April 10, 2020
UnitedHealth to offer nearly $2B in accelerated payments, financial support to providers
(Fierce Healthcare-April 7, 2020) The insurer said that it would accelerate claims payments to both medical and behavioral health care providers across its fully insured commercial, Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid plans. It will also make $125 million in small business loans available to clinical operators that partner with OptumHealth. [Click for full article]
CMS has doled out nearly $34B in advance, accelerated payments to providers to combat COVID-19
(Fierce Healthcare-April 7, 2020) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it has reduced the processing time for such payments to four to six days as opposed to the earlier time frame of three to four weeks. The delivery of payments comes as providers have had to furlough workers as revenues dwindle. [Click for full article]
Acute
AMA President Harris calls for all governors to implement physical distancing guidelines
(Fierce Healthcare-April 7, 2020) Speaking as part of a virtual address hosted by the National Press Club, Harris called on elected officials, the media, tech platforms and other institutions to more stringently follow and disseminate science-based information. [Click for full article]
KFF: Treating uninsured COVID-19 patients could cost as much as $41B
(Fierce Healthcare-April 7, 2020) The Trump administration’s pledge to reimburse hospitals for treating uninsured patients of COVID-19 could cost up to $41.8 billion, nearly half of the $100 billion given to hospitals in a recent economic stimulus package. [Click for full article]
Possible $42 billion cost for COVID-19 hospitalizations among uninsured
(Modern Healthcare-April 7, 2020) With job losses mounting by the day, that figure could soar, further crowding out federal relief funds that hospitals say they need for other purposes, such as extra staffing, personal protective equipment, or making up for lost revenue from the pandemic.
[Click for full article]
HCA Healthcare opens up COVID-19 data portal on Google’s cloud
(Modern Healthcare-April 7, 2020) HCA’s vision is for hospitals across the U.S. to share data on COVID-19 testing results, critical-care beds, ventilator utilization and patient discharges, which the platform can aggregate to aid in response to the novel coronavirus. Illustrating the spread of the pandemic could help hospitals plan for challenges such as patient surges. [Click for full article]
Drug treatment programs now facing two health crises
(Modern Healthcare-April 7, 2020) Patients rely on the facilities for obtaining medication-assisted treatment. But providers are trying to reduce the number of in-person visits and the risk of patients being exposed to COVID-19. [Click for full article]
Tech Digital health investments were off to a record start. How will COVID-19 change things?
(Fierce Healthcare-April 6, 2020) Digital health venture funding was on a tear in early 2020, with a record $3.1 billion invested during the first quarter, according to Rock Health. Find out what investors have to say about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on digital health funding in 2020. [Click for full article]
Hospitals to OIG: Lack of tests, PPE and consistent guidance hamstringing COVID-19 response
(Fierce Healthcare-April 6, 2020) Click here for a look at what hospital administrators across the U.S. say their top challenges and solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic have been.
More hospital CEOs elect to donate salaries as revenues plummet due to
COVID-19
(Fierce Healthcare-April 6, 2020) Several health system CEOs and leadership members are forgoing or donating their pay to help solve a worsening cash crisis due to the COVID-19 outbreak. [Click for full article]
Eldercare
As Hospitals Struggle to Free Up Beds — and Nursing Homes Lock Down — In-House Dialysis Provides Relief
(Skilled Nursing News-April 8, 2020) Residents who require routine dialysis treatments are some of the most at-risk patients — and although this population is not the current focal point, if not treated safely inside nursing home walls, they may be endangering themselves and others when traveling in and out of outpatient clinics three days per week. [Click for full article]
CMS ‘Considering’ Expansion of Telehealth Coverage for Physical, Occupational, Speech Therapy Services
(Skilled Nursing News-April 8, 2020) One group remains largely left out of the push: physical, occupational, and speech therapists. But that could change as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mulls the potential ways it can use the powers gained under the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package passed last month. [Click for full article]
Skilled Nursing Facilities Could Soon See $1.5B Under CMS’s Emergency Relief Plan, With More on the Way
(Skilled Nursing News-April 8, 2020) Providers will receive the first disbursements from a $100 billion emergency COVID-19 stimulus fund this week. For skilled nursing facilities that primarily derive their income from Medicare, the windfall could be significant. [Click for full article]
Once an Afterthought, Nursing Homes Embrace Social Media as Essential During COVID-19 Crisis
(Skilled Nursing News-April 7, 2020) For years, nursing home operators had seen social media engagement with the public as a luxury at best, and a recipe for disaster at worst. Then CMS locked down the nation’s SNFs amid the COVID-19 fight, turning Facebook into an essential lifeline. [Click for full article]
TX Nursing Home Turns to Hotly Debated Malaria Drug in Fight Against COVID-19
(Skilled Nursing News-April 7, 2020) The governor of Texas announced that a group of nursing home residents are being treated with an antimalarial drug that has made headlines as a possible treatment for the illness, though its efficacy remains untested and unproven in formal clinical trials. [Click for full article]
Sabra Sells Pair of Genesis Skilled Nursing Facilities; SLIB Pulls Off Sale Despite COVID-19 Market Pressures
(Skilled Nursing News-April 7, 2020) Sabra offloads a pair of Genesis-leased properties for a price that consists mostly of debt obligations, SLIB closes a deal despite COVID-19 uncertainty, and more.
[Click for full article]
Amid Shortages, Using PPE According to CMS Guidelines Could Cost Nursing Homes $10K a Day — Or More
(Skilled Nursing News-April 6, 2020) Updated guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are causing major headaches for nursing home operators staring down widespread shortages — and significant premiums for any items available on the open market. [Click for full article]
Officials Offer Financial Incentives for COVID-Focused SNFs Ahead of Peak Cases: ‘It’s a Race at This Point’
(Skilled Nursing News-April 6, 2020) As both states and the federal government race to create dedicated nursing homes for COVID-19 patients, officials in at least one state are offering to more than double the Medicaid rate for operators that volunteer to take on the task. [Click for full article]
Links:
CDC: COCA Calls/Webinars- Recent and Upcoming calls/webinars where subject matter experts present key emergency preparedness and response topics.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/index.asp
CDC: How to prepare
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/prevent-spread-in-long-term-care-facilities.html
CDC: Preparedness Checklist
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/novel-coronavirus-2019-Nursing-Homes-Preparedness-Checklist_3_13.pdf
AHLA: Visit this website daily for the latest information that AHCA/NCAL has to share with long term care providers about COVID-19.
https://www.ahcancal.org/facility_operations/disaster_planning/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx
World Health Organization (WHO)- COVID-19 Pandemic Daily Updates
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
World Health Organization (WHO) – Stay Informed
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Worldometer: Visit this website daily for Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, and death toll by country.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/