INFORMATION FOR PHYSICIANS AND PRACTICES ON COVID-19
First COVID-19 Related Death Reported in Kern County
PRESS RELEASE FROM KERN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
CONTACT: Michelle Corson, Public Relations Officer
(661) 868-0288 or (661) 304-7766
March 27, 2020

Kern County, CA – Kern County Public Health Services Department has received confirmation of the first COVID-19 related death in a Kern County resident. There have been 34 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kern County residents and one in a non-resident.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the family and are saddened by this,” says Matt Constantine, Director of Kern County Public Health Services. “This is a tragic reminder of how serious COVID-19 can be and we encourage all residents to stay at home and practice social distancing when going out for essential services.”

CMS expands accelerated payment program to help physicians with COVID-19 cash flow challenges
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Saturday announced an expansion of its accelerated and advance payment program for participating Medicare providers and suppliers.

Trump Signs $2 Trillion Stimulus Bill (CARES ACT 2020)
Read the summary prepared by the American Medical Association (AMA) advocacy staff.


Upcoming FREE* Webinars from CMA
Implementing Telehealth in Your Practice: COVID-19 Emergency

Telehealth continues to deliver value in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing physicians to see patients safely and limit the spread of the virus. Additionally, federal and state waivers, guidance and directives now enable physicians to get reimbursed fairly for telehealth visits, practices.
 
This webinar will provide you with tools and resources for implementing telehealth in your practice. We will discuss options for your practice including the recently announced partnership between CMA Physician Services and Amwell.  
 
March 30, 2020 - 12:15PM to 1:15PM

Financial Assistance Available to Practices: COVID-19 Emergency

This webinar will provide a layout out of financial assistance programs available to physician practices and small businesses, offered by both the federal government and the State of California. These programs are intended to help practices maintain their financial viability while dealing with the influx of patients into their offices and the moratorium of non-essential procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CMA staff will direct physicians to specific resources they can take advantage of during this crisis. 
 
March 31, 2020 - 12:15PM to 1:15PM

*As part of KCMS/CMA's COVID-19 support to all physician practices, these webinars are  FREE to all , including non-members.
Frequently Asked COVID-19 Questions
CMA has developed a great FAQ on COVID-19. It is updated frequently, so keep checking back. It answers questions by topic and topics include:

  • Personnel
  • Financial
  • Telehealth
  • Testing
  • Prescribing
  • Miscellaneous
Latest COVID-19 Facts
Kern County ( Kern County Public Health )
Positive Tests - 51
Deaths - 1

Confirmed Cases - 4,643
Deaths - 101

Confirmed Cases - 122,653
Deaths - 2,112

Confirmed Cases - 638,146
Deaths - 30,105

All of these numbers were pulled from the respective websites 3/29/20, 2:20PM.