COVID-19 Email Update - November 5, 2020

A Message From Dr. Rebecca Wartman, NCOS Third Party Liaison

Status of COVID-19 Cases in the US and NC

The number of new cases in the US yesterday was the highest since the beginning at 103,000 with the rolling average above 89,000 cases a day. The total number of cases in the US is at 9,494,898 with 233,777 deaths as of 8 AM today. The percent positive testing in the US is now at 7.4%, as of yesterday.



In NC, the percent positive testing is 6.6% statewide. Alexander County has the highest percent positive at 16%. As reported during the NC COVID coalition call yesterday, there is still hospital capacity across the state. The number of daily cases across NC has been rising since early September. Today, the NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard lists the following:



NCDHHS Launches New Advertisement to Urge North Carolinians to Wear A Mask When With Close Friends and Family

As North Carolinians look towards the holidays and begin to plan celebratory gatherings, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched a new advertisement as part of the statewide ‘Whatever Your Reason" campaign. This newest television commercial reminds everyone the decision to wear a mask is not about “who you know, or how well you know them."

The "Whatever Your Reason" 
campaign was informed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and statewide online focus groups, which showed that North Carolinians have personal reasons for wearing a mask, including avoiding the spread of COVID-19 (77%), wanting to protect their community (72%) and families (71%) and feeling a sense of responsibility (72%). 

To access campaign resources in English, click here
To access campaign resources in Spanish, click here

Click here to read the press release. 

Dr. Rebecca Wartman Comment: This is a poster-like summary of the NCDHHS guidance that you could post in your office.


NC Tracks: Portal for COVID-19 Primary Care Services Reimbursement Now Live-Detailed Bulletin and Training Courses Available

As previously announced in SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #140: Portal Live – Reimbursement for COVID-19-Related Primary Care Services for Uninsured Individuals Living in NC, the portal for providers to request reimbursement for COVID-19-related primary care services (PCS) is live and can be accessed through the NCTracks secure portal. In addition to the related training courses in November available for registration, the Job Aid (ORH COVID-19 Claim Submission) is also now available; it is located under the heading Claims Submission on the User Guides & Fact Sheets page. The Job Aid will also be accessible in SkillPort (the secure NCTracks Learning Management System) shortly. SkillPort can be accessed via the secure portal. Providers are encouraged to review the Job Aid for more information on submitting a COVID-19-related PCS claim. 

Key Program Facts 

  • $7.8M is available to support the program on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted or until Dec. 30, 2020, whichever comes first
  • A payment of $150 per eligible in-person or telehealth visit enables providers to recoup costs for COVID-19 related services provided for uninsured patients

Eligibility: Individuals are eligible for the program if they live in North Carolina and have no health care coverage (e.g. Medicaid, Medicare, or other health insurance). Eligible providers are PCPs that operate in the state of North Carolina and are registered in NCTracks, North Carolina’s Medicaid payment platform. 

NCTracks Attestation Form includes the following language: By submitting this transaction to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, I attest that the service performed is accurately represented as shown, and the patient was uninsured, and the service was a COVID-19 related primary care service. I further attest that claims have been either submitted to the HRSA portal and denied or were not submitted because they were ineligible for HRSA reimbursement. I understand this transaction is a request for payment from CARES Act funding and is subject to audit by the Office of the State Auditor and other oversight organizations. 

Action Items for Providers 

  1. Confirm enrollment as a provider in NCTracks; If the provider is not enrolled, they should complete enrollment through the NCTracks portal
  2. Submit all qualifying claims from Sept. 1, 2020 to present
  3. Continue providing COVID-19 related care to patients
  4. Continue submitting all qualifying claims as frequently as funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted or by Dec. 30, 2020, whichever comes first

Finance Updates: Funding is first-come, first-served until exhausted or until Dec. 30, 2020, whichever comes first. PCPs will be reimbursed in subsequent NCTracks checkwrites issued by the Division of Health Benefits. PCPs should check the COVID-19 Related Services for Uninsured Individuals webpage for finance updates. Remaining funds will be updated on the website weekly. 

Other Provider Benefits: There are multiple programs available to support providers who are responding to the COVID- 19 pandemic. A fact sheet and chart listing other supports available are on the DHHS COVID-19 Response - Providers, Hospitals and Labs webpage under Resources to Support NC Providers Responding to COVID-19. 

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 Related Services for Uninsured Individuals webpage


An Important Study from Alliant QPP Support Network Seeking Volunteers to Provide Feedback on Their Recent Experiences with QPP

On behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Huge, a user research firm, is seeking volunteers to provide feedback on their recent experiences with the Quality Payments Program (QPP). The Quality Payment Program (QPP) Human-Centered Design (HCD) Research Team is gathering feedback to improve the content and navigation on the Quality Payment Program website. They are looking for both MIPS and APM participants who are interested in providing input for a modified website architecture.  

Below are the details of the upcoming study: 

Who: QPP participants that have experience with MIPS and APMs and are interested in providing input for a modified website architecture. 
What: A 20-minute or less interview with Huge user researchers, providing feedback to improve the content and navigation on the Quality Payment Program website. 
When: Now through Wednesday, November 11, 2020 
Where: Zoom remote meeting, from the comfort of your home or office using a phone and an internet-connected computer. 

Click here to take the survey. 

If you have any questions about CMS user research efforts regarding the QPP website, contact [email protected]. Please be sure to include your reporting type (MIPS or APMs) to be connected to the study.


New Resources

109-year-old Celebrates Birthday Days After Recovering From COVID-19

Molecular Architecture of Early Dissemination and Massive Second Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus in a Major Metropolitan Area

Seven Different 'Disease Forms' Identified in Mild COVID-19

Report 34 - COVID-19 Infection Fatality Ratio Estimates from Seroprevalence

Don't Use N95 Masks for More Than 2 Days, Research Suggests

The SARS-Cov-2 Spike Protein Alters Barrier Function in 2D Static and 3D Microfluidic In-Vitro Models of the Human Blood–Brain Barrier

Predictive Factors for a New Positive Nasopharyngeal Swab Among Patients Recovered From COVID-19

Don't Bring COVID Home for the Holidays—Essential Steps for College Students to See Family Safely

How the Coronavirus Hacks the Immune System

Integrated Single-Cell Atlases Reveal an Oral SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Transmission Axis

Seeking Common Ground in 'Herd Immunity' Debate

Health Workers and Their Families Account for 1 in 6 Hospital COVID-19 Cases

Hospital Traces COVID Cluster to Break Room

HSV-1 and Zika Virus but Not SARS-CoV-2 Replicate in the Human Cornea and Are Restricted by Corneal Type III Interferon

COVID-19: A National Problem Needing a National Strategy - Lack of Nationwide Policies Keeps Pandemic Going, Experts Argue


NCOS COVID-19 Updates & Resources Page

Click here!


COVID-19 Statistics

NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

WorldoMeter Coronavirus Website

The COVID Tracking Project