What a week…
Here is your Friday NCMS Morning Rounds!
March 20, 2020
Remember: Check the sites below frequently for the most timely and credible information.
• NC Department of Health and Human Services Covid-19 website
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website
• For immediate questions/concerns from members of the public, call 866-462-3821.
•For non-urgent health care provider questions, [email protected].
• For urgent provider or local health department questions, please call 919-733-3419 (available 24/7). Do NOT give this number to patients and members of the public.
• The NCMS website also has culled a list of the most important resources based on what our members are needing. Visit our Covid-19 site.
NCMS’ departments remain open for business, but most of our employees are working remotely and may be unable to respond to you as promptly as they would otherwise. Please use email to communicate with us as much as possible. If you do not have a specific email address, our central email box, [email protected], is checked frequently, and your message will be routed to the proper person. You may also call our main number, 919-833-3836, and leave a voicemail, which also is being checked regularly, to be forwarded to the appropriate department.
Keeping up with Covid-19 – elective surgery recommendations, child care help, telehealth initiative, Medicaid flexibilities
Decisions on Elective Surgery During This Pandemic
Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommended that all elective surgeries, non-essential medical, surgical and dental procedures be delayed during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“The reality is clear and the stakes are high: we need to preserve personal protective equipment for those on the front lines of this fight,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a press statement.
CMS’ recommendations outline factors that should be considered for postponing elective surgeries, and non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures. Those factors include patient risk factors, availability of beds, staff and PPE, and the urgency of the procedure. Read the recommendations.
The NC Healthcare Association, which represents hospitals in the state, put out a statement on decision making around elective surgery highlighting that “it is important to recognize that the decision to cancel or perform a surgical procedure must be made in the context of numerous considerations, both medical and logistical. Indeed, given the uncertainty regarding the impact of COVID-19 over the next many months, delaying some cases risks having them reappear as more severe emergencies at a time when they will be less easily handled.”
Read the NCHA’s full statement.
Officials from NCDHHS told the NC Health Care Coalition, the group of health care stakeholders brought together to collaborate during this pandemic, to submit any comments on the potential recommendations about canceling elective surgery to NCDHHS by 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. An announcement on the matter is expected from NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen.
Child Care Help for Essential Staff
NCDHHS has established a hotline number [888-600-1685] for essential workers who need safe care for their children while they are bravely serving the community providing critical services during this unprecedented crisis.
The state is encouraging families who have flexible working arrangements to use that flexibility to stay at home with their children. Parents and families with urgent child care needs may call 1-888-600-1685 to find high-quality, safe child care for infants through children age 12.
Essential workers include first responders, hospital staff, front-line health care providers, nursing and adult group home staff, child care program staff, food service staff and others including those caring for children who are homeless or in unstable or unsafe living arrangements without access to other care arrangements at this time.
Telehealth Help
The Physicians Foundation, American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, Massachusetts Medical Society and Texas Medical Association, today announced the launch of The Telehealth Initiative, which helps physicians implement telehealth services.
With the current COVID-19 crisis, the organizations moved up the Initiative’s launch to support physicians in their shift to telehealth models in efforts to reduce exposure and minimize surges in care facilities..
NC Medicaid Seeks Flexibility
NCDHHS has asked CMS to temporarily waive certain Medicaid and NC Health Choice policies as part of North Carolina’s response to the COVID-19. The waivers will provide flexibility to NC Medicaid and health care providers to address the urgent health care needs of Medicaid beneficiaries during this public health emergency.
NC Medicaid will use the authority, once granted, to streamline NC Medicaid provider enrollment; waive facility access and length of stay limits, which would allow critical access hospitals to have more beds and for patients to stay longer; and allow alternative settings to deliver care such as providing services in a home. NC Medicaid requested these flexibilities from CMS on March 17, 2020.
Additionally, NC Medicaid is requesting temporary modifications to home- and community-based services provided through Medicaid state plan waivers, including the Innovations, Community Alternatives for Disabled Adults, Community Alternatives for Children and Traumatic Brain Injury waivers. These requests include removing certain dollar and stay limits, expanding the type of location where services can be delivered and easing requirements for reviews of personalized care plans and in-person meetings. Temporary modifications to waiver services and requirements will be made on an individual basis. NC Medicaid requested these waiver flexibilities on March 13, 2020.
Results of NCMS Sunday Survey #3 – Public Health
Despite the unusual circumstances this week, we had a good response to our latest in our series of Sunday Surveys. Thank you to those who took the time to respond. This week’s topic was public health, and some of you did comment that addressing Covid-19 and pandemic preparedness should be THE legislative public health priority for the foreseeable future.
The results of these surveys provide valuable information for the Legislative Cabinet to weigh as it considers the NCMS’ advocacy agenda for the coming session. Watch for the fourth NCMS Sunday Survey this Sunday, when the topic will be medical malpractice reforms.
Here are the results from last Sunday’s survey, which asked:
The NCMS has always lobbied on a variety of public health issues like smoking cessation, helmet laws and suicide prevention and we will continue to do so. There are newer, emerging issues, however, and we need to understand how you would prioritize them. Please select which of the following public health issues would be your top priority for our advocacy efforts in the upcoming short and long legislative sessions. (Please select just one.)
In the News
Opinion: Medical Students Can Help Combat Covid-19. Don’t Send Them Home, STAT, 3-14-20
Learning Opportunity
Reda Chouffani, VP of Development at Biz Technology Solutions presented a webinar discussing best practices for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Issues covered include remote work strategies, operational readiness, communication strategies and cybersecurity. Access the webinar recording.