COVID-19 Webinar Series and Resource Center
These are incredibly challenging times. Soon, practices across the state of Pennsylvania will be expanding their services and facing a “New Normal”. How do we “reopen” for our patients? Our staff? Our families? Ourselves?
Whether you are an office on the front line of high risk patients in search of information, or you are a physician whose business has been interrupted by this crisis, this webinar series will have useful info that will benefit you and your practice.
Tonyehn Verkitus, Executive Director of the Lackawanna and Luzerne County Medical Societies and David Griffiths, Executive Director of the Lehigh County Medical Society have partnered on a COVID-19 webinar series for our members.
The first webinar, Reopening your Pennsylvania Physician Practice during the Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities; learn strategies and tactics to help you plan and execute an effective Ramp-Up of your practice. Thank you to those of you who joined us live for the webinar. If you couldn’t make it, please click the link below.
Click here to listen to the first webinar
Click here to download the PowerPoint slides
We wish to thank the speakers on this webinar,
- Dr. Timothy Welby, MD, FAAP, Owner/Partner, Pediatrics of Northeast Pennsylvania
- David Bittner, MBA, CEO, OAA Orthopedic Specialists
- Suzette Benedick, MBA, CHC, Executive Director, Kidney Care Specialists
- Maraleen Shields, Esq., Shareholder, Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba
- Rick Cancelliere, CEO, PracticeBeat
The second webinar, Telemedicine: Is it a Critical Component of the “New Normal”? was on Thursday, May 21. Click here to learn how several physician practices have innovated in the area of Telemedicine. What are the options? Are there liability concerns? Will Telemedicine be a valuable option in the future?
We’ll be joined by:
- Robert Murphy, MD. Chief Integration Officer, Lehigh Valley Health Network; Plastic Surgeon/Hand Spec.
- Chris Connor, D.O., Partner, Northeastern Rehabilitation Associates, P.C.
- Donna Eget, D.O., Medical Director, Medicus Urgent Care
- Maraleen Shields, Esq., Shareholder, Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba
- Rick Cancelliere, CEO, PracticeBeat
Click here to listen to the second webinar
Click here to download the PowerPoint slides
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Lehigh County Physicians and Medical Practices
On May 9, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) issued Guidance for Pennsylvania Health Care Practitioners on Non-Urgent Care during COVID-19 Emergency. Click here for more information
What Physicians Should Know about Gov. Wolf’s Executive Order Granting Medical Liability Immunity to Some Health Care Practitioners. Click here
COVID-19: Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Resources:
Please click here for resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA’s) Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
Headspace is offering all US healthcare professionals who work in public health settings free access to Headspace Plus through 2020
Looking for PPE?
Here’s a list of organizations trying to help:
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal
PA Critical Donations Portal is designed for individuals, corporations or community organizations to inform the commonwealth of critical medical supplies available for donation
Are you a physician or retired physician or healthcare provider who is interested in helping during this COVID-19 crisis, please think about volunteering. Here is a link to the Allentown’s Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps
Pennsylvania To Enable Retired Health Care Professionals to Assist With COVID-19 Response, for more info click here
AMA Senior physician COVID-19 resource guide
COVID-19 in Pennsylvania: click here
Department of Health COVID-19 Information for Health Care Professionals
COVID-19 Resources for Businesses, Communities, and Local Governments
To contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health, call 1-877-724-3258
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency click here
COVID-19 Critical Medical Supplies Procurement Portal
The Allentown Health Bureau click here
COVID-19 safety videos click here
Updates from the Pennsylvania Medical Society: click here
PAMED’s Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency: Guidance for Pennsylvania Physicians
PAMED’s Guidelines for Reopening the Health Care System
For information on USDA Approval for COVID-19 Disaster Food Distribution
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education has compiled a list of coronavirus education resources that can help clinicians respond. Click here This page includes a list of accredited continuing education (CE) activities and additional resources that can help the CE provider and clinician community respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- CDC Guidance for Healthcare Professionals
- Frequently Asked Questions for Healthcare Providers
- Prepare your practice
- CDC Guide for Evaluating and Testing Persons Under Investigation
- CDC Guidelines for Clinical Specimens
- CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations
- CDC Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE
- Implementing Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization
- CDC COVID-19 Information (Spanish)
Updates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- CMS Coronavirus Partner Toolkit
