COVID-19 Email Update - June 12, 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 

We will not be sending a COVID-19 update email on Monday, but we will be sending updates next week on Tuesday and Thursday.


2020 Spring Congress Virtual Exhibit Hall

Since we cannot be together in Myrtle Beach, SC this year, we are bringing the exhibit hall to you!

Our Virtual Exhibit Hall is now open to all members through July 6, giving you plenty of time to "visit" all of our exhibitors.

Want to connect with one of our exhibiting companies? We are happy to provide contact information or an introduction to your local reps! Email [email protected] with any questions.

Click below to get started!



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

NC DHHS Update for Telehealth and Other COVID-19 Related Changes 

On a call Thursday, June 11, 2020, DHHS reported that while the current public health emergency is scheduled to end on July 28, 2020, no one knows if this timeline will be extended. To date, DHHS has enacted 375 different provisions during this emergency with 130 of those provisions impacting clinical care. The 130 number includes the 3 changes that were put in place for optometry. 

The intent of NC DHHS is to keep approximately 25% of enacted provisions that would include approximately 70 clinical provisions. I have asked if the optometry provisions will be retained, but was not able to get a definite answer. However, NC DHHS is well aware of the desire of the NCOS to ensure that optometry has access to patients, including via telehealth and telephonic services. 

Before any provisions are ended, NC DHHS has committed to providing a 30 day notice to providers. The anticipated date for ending the current provisions is hoped to be no earlier than the end of September 2020. However, this is not a firm date at this time. Provisions could end as early as August 31, 2020 or be extended for an unknown amount of time depending on this pandemic and the spread of COVID-19.

Inaccurate Provider Directories Is an Issue For Us All 

We all know how frustrating it can be to try to use a provider directory from an insurance company. Often they are inaccurate and lead to either missed patients or having to reschedule patients or send them to another "in network" provider. While the following study and article specifically address mental health, the lessons may be applicable to optometry. I know that I have had to try and address incorrect provider listings for many of our vision plans and insurance companies with only minimal success. 

In the article, Inaccurate Provider Directories May Spark Surprise Medical Bills, Susan H. Busch and Kelly A. Kyanko said "Provider directories help patients identify in-network providers, although directory information is often not accurate. We conducted a national survey of privately insured patients who received specialty mental health treatment. We found that 44 percent had used a mental health provider directory and that 53 percent of these patients had encountered directory inaccuracies." 

Click here to view the study.  

Click here to view the article.


NC DHHS Pointers for ReOpening Practices

  1. Make patient feel safer by clearly communicating your procedures for protecting patients.
  2. Try to have as little physical contact as possible - collect payments using no touch systems, etc.
  3. Have flexibility, considering hybrid visits and telehealth visits. For instance, patient comes to office for tests but has a telehealth visit with the doctor for follow up examination.
  4. Put in place appropriate telephone triage protocols to ensure an infected/exposed patient does not come to the office. (There are phone scripts listed on the CDC website)
  5. Communicate with staff and patients about the guidance for cleaning, PPE, masks, etc.
  6. Reach out to all patients who are deferring care for chronic conditions and well checks to get them back on schedule.
  7. Ensure you have developed a coherent strategy and have enough PPE (30 days is recommended) and be sure to follow all the guidelines from CDC, CMS, NC DHHS, and NCOS/NCBEO.
  8. Consider bringing in staff in shifts or alternate days or in teams to avoid everyone being exposed and having to close for 14 days. Have any admin staff work remotely.
  9. Close all common staff areas where they can congregate, such as break rooms.
  10. Know the CDC/State guidance for allowing any employee to return to work if exposed to or infected with COVID-19.

See the reopening resources below and other NC DHHS resources here.  

Medicaid and NC Health Choice providers now have a single source to find answers to questions about COVID-19. The COVID-19 Knowledge Center is an online resource collection of Medicaid and behavioral health COVID-19 information, including answers to questions received in the COVID-19 mailbox, during webinars and from other sources. The Knowledge Center also includes resource documents such as COVID-19 Special Medicaid Bulletins.




COVID-19 Accelerated Payment Hotline FAQs

The article below provides accelerated payment hotline frequently asked questions on the Accelerated Payments from Medicare.

Click here to view the article. 


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