Now more than ever, Californians are relying on physicians to help guide them through these difficult times. While the outbreak of COVID-19 has created tremendous uncertainty throughout our communities, we have seen countless physicians put their own health and safety at risk to treat people facing a new, deadly disease.

The opinions made by doctors Daniel Erickson and Artin Messihi have earned attention across the state, but it is the opinion of the Kern County Medical Society (KCMS) that the course we are on, is the course that is in the best interest of our communities and our patients. More...

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, California and the United States took steps to limit the transmission and impact of the virus by implementing stay at home orders. While this has so far prevented any surges overwhelming our hospitals, it has also meant that many other parts of the health care system have been idled to preserve resources and capacity in the system and limit opportunity for transmission or exposure of the virus. More...

SACRAMENTO – California State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced April 30, 2020, that the California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA) board, chaired by Treasurer Ma, approved a new $5 million emergency loan program for California health facilities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting today, certain health facilities can apply for zero interest loans of up to $250,000 to pay for a number of COVID-19 purposes. More...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on April 30, 2020, a significant expansion of telehealth services so physicians and other providers can deliver a wider range of care to Medicare patients in their homes. Most notably, CMS will now be increasing payments for telephone visits to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This change is retroactive to March 1, 2020. More...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 23, 2020, announced a $20 billion phase two round of funding for health care providers from the $175 billion  CARES Act Provider Relief Fund . There is, however, conflicting information about whether a provider who has not previously received funding from the Provider Relief Fund in phase one can apply for this second round of funding.   More...

The California Medical Association (CMA) has scheduled three new COVID-19 webinars. These webinars are available free to all interested parties as part of CMA’s ongoing support for physicians during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

CMS Actions in Response to COVID-19: An Update for Physicians

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Chief Medical Officer Ashby Wolfe, M.D., will provide an overview of the CMS Response to COVID-19. Dr. Wolfe will review existing CMS waivers and flexibilities supporting patient care during the pandemic, with a particular focus on flexibilities that impact physicians. She will discuss 1135 waiver authority, the difference between blanket and individual provider waivers, and an overview of existing telehealth, care by phone, workforce and laboratory testing flexibilities.

 

May 5, 2020 - 12:15pm to 1:15pm

 

Registration and Information

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the Age of COVID-19

In this webinar, we will review how the COVID-19 public emergency has changed how we care for patients with opioid use disorder. The webinar will also review new state and federal flexibilities to help patients stay safe and access care. Presenters will share how physicians are adapting to the challenges of the epidemic in opioid treatment programs and office settings. We will also here how the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has responded to the emergency to help transform the safety-net behavioral health treatment system from one predominantly dependent on in-person group visits to one that can deliver services by telephone and telehealth.

May 8, 2020 - 12:15pm to 1:15pm

Registration and Information

Update on Telehealth Reimbursement and Privacy Laws: COVID-19

This webinar will build on CMA's telehealth webinar from March 26, 2020, focusing on the updated telehealth and privacy flexibilities granted by federal and state governments over the past four weeks. Presenters will discuss recent expansions of telehealth use, state and federal privacy waivers, and updates to telehealth billing guidelines.

May 12, 2020 - 12:15pm to 1:15pm

Registration and Information

Kern County   ( Kern County Public Health )

Total Resident Cases - 939

Non-Resident Cases - 9

Recovered Residents - 543

Kern Resident Deaths - 8

California ( California Department of Public Health )

Co nfirmed Cases - 50,442

Deaths - 2,073

United States ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )

Confirmed Cases - 1,062,446

Deaths - 62,402

World ( World Health Organization )

Confirmed Cases - 3,181,642

Deaths - 224,301

All of these numbers were pulled from the respective websites 5/1/20, 4:00PM.