March 31, 2020
Tuesday's Information for Mississippi Family Physicians


CENTERS FOR MEDICAID AND MEDICARE SERVICES : CMS's Monday announcement of "unprecedented temporary relaxation in regulation" is aimed at helping the health care system deal with patient surges. Blanket Waivers were also announced. Some highlights:
  • INCREASE HOSPITAL CAPACITY - temporarily permit non-hospital buildings to be used for patient care as long as it is safe and approved by the state
  • RAPIDLY EXPAND THE HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE BY REMOVING BARRIERS - Physicians, nurses and other clinicians can now be readily hired from the local community without violating Medicare rules. Also, CRNAs no longer need the supervision of a physician.
  • PUT PATIENTS OVER PAPERWORK - CMS is temporarily eliminating paperwork requirements for Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and more. Reporting deadlines are extended and documentation requests are suspended.
  • FURTHER PROMOTE TELEHEALTH - CMS will now allow for more than 80 additional services to be furnished via telehealth. "Providers can bill for telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits."


SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERED: Tuesday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced in Executive Order 1465 a shelter-in-place order for Lauderdale County beginning Tuesday, March 31, at 10 pm and ending Tuesday, April 14 at 11:59 pm. He left open the possibility of ordering other areas of the state to do so.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LOANS : Members have asked us to repost the resources we sent out last week on applying for SBA Disaster Assistance Loans . The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has developed a Small Business Guide and Checklist for Emergency Loans . The Mississippi Small Business Development Center has put a helpful video on their Disaster Assistance page describing what documents are needed and how to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. It walks you through step by step and there are other helpful links on that page. You may wish to sign up for the SBA's E-Newsletter which provides up-to-date information.

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS: AAFP will host a Town Hall this Wednesday, April 1, at 7 pm Central on AAFP's Facebook page and other social media outlets to discuss financial relief.

MAFP MEMBER DR. TIM ALFORD WILL BE ON SUPERTALK : Our own past president and past Family Physician of the Year Dr. Tim Alford of Kosciusko has been diagnosed with COVID . He is quarantined in Kosciusko at present and will be interviewed live on the radio Wednesday morning during the 7 am hour on the Paul Gallo Show on SuperTalk FM .

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHER HEALTH CARE WORKERS : More than one of our member family physicians has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce put out this Coronavirus Workplace Tips for Employees with helpful tips.

ABBOTT LABS UNVEILS RAPID TESTING MACHINE : Abbott Rapid Diagnostics, an Illinois-based company, announced on March 27 the development of a rapid COVID-19 test that can give results in about 5 minutes. "Abbott is working to prioritize delivery of COVID-19 tests to hotspots in the U.S. where the tests are needed most - including hospital emergency departments and urgent care centers," Abbott Vice President Jeff Haas said in a press release.

PAST MAFP COVID COMMUNICATIONS : ALL COVID Communications going back to March 17 are posted on our Coronavirus Page.


Mississippi's Coronavirus Hotline is now being staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-877-978-6453. The CDC hotline specifically for health care workers is 770-488-7100 .

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HEALTH ALERTS : If you would like to receive MS State Department of Health update calls and notices, sign up for the MS Health Alert Network .

PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MAFP MEMBERS : To discuss issues with fellow MAFP members, please join our members-only Facebook group.

ALMOST-DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP : MAFP staff puts out a morning News Roundup with links to the most important articles you need to know about. To be added to the list to receive the News Roundup, e-mail Kristen Kern .

OUR WEBSITE : Please continue to check the MAFP Coronavirus page for updated information and links to important resources.

MAFP will continue to send updates and resources as we receive them and we will add them to our page above.

MAFP
755 Avignon Drive
Ridgeland MS 39157
(601) 853-3302