Daily COVID-19 Email Update - April 23, 2020

A Message From Dr. Rebecca Wartman, Third Party Liaison



Survey of Nationwide Pandemic Impact on Optometry Practices

The AOA Health Policy Institute seeks your input to demonstrate how practices have been impacted through this pandemic and collect evidence regarding how doctors of optometry maintained accessibility throughout the pandemic, providing essential urgent and emergency patient care.

The survey, linked below, should only take 5 minutes to complete.


Governor Roy Cooper Extends Stay-at-Home Order Until May 8

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced today that he is extending his stay-at-home order through May 8.

Cooper's executive order was scheduled to expire on April 29. The move keeps only essential businesses, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, open. The restrictions, which also ban mass gatherings of more than 10 people, are in place in an effort to slow spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Click here to read more.


Today's Statistics

After today, instead of providing a detailed breakdown, we will be providing links to where you can find the daily stats. 

World: 2,697,347 cases with 188,861 deaths (7.0%); 739,971 recovered (27%)

  • Active cases: 1,768,515 (1,710,495 mild cases - 97%) (58,020 serious/critical cases - 3.3%)
  • Closed cases: 928,832 (739,971 recovered - 80%) (188,861 deaths - 20%)

USA: 866,148 cases with 48,868 deaths (5.6%); 84,812 recovered (9.8%)

  • Closed cases: 133,680 (84,812 recovered - 63%) (48,868 deaths - 37%)

NC: 7,761 cases with 275 deaths (3.7%) Increase of 388 cases since Wednesday, April 22, 2020

  • 486 hospitalizations (52 more since Wednesday, April 22,2020)
  • Mecklenburg county: 1,362 cases with 35 deaths
  • Wake county: 622 cases with 11 deaths
  • Durham county: 469 cases with 7 deaths
  • Completed COVID-19 tests: 96,185
  • Only laboratory-confirmed cases through testing provides a limited picture of the spread of infections in the state as COVID-19 becomes more widespread and the number of people infected increases.

More than 1,260 coronavirus cases and 109 deaths have been reported in nursing homes and residential care facilities.


SBA Loan Information

A few members thought it would be helpful to know how many NCOS member practices have applied for either a PPP loan or an EIDL loan and have received approval. Please complete the anonymous survey below to help us gather this information.


NCOS and AOA Membership Dues Waiver

To help provide immediate financial relief for all members, the NCOS and AOA have committed to waiving two months of 2020 dues

Click here to view the message sent out to all members on April 9th. It provides complete details about how the waivers will be processed. 

If you wish to forgo your NCOS and/or AOA dues waiver, you can let us know by replying to this email.


Reminder: Submit MIPS 2019 Data By April 30, 2020

The data submission deadline for MIPS eligible clinicians 
participating in the 2019 performance period of the QPP is 1 week away. Data can be submitted and updated any time until 8:00 p.m. ET on April 30, 2020.

QPP Flexibilities

For the MIPS 2019 performance period, CMS added flexibilities to allow the healthcare delivery 
system to focus on the 2019 Coronavirus response. Click here for more information on these added flexibilities.

How to Submit or Review Your 2019 MIPS Data

To learn more about how to submit or review data, please review the 2019 Data Submissions FAQs.

If you are not sure if you are eligible to participate in the Quality Payment Program, check your final eligibility status using the QPP Participation Status Lookup Tool. Clinicians and groups that are opt-in eligible need to make an election before they can submit data. (No election is required for those who don't want to participate in MIPS.)

Small Practices & Medicare Part B Claims Measures

Clinicians in small practices who have been reporting Medicare Part B claims measures throughout the 2019 performance period have received Quality performance category scores at the individual and group level.

If your small practice has a group Quality score and is not able to, or did not intend to submit group data for additional performance categories, you should submit an extreme and uncontrollable circumstances application on behalf of the group to reweight all four performance categories.

Sign in to qpp.cms.gov for your preliminary feedback on Part B claims measure data processed to date. CMS will update this feedback at the end of the submission period with claims processed by your Medicare Administrative Contractor within the 60 day run out period.

Small, Underserved, and Rural Practice Support

Clinicians in small practices (including those in rural locations), health professional shortage areas, and medically underserved areas, may request technical assistance from organizations that can provide no-cost support. To learn more about this support, or to connect with your local technical assistance organization, click here.

Questions?

Please contact the Quality Payment Program at 1-866-288-8292, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 
8:00 PM ET or by e-mail at: [email protected].


FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Program

The Federal Communications Commission recently announced $200 million in funding for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act). The Program will provide immediate support to eligible health care providers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by fully funding their telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to provide critical connected care services until the program's funds have been expended or the pandemic has ended. 

The program is limited to nonprofit and public eligible health care providers that fall within the categories of health care providers in section 254(h)(7)(B) of the 1996 Act. Funding decisions will be made on a rolling basis until the funding is exhausted.

Click here for more information.


CMS Releases COVID-19 Healthcare Workforce Toolkit

The toolkit is for individuals managing workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides helpful information on funding flexibilities, liability protections, and workforce training all in one place. It also also provides up-to-date best practices so that state and local healthcare decision makers have a go-to resource to know what's been implemented in the field and to find out how it's working. The toolkit is available online and includes an assistance center, information exchange of case studies and additional peer-to-peer communications.

Click here for more information.


NCHICA Webinar: Boosting Immunity During the Coronavirus Pandemic

This webinar highlights strategies on staying healthy and mentally sound during this difficult time. These health tips, backed by clinical evidence, include key areas such as sleep, stress reduction, diet, exercise, and nutritional supplementation. The presenter is NCHICA member Helen Pak-Harvey, PhD, Founder of Wholistics.Health.

Click here to view the webinar.


Raleigh News and Observer: Unemployment Filings

Applications will open Friday for unemployed people in North Carolina who don't qualify for state benefits but might be able to receive federal jobless benefits. This includes independent contractors and self-employed people.

After someone submits an application on the N.C. Division of Employment Security website, officials will determine if the person is eligible for jobless benefits. It's still unclear how long it could take for people to receive money.


AOA EyeLearn

The AOA has created a list of staff education and training videos on their EyeLearn resource page.

Click here for more information!


New Resources

Highlights From the New York Times (4/22/20)

First US COVID-19 Death Occurred in Early February (4/22/20)

Medscape: In Pursuit of Real Coronavirus Numbers (4/19/20)

Navigating the Return of Employees to the Workplace (4/15/20)