Additional Resources for Physician Offices

Post this COVID-19 vaccine sign so that everyone can be home for the holidays and not in a hospital.

TMF's Nursing Home team lists some common concerns that people give for not receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine, followed by reasons why being up to date is important.

Use this tool to identify process gaps and improvement opportunities related to influenza, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation has released an environmental scan that details the improvements made to COVID-19 testing and vaccination rates, in particular highlighting individuals who are at a disproportionate risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 or experiencing related adverse outcomes because of chronic conditions.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs has prepared this fact sheet detailing what will change and what will not with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, planned for May 11.

How can your health care office bill for administering the Novavax booster? Who is eligible to receive the Novavax booster? Read the latest entry in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Medicare Learning Network newsletter for the new CPT codes and list of eligibility.

Many physicians who participated in a July 2020 study used telehealth for the first time during the early COVID-19 era. Most respondents found telehealth to be more effective than expected and 77% would be likely to use telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results were published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

Since the pandemic began, older adults have seen many changes in their lives, health and relationships. This resource identifies how to recognize changes and provides information on the Eldercare Locator that helps older adults, caregivers and families find local services that help address those changes.

Read this article in the New England Journal of Medicine to learn how the drugs developed to treat the virus that causes COVID-19 works, especially against the five sublineages of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for PAXLOVID for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in certain adults and pediatric patients at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. On July 6, the FDA revised the EUA to let pharmacists prescribe and dispense PAXLOVID to eligible patients without seeing a doctor or other clinician.

How does the body defend against infections? How can vaccines improve immunity? Listen to this podcast with Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP, chief medical officer at TMF Health Quality Institute, and Clifford Moy, MD, the behavioral health medical director at TMF, to learn more.

We know that when you get a vaccination, it stimulates the production of antibodies. Vaccinations help train our bodies to defend against infectious agents. Listen to this podcast with Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP, chief medical officer at TMF Health Quality Institute, and Clifford Moy, MD, the behavioral health medical director at TMF, to learn more.

What is herd immunity or community immunity? Both phrases mean the same thing. The strategy behind the phrases is to make sure there are enough people in the community who are either not able to catch a disease or not able to spread the disease so that the disease dies out. Listen to this podcast with Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP, chief medical officer at TMF Health Quality Institute, and Clifford Moy, MD, the behavioral health medical director at TMF, to learn more.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the monoclonal antibody bebtelovimab for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adult and pediatric patients when they meet certain criteria.

This communication tool offers fuel-based interventions intended to increase vaccine uptake and friction-based interventions that respond to hidden barriers that hold people back from vaccination.

The Food and Drug Administration has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals.

Listen to this TMF Quality Innovation Network webinar recording with Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD, as he presents on the impact COVID-19 has had on the mental health of the older adult population. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola also discusses how to achieve health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic through community collaboration.

Read this update on COVID-19 and the delta variant from Russell Kohl, MD, FAAFP, chief medical officer at TMF Health Quality Institute, and Clifford Moy, MD, behavioral health medical director at TMF Health Quality Institute. Share this information with your patients, residents, co-workers, families, friends and your community to help educate everyone on what they can do to reduce infections and hospitalizations.

Listen to this podcast from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to hear two interviews with experts whose work straddles the lines between medicine, community outreach and health communications. Learn about initiatives in Central Texas that are helping to educate people about the COVID-19 vaccines and gain their trust.

Health care professionals from all care settings are encouraged to use the resources listed in this TMF Quality Innovation Network change package to help care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Note, you must log into this website to download this change package.

The American Hospital Association has updated the Well-being Playbook with tools to support teams who work directly with patients with COVID-19. This version includes curated resources specific to COVID-19 on suicide prevention, operationalizing peer support, and a guide to walk leaders through well-being program development and execution.

Watch this video presentation, hosted by the Health Resources and Services Administration, to learn how to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This recording features Catherine Lindsey Satterwhite, PhD, MSPH, MPH, regional health administrator for the U.S. Department and Health Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health in Region VII; Marwan Haddad MD, MPH, AAHIVS; and Kasey Harding MPH. You must use the following passcode to access the video: n1c=*y70.

