POET LLC

TMA has a great chart to help answer your telehealth questions. Here is the link…https://www.texmed.org/uploadedFiles/Current/2016_Practice_Help/Health_Information_Technology/Telemedicine/Telemedicine%20Quick%20Reference%20Chart%20for%20Payers.pdf

Texas Medical Board Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 21, 2020

Media contact: Jarrett Schneider, 512-305-7018

Customer service: 512-305-7030 or 800-248-4062

TMB Adopts Emergency Rule to Enforce Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order GA-15

Following Governor Greg Abbott’s issuance of Executive Order GA-15, the Texas Medical Board’s Executive Committee today adopted rules on an emergency basis to enforce the Governor’s Executive Order which continues the postponement of certain surgeries and procedures as outlined in the order.

The adopted rule amends 22 TAC Chapter 190.8 Violation Guidelines, and adds to the definition of “Unprofessional and Dishonorable Conduct” under 22 TAC §190.8(2)(U). The adopted emergency rule goes into effect later today at 11:59 p.m. when GA-15 goes into effect.

The rule adds to the definition to include the following:

(U) a violation of Texas Executive Order GA-15, issued April 17, 2020, which states: “All licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities shall postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary to diagnose or correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without timely performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient’s physician; provided, however, that this prohibition shall not apply to either of the following:

(i) any procedure that, if performed in accordance with the commonly accepted standard of clinical practice, would not deplete the hospital capacity or the personal protective equipment needed to cope with the COVID-19 disaster; or

(ii) any surgery or procedure performed in a licensed health care facility that has certified in writing to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission both:

(1) that it will reserve at least 25% of its hospital capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, accounting for the range of clinical severity of COVID-l9 patients; and

(2) that it will not request any personal protective equipment from any public source, whether federal, state, or local, for the duration of the COVID-19 disaster.”

The Executive Committee also withdrew emergency rules related to Executive Order GA-09 effective today at 11:59 p.m.

The Board has published updated FAQs on the TMB website at www.tmb.state.tx.us/page/coronavirus.

For the latest COVID-19 information for health providers and the public, visit the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) COVID-19 web page at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

APRIL 22,2020 UPDATE FROM TMA : Please see link for further clarification provided by TMA. https://www.texmed.org/uploadedFiles/Current/2016_Public_Health/Infectious_Diseases/Emergency%20rule%20guidance%20-%203.25%20Update.pdf

TMA offers help with Payer’s COVID-19 Policies.  This is open to all Texas physicians now. To View

From MGMA – April 16, 2020

Regulatory alert: HHS CARES Act grant funding Attestation Portal now open
The Attestation Portal for the initial $30 billion general distribution from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is now open. Providers that received a payment from HHS as part of the Provider Relief Fund authorized under the CARES Act must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions within 30 days of receiving payment.
To complete the attestation, billing entities must provide their Taxpayer Identification Number. Should you choose to reject the funds, you must also complete the attestation to indicate this. The Portal will guide you through the attestation process to accept or reject the funds.
Group practices with questions about the grant funds can call the Provider Relief hotline at (866) 569-3522. Please note that the terms and conditions are subject to further clarification by HHS, and MGMA will pass along any additional guidance if it is made available.

Found this today and thought it might be helpful to someone

From MGMA Community:

Subject: Telehealth Resources

Hi everyone, we use Bluestream health for our interpretation services. In light of the current situation around COVID-19 they have released a free, HIPAA compliant telehealth portal for anyone to use, no cost or contracts. I am not trying to market anything but sharing resources. I shared this with our local community and they recommended I share it here in case anyone needs it.
The link is here www.bluestreamhealth.com/rapid-response/…

Sorry if I violated any rules, I am not affiliated with this company at all just sharing good info.

Good luck to everyone!

——————————
Daman Kaur
Frederick Foot and Ankle
Frederick MD
——————————

Attached is the PCP E-Newsletter for the month of April. Topics this month include:

• Patient Assistance Programs
• World Immunization Week
• 2020 Formulary QRG
• CAHPS Corner
• Valuable Insights: News You Can Use

Do you require your patients to wear masks?  See how another office is approaching these questions. View Link.

To view the memo.

First posted April 13,2020 and pinned as top post. Removed pin April 24th.

If you see a payment appear in the checking account from HHS and do not know why. This is why….

Immediate infusion of $30 billion into healthcare system

Recognizing the importance of delivering funds in a fast and transparent manner, $30 billion is being distributed immediately – with payments arriving via direct deposit beginning April 10, 2020 – to eligible providers throughout the American healthcare system. These are payments, not loans, to healthcare providers, and will not need to be repaid.

• Providers will be paid via Automated Clearing House account information on file with UHG or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
  • The automatic payments will come to providers via Optum Bank with “HHSPAYMENT” as the payment description.
  • Providers who normally receive a paper check for reimbursement from CMS, will receive a paper check in the mail for this payment as well, within the next few weeks.
• Within 30 days of receiving the payment, providers must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions of payment. The portal for signing the attestation will be open the week of April 13, 2020, and will be linked on this page.
• HHS’ payment of this initial tranche of funds is conditioned on the healthcare provider’s acceptance of the Terms and Conditions – PDF, which acceptance must occur within 30 days of receipt of payment. Not returning the payment within 30 days of receipt will be viewed as acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. If a provider receives payment and does not wish to comply with these Terms and Conditions, the provider must do the following: contact HHS within 30 days of receipt of payment and then remit the full payment to HHS as instructed.  Appropriate contact information will be provided soon.

Is this different than the CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Program?

Yes. The CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Program has delivered billions of dollars to healthcare providers to help ensure providers and suppliers have the resources needed to combat the pandemic. The CMS accelerated and advance payments are a loan that providers must pay back. Read more information from CMS.

To understand all of what this means and what you need to do, you must check out the CMS website.

https://www.hhs.gov/provider-relief/index.html

Today the Governor has lifted a few more regulations around telehealth. Here is the link- https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-waives-regulations-expands-telehealth-options

This is what is in the link –

Governor Greg Abbott has temporarily waived a series of regulations to lift certain telehealth restrictions and expand telehealth options as Texas responds to COVID-19. These waivers will allow a smart phone or any audio-visual, real-time, or two-way interactive communication system to qualify as a telecommunications technology that can be used to provide certain telehealth services. These waivers apply to speech-language pathologists and audiologists, behavior analysts, hearing instrument fitters and dispensers, and dyslexia therapists and practitioners.