• On Friday, HHS began the delivery of the initial $30 billion in relief funding to healthcare providers as part of the CARES Act. The funding will be used to support healthcare-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to coronavirus. Funds began being direct-deposited to the bank accounts of physicians who are enrolled in Medicare. Funds are allotted based o n their share of 2019 Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements. These are payments, not loans, to healthcare providers, and will NOT need to be repaid. Within 30 days of receiving the payment, providers must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions.
• On Monday, CMS released Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities Transfer Scenarios. It provided information for transferring or discharging residents between skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and/or nursing facilities (NFs) based on COVID-19 status (i.e. positive, negative, unknown/under observation). In general, if two or more certified LTC facilities want to transfer or discharge residents between themselves for the purposes of cohorting, they do not need any additional approval to do so. However, if a certified LTC facility would like to transfer or discharge residents to a non-certified location for the purposes of cohorting, they need approval from the State Survey Agency.

• a beneficiary may access Telehealth services from his or her home
• a beneficiary may use his or her personal cellular device, computer, tablet or other web camera-enabled device to seek and receive medical care with a qualified distant-site provider
• the requirement for a telepresenter to be present with the beneficiary is waived when the beneficiary receives Telehealth services in the home
• any provider that is eligible to bill DOM for services is now allowed to serve as a distant-site provider, including Rural Health Clinics and Federally-Qualified Health Centers
• any limitation on the use of audio-only telephonic consultations is waived

• #1470 establishes that all elective surgeries and procedures be postponed until after April 27.
• #1471 limits health care worker liability due to COVID-19 until May 15. Specifically it reads, "Any Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Facility, absent a showing of malice, reckless disregard or willful misconduct, shall be immune from suit for civil liability for any injury or death alleged to have been sustained because of the Healthcare Professional's or Healthcare Facility's acts or omissions while providing healthcare services including, but not limited to, screening, assessing, diagnosing, treating patients for COVID-19 or otherwise acting in support of the State's COVID-19 response, including but not limited to acts or omissions undertaken because of a lack of resources attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic that renders the Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Facility unable to provide the level or manner of care that otherwise would have been required in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic."

• "Practice Issues" Town Hall - Wednesday, April 15 at 7 pm Central. Topics include strategies to financially sustain your practice, working with payers, and navigating evolving Telehealth rules. CME credit is available for the session. View the session on AAFP's Facebook Page.
• "Managing the Emotional Health of You, Your Team, and Your Patients During COVID-19" Town Hall - Friday, April 16 at 7 pm Central. CME credit is available for the session. View the session on AAFP's Facebook Page.