The de Beaumont Foundation offers concise, practical guidance around language and messaging to support vaccine acceptance. This toolkit includes communication tips and specific recommended language emerging from a broader survey conducted on the topic.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity has released two videos that speak to the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, how communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and how it is important to get vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones from the virus. The videos are available in English and Spanish.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), in coordination with federal partners, national EMS organizations and state and local officials, has compiled resources to help EMS systems train EMTs and other clinicians to administer the available SARS-CoV-2 vaccines safely and effectively.

The COVID-19 crisis is constantly evolving—so Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has developed a powerful tracking and data visualization system to provide daily updates to the public on the state of the pandemic. JHU’s Daily COVID-19 Data in Motion report shares critical data on COVID-19 from the last 24 hours. Explore COVID-19 trends with in-depth data tracking.

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced an update to the Current Procedural Terminology code set. Of note are new vaccine-specific codes to report immunizations for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

John Hopkins University offers a new, free e-learning course to help people understand the COVID-19 pandemic. The course is set up as a series of short modules to explore the pandemic and specifics about the virus, including discussion of the virus that causes COVID-19 and the pandemic’s broader implications for society.

The New England Journal of Medicine has compiled this collection of best practices and recent developments to reference as health care facilities continue to learn and apply the best strategies to treat patients who have COVID-19.

Download and share this handout from the World Health Organization that shows when it is important to wash your hands when caring for a patient or resident.

This 4-minute video outlines key considerations for practices regarding caring for patients with one or more chronic conditions during pandemics including but not limited to influenza and COVID-19.

Read this blog by Aledade about guidance for Annual Wellness Visits via teleheatlh.

This one page document lists information for patients to help them work through the loss of a loved one.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center provides a compilation of resources related to behavioral health care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Listen to this KnowDiabetesbyHeart podcast with Dr Anne Peters, an endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism specialist and Dr. Diana Isaacs, an endocrine clinical pharmacy specialist, as they discuss tackling COVID-19 in their practices including telehealth tips on getting started, treatment plan considerations and ways to help patients prepare. (27:47)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights lists answers to questions about COVID-19 and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule disclosures in this document.

Download this example telehealth workflow to adapt for use in your practice.

SAMHSA recognizes the challenges posed by the current COVID-19 situation and is providing the following guidance and resources to assist individuals, providers, communities and states across the country.

The National Association of the Deaf provides COVID-19 telehealth guidelines for health care providers.

This list offers health care leaders and health care professionals tips on how to manage stress and prevent burnout.

This two-page handout gives an overview of the four steps of the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations (SBAR) guidelines to prompt communication between team members to quickly decide which patients need to come in for an appointment and which patients can be managed via telehealth.

Download this two-page resource guide to introduce and educate your patients about how they can access telehealth services. This guide is editable to provide your practice the opportunity to brand it.

This one-page guide provides primary care practices with seven critical questions to ask all patients in order to identify an unmet social need and provide resources.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) provides some quick tips to simplify your telehealth journey.

This five-minute video offers a step-by-step mask-wearing how-to, along with some do's and dont's.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) answers frequently asked questions about how to wear a cloth face covering.

On April 8, 2020, TMF Health Quality Institute presented this webinar on telehealth services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This information from the American Heart Association (AHA) is intended to help health care providers reduce the risk for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) transmission, especially with regards to resuscitation care.

Keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19.

Get the important information from this April 14, 2020, training webinar presented by CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Here are CMS' frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) billing during COVID-19.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) official website has the latest resources related to COVID-19. It is updated regularly with clinical and technical announcements for providers and facilities, as well as guidance on billing and codes, coverage, provider enrollment and more.

CMS announced the following blanket waivers are in effect, with a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020, through the end of the emergency declaration.

Email your COVID-19 questions to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at Covid-19@cms.hhs.gov.

