COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Update: 04/06/2020 | 3:20 p.m.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is maintaining a live webpage detailing COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) cases in Oregon and beyond. The OMA will continue to monitor COVID-19 information nationally and locally. The association will work closely with state and local public health agencies to provide information to our members and their patients about good responses to minimize transmission in our various communities.

 

Recent Updates

• 04/06/20: OMA-OAFP-TPG Webinar: Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Loan Program
• 04/06/20: PRN: Resources for CARES Act Financial Health
• 04/03/20: PRN: Small Business Resource Navigator
• 03/31/20: CMS with Relief from Quality Reporting: Memo | Fact Sheet
  
  

OMA Statement on Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 | March 20, 2020

OMA physicians and physician assistants are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and want to assure their patients and the public that by following public health measures we can greatly minimize spreading the virus.
 
The OMA will continue to advocate for measures that help treat patients suffering with the disease, support frontline healthcare workers, and encourage the public to help slow the spread of the pandemic to save lives.
 
The OMA supports stay-at-home policies that communicate the importance and the gravity of following aggressive social distancing practices to the public. These practices are essential to help “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 cases during this pandemic to prevent overwhelming our hospitals and preserving our healthcare workforce for the benefit and safety of all Oregonians.

OMA Member Communications

Note that these archive versions of OMA communications may contain outdated information and web links. If you have a question about newsletter content, email the OMA.

• 04/06/20: PRN: Resources for CARES Act Financial Health
• 04/03/20: PRN: Small Business Resource Navigator
• 04/02/20: PRN: Paycheck Protection Loan Webinar; Mental Health Resources
• 04/01/20: PRN: OHP for Low-Income Oregonians; Buprenorphine Guidance
• 03/31/20: PRN: CMS Regulatory Changes; Gov. Brown on PPE
• 03/30/20: PRN: Federal Disaster Declaration; CARES Act Summary
• 03/27/20: PRN: Stimulus Progresses; Sat. CMS Webcast
• 03/26/20: PRN: Stimulus for Healthcare; Governor's Task Force Report Released
• 03/25/20: PRN: Non-Urgent Procedures Guidance; AMA COVID-19 Coding Guidance
• 03/24/20: PRN: State Telehealth Guidance; Increasing COVID-19 Workforce
• 03/23/20: PRN: Gov. Brown Issues Stay-at-Home Order; COVID-19 Provider Calls
• 03/18/20: PRN: COVID-19 Provider Calls; Telehealth Services Changes
• 03/16/20: PRN: Gov. Kate Brown Announces New Statewide Actions on COVID-19
• 03/12/20: PRN Gov. Kate Brown Issues Orders on COVID-19
• 03/11/20: PRN: OHA COVID-19 Temporary Rules
• 03/06/20: PRN: COVID-19 Testing Guidance
  
  

OHA Healthcare Provider COVID-19 Videoconferences

The Oregon Health Authority will continue to host twice-weekly information sessions for healthcare providers on Tuesdays (OHA Webinar) from 12-1 p.m. and Thursdays (Project ECHO) from 12-1:15 p.m. and will reassess for further needs as they move forward.
 
Here is an archive video of the OHA’s Tuesday, March 24 provider teleconference.

Tuesdays at 12 p.m.: OHA COVID-19 Webinar for All Providers
You can submit questions for OHA when you join the webinar. Join the March 31 webinar here:
https://join-noam.broadcast.skype.com/dhsoha.state.or.us/e2a9a83fbdf04913b981f853f76f7323/en-US/
 
Thursdays at 12 p.m.: Oregon COVID-19 Response for Clinicians | Project ECHO
Registration is required. Weekly virtual interactive session hosted by the Oregon ECHO Network at OHSU. Staffed by Dr. Dana Hargunani, OHA Chief Medical Officer; Dr. Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County Health Officer; and other invited content experts. They will provide the latest updates, share COVID-19 clinical cases and answer questions. For more information see the attached flyer or connect directly on Thursdays here: https://zoom.us/j/575366462

Clinical Guidance and Treatment Resources

• 03/31/20: New DEA Buprenorphine Guidance
• 03/31/20: FAQs for Opioid Use Disorder Prescribing and Dispensing in the COVID-19 Emergency
• 03/31/20: Sweeping CMS Regulatory Changes to Address Patient Surge
• 03/30/20: AAFP Checklist to Prepare Physician Offices for COVID-19 
• 03/25/20: Guidance on Elective and Non-Urgent Healthcare Procedures
• 03/22/20: Medicare Quality Reporting Waived
• Waiving Cost Sharing info for COVID-19 testing and treatment
• 03/16/20: Oregon Crisis Care Guidance 03/16/20: Oregon Health Authority Clinical Guidance
• 03/15/20: CDC Clinical Guidance
• 03/14/20: Multnomah County: Guidance for small health clinics to prepare for COVID-19
• Oregon Psychiatric Access Line (OPAL): free, same-day, phone consultation to primary care providers in Oregon
  
  

COVID-19 Testing

Medicare, the Oregon Health Plan, and commercial plans must cover costs associated with COVID-19 testing, including visit costs, with no patient out-of-pocket costs.

