COVID-19 Email Update - June 11, 2020

A COVID-19 update email will be going out tomorrow, but we will not be sending one next Monday. Check tomorrow's email to get next week's email schedule. Thanks and stay safe!


2020 Virtual Spring Congress - Registration Closes Tomorrow at 5:00 PM

Join us on Saturday, June 13th from the comfort and safety of your home for 6 hours of live-streamed, COPE-approved continuing education and 1 hour of general credit!

All courses will count as LIVE, COPE-approved credit, per ARBO's temporary rules modification in place during the pandemic, found here. These courses will be presented live and will be interactive, so they must be viewed in real-time (no recordings will be offered for credit). To clarify, these hours will NOT count towards your allotted distance learning hours for the year.

NCOS members James Fanelli, OD and Eric Schmidt, OD will be lecturing. Member rate is $100.

Click here for details and to register.


NC Medicaid Bulletin #98 - COVID-19 Knowledge Center Now Available: A Convenient Way For Providers to Find Information

Medicaid and NC Health Choice providers now have one main hub to find all information related to COVID-19, including answers to questions received in the NC Medicaid COVID-19 mailbox (from Webinars, etc.), and resource documents such as Special Bulletins about COVID-19. The COVID-19 Knowledge Center is an online resource collection of Medicaid developed to keep providers informed. 

Learn more about this resource here.


CARES Provider Relief Funding Now Available For Medicaid and CHIP Providers 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is now distributing CARES Act Provider Relief Funding to doctors who participate in their state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. The Medicaid and CHIP Provider Relief Fund is open to any doctor who directly billed either their state's Medicaid or CHIP and/or Medicaid or CHIP managed care organization between January 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020 and has not yet received any Provider Relief Fund distributions. Eligible providers can submit annual patient revenue information through the portal found here. Please be sure to read the full instructions and application before entering the portal. Qualifying providers are expected to receive a distribution equal to at least 2 percent of reported gross revenues from patient care. 

HHS expects to distribute $15 billion to Medicaid and CHIP providers experiencing lost revenues or increased expenses due to COVID-19. The AOA staff continues to work with HHS to ensure that doctors of optometry are receiving the support they need to continue providing care to their patients through the public health emergency and beyond.
 


A Snapshot of COVID-19 in the US

Numbers as of 6/10/20. Numbers in parenthesis are from 6/9/20

New Cases: 20,852 (vs. 19,353) 

Total US Cases: 2,066,401 (vs. 2,045,549) 

US Case Doubling Time: 43.07 days (vs. 42.22 days)

US Deaths: 115,130 (vs. 114,148) 

US Mortality Rate: 5.6% (vs. 5.6%)

Click here to view the current statistics.


A New Study on the Impact of Mask Wearing

This study uses a modeling framework to assess the likely effectiveness of facemasks in combination with 'lock-down' in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Click here to read the full article.


SECO Live CE Webinars

Trauma Rounds

Details: This lecture focuses on emergency care of ocular trauma. Everything from skin lacerations to orbital fractures and open globes will be discussed. Case examples will be used to illustrate management strategies, treatment guidelines, and referral patterns.
When: June 11, 2020 at 7:00 PM

Register Now


Funny Comic From Dr. Rebecca Wartman, NCOS Third Party Liaison

Anyone who knows me, knows this is NOT funny...but it is...



New Resources

These People Have Been Sick With Coronavirus For More Than 60 Days. Doctors Aren't Sure Why (6/11/20)

Internal Data Show FEMA's Plan to Increase PPE Supply Relies on Reuse of Equipment (6/10/20)

Total Medicaid Expansion May Cut Uninsurance, Uncompensated Care(6/10/20)

Are Asymptomatic People Spreading the Coronavirus? A WHO Official's Words Spark Confusion, Debate (6/10/20)

Coronavirus Spread By Asymptomatic People 'Appears to Be Rare' WHO Official Says (6/10/20)

Prevalence of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection (6/10/20)

Researchers Say Shutdowns Prevented 60 Million Cases of Coronavirus in the US (6/10/20)

Probable Coronavirus Cases and Deaths Being Reported By Fewer than Half of States (6/10/20)


NCOS COVID-19 Updates & Resources Page

Click here!


COVID-19 Statistics

NCDHHS COVID-19 Dashboard

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

WorldoMeter Coronavirus Website