Aledade created a website with the latest information that practices need to know to take care of their patients.

The Social Security Administration is warning Medicare beneficiaries that scammers may try to use this pandemic to steal their Medicare number, banking information or other personal data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created this social media toolkit to help localize efforts in responding to the virus that causes COVID-19.

This interim guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pertains to critical infrastructure workers.

Here are tips and information from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to protect yourself and your family.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded its current Accelerated and Advance Payment Program to a broader group of Medicare Part A providers and Part B suppliers for the duration of the public health emergency

On April 7, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) experts provided updates on recent actions taken to address the COVID-19 public health emergency.

On April 3, 2020, CMS Administrator Seema Verma, Deborah Birx, MD, White House Coronavirus Task Force, and officials from the FDA, CDC, and FEMA participated in a call on COVID-19 flexibilities.

On April 8, 2020, TMF Health Quality Institute presented this webinar on chronic care management services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is a 45-second video demonstration from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, updated each Friday, summarizes and interprets key indicators, including information related to COVID-19 outpatient visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths, as well as laboratory data.

CMS announced that clinicians can now provide more services to beneficiaries via telehealth so that clinicians can take care of their patients while mitigating the risk of the spread of the virus.

This CMS Medicare Learning Network (MLN) video provides answers to common questions about the Medicare telehealth services benefit.

Read the latest actions the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

This April 8, 2020, webinar by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided a COVID-19 update for rural health partners.

Read about exceptions and extensions for Quality reporting requirements for acute care hospitals, PPS-exempt cancer hospitals, inpatient psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospices, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care (LTC) hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers (ASC), renal dialysis facilities, and MIPS-eligible clinicians affected by COVID-19.

April 16, 2020, webinar by TMIT Research.

Answers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about cloth face coverings

This CDC document offers a series of strategies or options to optimize supplies of disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirators (commonly called “N95 respirators”) in health care settings when there is limited supply.

Here is a list of CMS changes due to COVID-19.

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to plan, prepare and respond to COVID-19.

Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to wear a cloth face covering

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) compiled the best practices and lessons learned that communities have already faced fighting COVID-19

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are issuing new recommendations to state and local governments and long-term care facilities (also known as nursing homes) to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The American Medical Association (AMA) has designed resources to support physicians and practices in expediting the implementation of telemedicine.

CMS provides guidance to states on how to apply for Section 1135 waivers through the Medicaid Disaster Response Tool Kit.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new tools to help speed states’ access to emergency flexibilities and resources.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are directing facilities to screen health care personnel (HCP) prior to allowing them to work or provide services in the facility. This form is intended to document screening of HCP.

Ensemble Health Partners provides the latest coding updates due to COVID-19.

The Center for Connected Health Policy helps you stay informed about telehealth-related laws, regulations and Medicaid programs.

Here are some everyday steps, steps when someone is sick, and considerations for employers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Transcripts and audio recordings of the CDC's public service announcements can be found here.

Here are the CDC's public health communication options at U.S. ports of entry.

This guide is published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) published this checklist for physician offices.

This is a special webinar from the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers that explores the uses and benefits of telehealth during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is a supplies and process checklist for home care during COVID-19.

Post this COVID-19 vaccine sign in Spanish for Puerto Rico so that everyone can be home for the holidays and not in a hospital.

In this Spanish for Puerto Rico question and answer (Q&A) sheet, TMF's Nursing Home team lists some common concerns that people give for not receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine, followed by reasons why being up to date is important.

Se recomienda a los profesionales de atención médica que usen los recursos enumerados en este paquete para facilitar el cambio como ayuda para brindar atención a los pacientes diagnosticados con el COVID-19.

Post this COVID-19 vaccine sign in U.S. Spanish so that everyone can be home for the holidays and not in a hospital.

In this U.S. Spanish question and answer (Q&A) sheet, TMF's Nursing Home team lists some common concerns that people give for not receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine, followed by reasons why being up to date is important.