COVID-19 Update – April 27, 2020
HHS Provider Relief Fund Portal Now Open, Bay Area Shelter-in-Place Update
As of April 27, there are 1,498 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alameda County and 52 deaths (including City of Berkeley information). As of April 27, there are 820 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County and 25 deaths. Please check
www.accma.org/COVID-19
for the latest updates.
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HHS Provider Relief Fund Portal Now Open
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
. HHS is dispersing the additional $20 billion to providers based on a percentage of each provider’s 2018 net patient revenue from all payors, not just Medicare fee-for-service payments. The funds are grants and do not need to be repaid.
Hospitals that submit cost reports to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) automatically received direct deposits on April 24, 2020. Physicians will need to apply to HHS to receive phase two payments. All providers with a Medicare billing TIN are now eligible to apply for a portion of this $20 billion by submitting data about their annual revenues (through their IRS tax filings) and estimated COVID-related lost revenue for March and April 2020 via the
Provider Relief Fund General Distribution Portal
.
Please note there is conflicting information about whether a provider who has not previously received funding (the phase one $30 billion or the phase two automatic payments) can apply for this round of funding. The American Medical Association (AMA) and California Medical Association (CMA) are trying to get clarification. In the meantime, physicians are encouraged to prepare your information and begin applying because there will be a high demand for these funds.
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CMS Suspends Advance Payment Program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Sunday, April 26, 2020 announced that it is suspending its Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program for all Medicare providers. The agency is reevaluating the program in light of the $175 billion in direct payments being made available through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Provider Relief Fund that was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (
see above for more details
).
Funding will continue to be available to physicians and hospitals on the front lines of the coronavirus response primarily from the
Provider Relief Fund
. Payments from this fund do not need to be repaid.
Click here
for an updated CMS fact sheet on the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program.
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Bay Area Health Officers Release Statement on Revisions to Shelter-in-Place Order
In a
joint statement released today the Public Health Officers of the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara as well as the City of Berkeley announced that they will issue revised shelter-in-place orders later this week. The shelter-in-place orders will be extended through May. The new order will include limited easing of specific restrictions for a small number of lower-risk activities.
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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
.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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April 28, 2020 | 12:15 - 1:15 PM
Presented by the California Medical Association
In this webinar, Noridian Medical Director Arthur N. Lurvey, M.D., will discuss Medicare financial updates related to COVID-19, types of telemedicine covered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and many private insurance companies, suspension of some Medicare audits and waivers, and a brief look at eases in documentation and E&M changes.
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April 30, 2020 | 12:00 PM PT
Presented by UCSF Department of Psychiatry
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April 30, 2020 | 12:15 - 1:15 PM
Presented by the California Medical Association
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many physicians have either closed their practices or greatly curtailed in-person office visits. With the proper safety precautions, physicians may now be in a place to carefully reopen their doors to patients or expand available service offerings. This can help ensure that patients receive needed care and improve practice viability. This webinar will present best practices for physicians who are looking to reopen, in order to keep physicians and their patients safe. The webinar will include a discussion of CMA's “Guidelines and Recommendations for Reopening the Health Care System.”
The webinar will also include a case study of a small physician practice that is currently implementing CMA's reopening recommendations.
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May 01, 2020 | 9:00 AM PT
Presented by Joe Keenan, MBA, CSP with Pioneer Educator
OSHA has released Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, which provides specific action steps employers should take to address the global pandemic. With the virus spreading and disrupting operations throughout the United States, organizations must promptly assess their employees’ exposure risks, adapt their business operations to incorporate social distancing practices, and take steps to protect at-risk employees with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
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Available On-Demand
This one-hour, on-demand webinar led by Linda Hawes Clever, MD, MACP, offers practical, creative, and effective remedies to deal with the crush on personal and professional lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains strategies, resources, and suggestions for handling physician wellness, as well as addressing 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. Discover how to reduce personal stress and learn healthy ways to contend with the impact of COVID-19.
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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.
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