 35 languages. Harvard faculty has vetted all of the information in this project that was started by a medical student at Harvard. Patients with limited English proficiency are likely to be at higher risk for COVID-19 and its complications. These translational materials, along with a guidance article, Culturally and Linguistically Competent Care from ECRI, can help provide health centers with the information needed to communicate with those patients whose first language is not English and other patients with diverse cultural needs.
Contact Tracing – Guidance on this Path Out of Isolation
Contact tracing is what is now on everyone’s radar in order to help in the next step to begin to open up the country. Contact tracing is a process designed to halt the chain of transmission of an infectious pathogen–like the coronavirus–and slow community spread. When someone tests positive for an infectious disease, they become a “case.” Public health workers then reach out to the case to make sure they have what they need and that they are self-isolating. They will then figure out who they had contact with who may be at risk of infection, too. NPR recently released a guide on the basics of the process and how it might help society restart after the current wave of coronavirus cases.
Virtual Conferences – Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association has been committed to continuing to provide meaningful information and support virtually to all those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia. They are excited to offer three virtual LIVE professional conferences to be held in May covering a variety of topics with expert speakers covering the latest on research and most up to date information on providing the highest quality of care for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia.
Register online for one of the conferences and see attached the brochures for more information on each conference. Reach out to the Alzheimer’s Association with any questions you may have.
SE Professional Conference Registration
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Questions: Barb Bingham, babingham@alz.org or 717.651.5020 x 1795.
Register by May 20, 2020,
SW Virtual Conference Registration
Thursday, May 28, 2020
8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Questions: Sara Murphy, smurphy@alz.org or 814.636.6391.
Register by May 20, 2020.
NE Virtual Conference Registration
Thursday, May 28, 2020
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Questions: Jessica Hill, jshill@alz.org or 717.651.5020 x 1787.
Register by May 22, 2020.
US’s digital divide ‘is going to kill people’ as Covid-19 exposes inequalities
Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian
Exclusive research shows drop in connectivity is impacting rural and urban areas with populations already underserved by the medical system or racked with poverty
The Covid-19 crisis is exposing how the cracks in the US’s creaking digital infrastructure are potentially putting lives at risk, exclusive research shows.
With most of the country on lockdown and millions relying on the internet for work, healthcare, education and shopping, research by M-Lab, an open source project which monitors global internet performance, showed that internet service slowed across the country after the lockdowns.
“This is going to kill people,” said Sascha Meinrath, co-founder of M-Lab.
In late March, most people in 62% of counties across the US did not have the government’s minimum download speed for broadband internet, according to M-Lab.
Between February and mid March, when the pandemic was only just beginning to hit the US, there was a 10% increase in how many counties saw download speeds fall below the government standard, representing about one in 10 US counties, M-Lab found.
“Now that people’s livelihoods, schools and lives, are literally on the line, we can’t survive,” Meinrath said. “These communities that are underserved are not going to be able to transition to an online workplace or school environment.”
Borne the Battle: VA Podcast for Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched this weekly podcast in 2016 to engage and reach out to veterans. Recent recorded episodes provide updates related to the Coronavirus, including how to manage debt and get access to benefits. Find more information here.
Comments Requested: Proposed Updates for FY 2021 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities – June 9
On April 14, CMS published the proposed rule for the FY 2021 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPF) Prospective Payment System (PPS). CMS proposes updates to the wage index and payment rates, including a payment increase of 2.4 percent or $100 million in FY 2021. Rural IPF providers will continue to receive a 17 percent payment adjustment and IPF payments are estimated to increase by 2.5 percent in rural areas. The rule also proposes to adopt the most recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area delineations and a 5 percent cap on wage index decreases for all IPF providers impacted by their wage index. Read more about it here.