COVID-19 Update – April 20, 2020
e-Prescribing Policy, End-of-Life Decision Aids, PPE Burn Rate Calculator

As of April 20, there are 1,191 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alameda County and 42 deaths (including City of Berkeley information). As of April 20, there are 707 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County and 22 deaths. Please check  www.accma.org/COVID-19   for the latest updates.   
OptumRx Suspends Policy Requiring e-Prescribing for Controlled Substances Due to COVID-19

OptumRx—the pharmacy benefit provider for UnitedHealthcare—has temporarily  suspended  its mandatory e-prescribing policy for controlled substances. During the COVID-19 national emergency, OptumRx home delivery pharmacy will fill any controlled substance prescription it receives, as long as the prescription meets federal and state regulatory requirements.

OptumRx home delivery pharmacy on March 1, 2020, had stopped filling prescriptions for controlled substances received by hard copy, fax or phone. This policy is on hold until further notice.

Physicians who have questions about the OptumRx policy should contact UnitedHealthcare at (877) 842-3210 or visit  UHCprovider.com .
CCCC Makes End-of-Life Decision Aids Free to Use During COVID-19

To support health care providers and consumers during the COVID-19 crisis, the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) is making digital copies of its end-of-life decision aids available free for a limited time. These decision aids use consumer-friendly, unbiased language to describe important treatment options related to care during serious illness. The digital copies can be emailed to patients to provide a visual aid and source of reference in conjunction with an advance care planning conversation with a health provider. 

Topics include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ventilator, artificial hydration, and tube feeding. The resources are available in English, Spanish and Chinese. You can also  contact CCCC  to purchase printed copies in packs of 25.

CDC Releases PPE Burn Rate Calculator

The CDC recently released a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator that aims to help healthcare facilities plan and optimize the use of PPE for response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To use the calculator, facilities must enter the number of boxes of each PPE they have in stock, as well as the number of patients currently at the facility. The tool will then calculate the average consumption rate, or "burn rate", for each type of PPE. Facilities may then estimate how long their current PPE stock will last based on the average consumption rate. Access the PPE Burn Rate Calculator here .

Facilities requiring additional PPE or other medical support may apply through the County resource allocation process:


  • Contra Costa County: All Resource Requests should be submitted using the attached “CCCHS Request Form”. If requesting PPE, must also complete attached “Medical/Health Items Provider Questionnaire" (found on the first page of the CCCHS Request Form). These forms should be submitted directly to the CCHS DOC Logistics Section at [email protected]. Per CCHS, you should first work within your vendors and systems first before sending requests to the DOC.
Health Services Advisory Group's Infection Prevention Expertise

HSAG has a highly trained team of four expert infection preventionists (IPs) with specialized training and extensive infection prevention and epidemiology expertise from numerous settings (acute care hospitals, long-term care [LTC], ambulatory surgery centers, public health, etc.). They are ready and available to provide virtual infection prevention assistance and answer your COVID-19 questions at no cost.


Submit a request through HSAG’s COVID-19 website  www.hsag.com/covid-19/contact-us  
ACCMA & CMA COVID-19 Resource Toolkits
 
The ACCMA has put together a free toolkit of resources that address the day-to-day needs of East Bay physicians of all career stages and in all modes of practice, from food and grocery delivery services to exercises that can be done at home. Click here to access and download the toolkit.

To help physicians understand the rapidly evolving personnel and other employment-related issues during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the California Medical Association has published the  CMA COVID-19 Toolkit for Physician Employers . This resource is free to all and available on CMA’s COVID-19 resource page,  cmadocs.org/covid-19 .
Intuit Aid Assist - Financial Assistance Resource

Intuit Aid Assist  is a free service that allows businesses, self-employed, contractors, and others to understand and access different business relief programs. Individuals and businesses can complete a loan eligibility assessment to see if they qualify for any federal funding programs.
Alameda & Contra Costa County Recruiting Physicians for COVID-19

East Bay physicians can support COVID-19 response efforts through paid and/or voluntary service opportunities through the Alameda County, Contra Costa County, or the State of California. Please visit accma.org/COVID-19 and scrolling to "COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities" for application instructions.
Complimentary Peer Discussion Groups
 
RechargedMD  is offering ACCMA members  complimentary online peer discussion and coaching specifically for physicians. With the guidance of a certified physician coach, physicians can receive and offer support, as well as learn from one another. Small groups will meet beginning on April 25 for 45 minutes per week for three facilitated sessions. Go to  rechargedmd.com/covid19support . 
Tips for Physicians to Protect Themselves and Their Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic
 
Click here for tips on what to do before going to work, at work, and after work/coming home to protect yourself and your family. Tips include how to create a hot zone (contaminated area) near your home entrance and how to take care of your skin. Courtesy of the TPMG Diablo Health and Wellness Team.    
Upcoming Webinars
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM | FREE

This one-hour webinar led by Linda Hawes Clever, MD, MACP, will offer practical, creative, and effective remedies to deal with the crush on personal and professional lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will start with some strategies, resources, and suggestions and then quickly evolve to questions and answers, as we listen and see the ingenuity, guts, and devotion with which we are addressing the harrowing challenges we all face as a profession, community, and nation. Participants will discover how to r educe personal stress and learn healthy ways to contend with the impact of COVID-19.

You are encouraged to submit questions in advance to help her address the range of clinician concerns and responses to the crisis. And you can also briefly share any personal tips and practices that are helping you during this difficult time. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected].
Thursday, April 23, 2020 | 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM | FREE
Presented by the California Medical Association

The webinar will be presented by Chris Bell and Georgia Green of Moss Adams, a leading accounting, consulting and wealth management firm with over 250 professionals dedicated to the health care industry. The California Medical Association (CMA) will also provide an overview of its advocacy efforts to sustain the financial viability of medical practices. 
Friday, April 24, 2020 | 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | FREE

Join a panel discussion with three physicians who successfully transitioned to using Telemedicine in their practices. To register , please click here and complete the form at the bottom of the page. Please note that completion of the form will register you for the whole Telemedicine series, so if you are interested in attending more than one webinar, please only submit the form once.

Panelists:  
Marc Dean, MD 
Uli K. Chettipally, MD 
Richard Thorp, MD
Questions/Concerns?  

Please contact ACCMA at 510-654-5383 or   [email protected]   with any questions or concerns you have. Although we may not currently have an immediate answer to all questions, we want to know the information and resources that you need to continue to provide care for our community during this difficult time.  
 
This information will also be posted online at www.accma.org/COVID-19 and will be updated frequently. Please check the ACCMA website regularly for updates.