• 03/30/20: OMA Guidance on Telehealth Consent
• 03/23/20: Oregon Health Authority Testing Guidelines
• Oregon Public Health Division Information for Clinicians About Reporting Specified Infections
• Note: Clinicians can order COVID-19 testing at their discretion through commercial labs without approval by public health.
• Note on Reporting: Healthcare providers shall report all cases of COVID-19 within 24 hours. Labs shall report all test results indicative of and specific for COVID-19 within 24 hours and all negative test results for COVID-19 within one working day. Reports are made to the local public health authority. If healthcare providers are not able to reach the local public health authority in the specified time limit, please report to the Oregon Health Authority (phone 971-673-1111).
• The OMA has produced a COVID-19 coding chart.
  
  

Telehealth and Reimbursement

• 04/03/20: CMS Video on Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services
• 04/03/20: OHA Updated Guideline for Telehealth Consults and Payments for Medicaid Members
• 03/31/20: OHP Flexibility to Serve Low-Income Oregonians
• 03/31/20: CMS with Relief from Quality Reporting: Memo | Fact Sheet
• Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 Updates
• 03/30/20: CMS Accelerated and Advance Payment Fact Sheet
• Medicare Telehealth Services Booklet
• Medicare Telemedicine Healthcare Provider Fact Sheet
• CMS Telehealth Toolkit
• Oregon Health Plan Telehealth Coverage Guidelines
• Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services Telehealth Guidance - for CCOs and commercial plans
• OCR Discretion for Telehealth Communications During COVID-19 Crisis
• US Office of Inspector General (OIG) Waiving Telehealth Cost-Sharing During COVID-19 Outbreak
• American Medical Association Special Coding Advice During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
• American Medical Association Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice
• HHS: Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency
  
  

Healthcare Business Resources

• 04/06/20: AMA: CARES Act: Loans & other financial assistance for physician practices
• 04/06/20: OMA-OAFP-TPG Webinar: Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Loan Program
• 03/31/20: AMA CARES Act: Medicare advance payments for COVID-19 emergency
• Oregon Department of Business COVID-19 Resources for Employees and Employers
• COVID-19 Resources for Businesses- including financial assistance

Statewide Rules and Orders

• 04/02/20: Gov. Kate Brown Announces Statewide Initiative to Support Small Businesses
• 04/01/20: Gov. Kate Brown Issues Commercial Eviction Ban
• 03/29/20: Gov. Kate Brown Announces Oregon PPE Progress
• 03/29/20: Federal Disaster Declaration for Oregon
  • 03/29/20: Gov. Kate Brown Statement on Federal Disaster Declaration for Oregon
• 03/23/20: Gov. Kate Brown Tightens Social Distancing Measures, Tells Oregonians to “Stay Home, Save Lives”
• 03/17/20: Gov. Kate Brown COVID-19 Information and Resources
• 03/16/20: Gov. Kate Brown Announces New Statewide Actions on COVID-19
• 03/12/20: Gov. Kate Brown Issues Orders on COVID-19
• 03/05/20: Gov. Kate Brown Announces Agreement with Health Insurers on COVID-19 Testing
  
  

How can I help?

• AMA Senior Physician COVID-19 Resource Guide
• Oregon Medical Board’s special COVID-19 licensing rules
• State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV-OR)
• Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) - States Waiving Licensure Requirements/Renewals in Response to COVID-19
  
  

Oregon Information Links

• Oregon Medical Board: COVID-19
• Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM): Oregon COVID-19 Response
• Lane County Public Health COVID-19 Videos
• Oregon Local Public Health Authority Directory
  
  

Nationwide and Worldwide Information Links

• American Medical Association COVID-19 Resource Center
• American Society of Addiction Medicine COVID-19 Resources
• CDC COVID-19 Information for Healthcare Professionals
• World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Advice for the Public and Myth Busters
• American College of Physicians | COVID-19: An ACP Physician’s Guide + Resources
  
  

Provider Wellness

• Oregon Wellness Program
• OMA Wellness Resources
• Oregon Psychiatric Access Line (OPAL): free, same-day, phone consultation to primary care providers in Oregon
• 03/20/20: AMA blog post: 6 ways to address physician stress during COVID-19 pandemic
• COVID-19 Conversations with Clinicians
  
  

Provider Education

• ACCME Novel Coronavirus Education Resources
• COVID-19 Conversations with Clinicians
  
  

COVID-19 and End-of-Life Concerns

• 04/01/20: Video: “POLST and Coronavirus: If you get sick, will your wishes match your orders?” 
• 04/01/20: Video: “POLST Use in an Emergency: Communicating in a Crisis”
  
  

Patient Resources

• CDC Recommendation: Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19
• COVID-Ready Communication Skills
• CDC’s COVID-19 webpage for Schools, Workplaces, and Community Locations
• Printable resources from the CDC
• Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 website
  
  

OMA Communications to Policymakers

• 03/26/20: Message to State Policymakers from the OMA and Stakeholders
• AMA Letter to Congress regarding emergency COVID-19 requests