Chapter Updates regarding COVID 19
5.28.2020
We are using this page to add updates regarding our profession and COVID 19.
Please follow us on Facebook @nhapta for current updates
As healthcare providers, you must make decisions regarding patient safety and the safety of yourself and loved ones. Below are some links to resources to assist you in maintaining care for your patients at the highest and safest level.
Impact of COVID-19 on the Physical Therapy Profession
A Report From the American Physical Therapy Association
Telehealth
New Hampshire Telehealth
A list of insurers in NH and requirements for telehealth coverage (Updated July 29)
On March 18th Governor Sununu released an Executive Order that along with Guidance from the State of NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) that appears to provide guidance for utilization of telehealth by physical therapists in NH.
While the executive order from the governor does not explicitly detail physical therapists, the additional OPLC guidance states that “effective immediately, the Governor has ordered ‘all medical providers[…] be allowed to perform health care services through the use of all modes of telehealth, including video and audio, audio-only, or other electronic media, to treat the residents of the state of NH for all medically necessary services.’” The guidance goes on to assert that “The State’s temporary expansion of telehealth services applies to all medical providers including but not limited to those professions licensed, certified, or registered by the Office of Allied Health Professionals, ….”
We have heard from a representative of the NH PT Governing Board that services offered via telehealth are within our scope of practice.
Telehealth
- PTs are now recognized as approved providers for telehealth services under Medicare by CMS during this time of COVID-19 (May 1)
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Stay Up-to-Speed on Telehealth, Licensure Provisions, and Other State-Level Changes (April 10)
- Charts from APTA Track Payer, Government PT Telehealth Policies
- Where Things Stand: COVID-19 and Practice Guidance (March 31)
- Telehealth in Physical Therapy In Light of COVID-19 (March 16, 2020)
The use of telehealth is one approach that can help keep both patients and providers safe, but PTs and PTAs need to understand the current regulatory and payer telehealth landscape to decide whether telehealth is right — or even a possibility — for them. (And be sure to tell Congress to waive restrictions on the use of telehealth!) - Furnishing and Billing E-Visits: Addressing Your Questions
Recent waivers by CMS that allow for limited digital communication with patients have triggered a wave of questions. Here are our answers to 25 of the ones we hear most often. - A guide on specifics regarding Medicare billing and e-visits
- HIPAA and Telehealth
- Telehealth Ethics, Best Practice, and the Law: What You Need to Know
- Telehealth and Physical Therapy: Merging of Practice and Technology in the New Frontier
- APTA Position Paper on CONNECT for Health Act (.pdf)
CARES Act
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- HHS CARES Act provider relief deposit: attesting within 30 days of receipt.
https://covid19.linkhealth.com/#/step/1
- HHS CARES Act provider relief deposit: attesting within 30 days of receipt.
Pulmonary Rehab and Acute Care resources
Lines, Tubes, Ventilators and Diagnostic Screening For Stability vs Instability: Free course from ERI
Pulmonary Medicine and Rehabilitation resources provided by Sean Collins (editor in chief for Cardiopulmonary PT Journal)
General COVID 19 Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Coronavirus: Information for APTA Members
- Coronavirus FAQs
- Healthcare Professionals: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
- Steps Healthcare Facilities Can Take Now to Prepare for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
APTA Statements
- Letter From President Dunn on COVID-19 Impact
(March 20, 2020)This is a challenging time to be in health care. We need each other. -
APTA Statement on Patient Care and Practice Management During COVID-19 Outbreak (March 17, 2020)
As actions are taken across the country to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a virus that spreads easily from close contact, APTA encourages physical therapists to use their professional judgment to determine when, where, and how to provide care, with the understanding this is not the optimal environment for care, for anyone involved. -
Outpatient Practice Resources
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COVID-19 Outpatient Practice Resources (April 22)
- APTA Private Practice Section (PPS)
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For Private Practice PT’s: IMPACT magazine COVID-19 Special Issue (LOTS of great resources)
- Frequently Asked Questions and Resources for Telehealth and Assistance for Small Businesses
- Print Resources to Post in Clinics
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration Website
Medicaid and Medicare Resources:
- Medicare 3/17/2020: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet
- March 18, 2020: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted additional FAQs to the Medicaid.gov website to aid state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies in their response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USCMSMEDICAID/bulletins/2811cab 2
- A site which provides state by state regulations for Medicaid reimbursement for telehealth https://www.cchpca.org/telehealth-policy/current-state-laws-and-reimbursement-policies?jurisdiction=70&category=All&topic=All
- Medicaid telehealth facts: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/telemedicine/index.html
School Based Therapy Resources
- March 2020: Student Privacy Policy Office FERPA & Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/FERPA%20and%20Coronavirus%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions_0.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= - CDC’s Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Guidance for School Settings has been updated and is posted at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html
Early Intervention Resources
- March 202: Department of Education, Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/qa-covid-19-03-12-2020.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=
- ECTA center list of resources: https://ectacenter.org/topics/disaster/tele-intervention.asp
APTA Pediatrics COVID-19 Resources
Acute Care Resources
- https://www.acutept.org/page/COVID19
- WEBINAR: Acute Care Physical Therapy and COVID-19: How Can We Add the Greatest Value?
- Physiopedia - Free Infection Prevention and Control Course - A comprehensive review of best practices to limit the spread of infectious disease https://members.physio-pedia.com/learn/infection-prevention-and-control/
- Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians - Free from Society of Critical Care Medicine - https://www.sccm.org/covid19
- Prone Positioning in Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_6jT9R7WJs
Home Care Resources
- APTA Home Health Section Resources - https://aptahhs.memberclicks.net/coronavirus--information-for-providers
- Corona Virus Resources from the National Association of Homecare and Hospice - https://www.nahc.org/resources-services/coronavirus-resources/
- NAHC COVID-19 Products and Services - https://www.nahc.org/resources-services/coronavirus-resources/covid19-partners/
American Health Care Association
The latest guidance documents issued by CMS related to COVID 19 following President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency:
- Emergency Declaration Provider Fact Sheet:
- https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid19-emergency-declaration-health-care-providers-fact-sheet.pdf
- Press Release from CMS on National Emergency:
- https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-takes-action-nationwide-aggressively-respond-coronavirus-national-emergency
- Additional Emergency and Disaster-Related Policies and Procedures That May Be Implemented Only With a § 1135 Waiver:
- https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/Downloads/MedicareFFS-EmergencyQsAs1135Waiver.pdf#page36
- CMS has issued revised Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 in Nursing Homes, including revised guidance for visitation:
- https://www.cms.gov/files/document/3-13-2020-nursing-home-guidance-covid-19.pdf