- CMS Recommendations for Re-opening Facilities to Provide Essential Non-COVID-19 Healthcare (PDF)
- CMS Provider Enrollment Relief FAQs
- CMS Quality Payment Program Relief Information
- Quality Payment Program – COVID-19 Response
- CMS letter to Clinicians participating in MIPS (PDF)
- Medicare Telehealth FAQs
- Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet
- Medicare Administrative Contractor COVID-19 Test Pricing Fact Sheet
- Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF)
- Fact sheet: Expansion of the Accelerated and Advance Payments Program for Providers and Suppliers During COVID-19 Emergency
- FAQs on Essential Health Benefit Coverage and the Coronavirus Updates from Medicaid.gov
State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
- Physicians and Other Clinicians: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 – CMS
- Administration Makes Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge
- General Provider Telehealth and Telemedicine Tool Kit – CMS
- State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
- Guidance on telehealth/telemedicine may be found on Medicaid
- Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency
- Financial Relief for Medicare Providers
From HHS
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HIPAA compliance during COVID-19
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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Telehealth Resources and Reports
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Telehealth Policy changes during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
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FAQs on Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency
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Planning your telehealth workflow
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Telehealth Legal considerations
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Guidance on BAAs, including sample BAA provisions
- Eligible Providers Can Submit Information to Receive Additional Provider Relief Fund Payments
- CARES Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal
- CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Application Guide
- COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing and Treatment of the Uninsured
Information from the American Medical Association
- Making tough decisions: Managing the practice’s employee costs
- AMA COVID-19 Online Resource Center
- AMA Physicians Guide to COVID-19
- AMA COVID-19 FAQ
- JAMA Network COVID-19 Collection
- AMA Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice
- CARES Act: Helping physician practices
- CARES Act: Medicare advance payments for COVID-19 emergency
- CMS payment policies & regulatory flexibilities during COVID-19 emergency
- Helping private practices navigate non-essential care during COVID-19
- COVID-19 coding and guidance
- Physician Practice Financial Relief Guide
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation
Information from U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Five Things To Know About The New Care Centered Collaborative (CCC)
As the CCC leaders travel across Pennsylvania, meeting multiple times with a large cross-section of healthcare stakeholders from private practice, independent groups and large health systems, they hear ongoing reinforcement for a founding principle of the organization. There is strong belief that the CCC’ s strategic approach can provide all physician specialty types with the advantages of aggregation without the disadvantages of practice acquisition.
By the end of the third quarter, the CCC will have launched several practical and important offerings for Pennsylvania physicians, at discounted prices for PAMED members. These include, a high-value, low cost MIPS Registry Reporting program (May 2017), a strong suite of MSO services (September 2017); and Care Coordination and Case Management capabilities, Population Health Analytics and two CIN engagements with large physician groups (each 4Q 2017).
All the CCC’s work to date has been accomplished within or below the expected budget and ahead of the timeline projected by the Deloitte analyses.
Through the creation of the CCC and due to the extensive relationships and networks of its management team, the CCC has been able to engage many physicians and physician leaders who have let their PAMED memberships lapse. The CCC will continue to expand the relevance and value proposition of PAMED, creating additional, compelling benefits of membership.
Work to date has been accomplished with a 5-person management team. They can take advantage of the Deloitte analyses without taking on the burden of additional costly consulting. The CCC leadership team is confident in its ability to fulfill the mission of the new organization.
Please contact us if you would like to talk further. It would be our pleasure. www.patientccc.com
HIPAA Security Toolkit
Does your head spin at the thought of reading the 563-page HIPAA mega-rule to find out what you need to do to comply? – See more here from the PAMED website.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society offers a number of free online CME activities to members.
Click here for more information.
Looking for a new job?
The Pennsylvania Medical Society’s JobBank is a useful, economical source for Pennsylvania physicians looking for jobs and employers seeking candidates for medical job openings. – See more here
