ASAHP NEWSWIRE ARCHIVES

2020 Financial Impact Of COVID-19 On Hospitals And Health Systems

A new AHA report released today finds that the immense financial strain facing hospitals and health systems due to COVID-19 will continue, with total losses expected to be at least $323 billion in 2020 and patient volume expected to remain well below baseline levels. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/06/aha-covid19-financial-impact-report.pdf.

Resources For Tracking Federal Spending On COVID-19

Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with various kinds of legislation providing relief to individuals and families; state and local governments; businesses; health care providers; and other entities.  A report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has information on selected sources for tracking relief funding provided through these bills.

The report can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IN11407.pdf.

COVID-19 Outpatient Care Visits

The coronavirus dramatically changed outpatient care in the United States, with visits to physician offices declining by nearly 60% in March. An updated report from the Commonwealth Fund indicates that although outpatient visits across the nation rebounded in June, visits remain as much as 20% below pre-pandemic levels in some regions of the U.S.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/jun/impact-covid-19-pandemic-outpatient-visits-practices-adapting-new-normal?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.

Potential Health Care Costs And Resource Use For COVID-19 In The U.S.

A paper in the journal Health Affairs published in the June 2020 issue estimates that direct medical costs incurred during the course of the infection range from $163.4 billion if 20% of the population gets infected to $654.0 billion if 80% of the population becomes infected.

The paper can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00426.

U.S. House Of Representatives Hearing On COVID-19 Response

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today held a hearing on the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Testimony was heard from Anthony S. Fauci, Director, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Brett P. Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health; Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Robert R. Redfield, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Their testimonies can be obtained at https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/full-committee-hearing-on-oversight-of-the-trump-administrations.

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Telehealth Lessons Learned

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on “Telehealth: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” to examine changes made to insurance payments and effectiveness of waivers granted for telehealth due to COVID-19. An expert panel provided testimony on how telehealth has been crucial for safe medical care and the necessity of waivers to become permanent. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked the witnesses how Congress can help to prepare the current and future workforce on utilizing telehealth and what resources, such as funding, education, and Internet access, are needed to achieve this. Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) expressed hesitation in mandating reciprocity agreements between states for healthcare provider licenses but would rather encourage states to participate in these agreements.

Full memo available here.

Health Insurance Coverage Of A Future COVID-19 Vaccine

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses whether existing public and private insurance coverage will suffice to sustain a national immunization strategy.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/why-we-cant-rely-health-insurance-alone-guarantee-universal-immunization-against-covid-19.

ASU Virtual Summit on Online and Blended Learning

On July 13 and 14, ASU will host REMOTE: The Connected Faculty Summit. The virtual conference, supported by the ASU Foundation, will showcase best practices, techniques, and tools to provide actionable insight to Higher Education faculty around the concept of “the best of online education.”  Attendees can access 60+ curated sessions of 30 minutes during two 4-hour days of simultaneous learning tracks. This virtual conference is free of charge for those involved in learning delivery (faculty and learning practitioners) as well as Administration worldwide.

More information and registration details my be accessed here.

Updated Profiles Of Health Care Systems Around The World

Why have some nations seemed better equipped than others to address the health needs of their population during the COVID-19 pandemic? The completely updated and revised 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Fund’s International Profiles of Health Care Systems reveals the ins and outs of health systems in 20 nations.

The Profiles can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=International%20Health.

Senate Pandemic Preparedness Report and Request for Recommendations

Senator Lamar Alexander, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, this week released a 40-page report, “Preparing for the Next Pandemic”. The report aims to cover what the United States has learned from the past twenty years of public health preparedness and response and how it can better prepare for future pandemics. Chairman Alexander’s report recommends that Congress should work with federal departments and agencies, states, and the private sector to address these five specific issues and newly identified gaps: 1. Tests, Treatments, and Vaccines, 2. Disease Surveillance, 3. Stockpiles, Distribution, and Surges, 4. Public Health Capabilities, and 5. Coordination of Federal Agencies During a Public Health Emergency. Chairman Alexander requests recommendations that Congress can consider and act on this year. Responses should be sent to PANDEMICPREPAREDNESS@HELP.SENATE.GOV by 5pm ET on June 26.

The report may be accessed here.

ASAHP Partners with CastleBranch to Fight Back Against COVID-19

The Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) is providing a no-cost solution to its members to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 and assist health professions students in safely returning to clinical rotations. The solution, CastleBranch’s CB COVID-19 Compliance application, can be used to screen for common COVID-19 symptoms, high-risk indicators, and help students prove their safe to return to onsite clinical experiences.

The CB COVID-19 Compliance tool closely aligns with ASAHP’s values of preparing safe and competent professionals, benefitting from the power of a united approach and bringing creative and innovative solutions to its members. CB COVID-19 Compliance will enable ASAHP’s members to screen students for a fever, collect information on a student’s travel and exposure to COVID-19, and provide education on proper protocol and practices to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The application follows CDC guidelines and was inspired by the Infectious Disease Council, an international panel of experts representing the fields of infectious disease policy, education, healthcare, diagnostic and medical testing, and law. Members include, among others, Donna Meyer, CEO of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, and Dr. Deborah Trautman, CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

“Our healthcare professions schools and students are facing extraordinary challenges as the pandemic both highlights, and elevates, the central role healthcare workers play in the wellbeing of our nation,” said John Colbert, Esq., executive director of ASAHP. “We must work to protect our next generation of healthcare workers, and to fight against the threat to their education, training, and clinical experience process. By partnering with CastleBranch, we are taking proactive steps to empower our next generation of health professionals and get them back into clinical rotations during this unprecedented time.”

CB COVID-19 Compliance is built upon CastleBranch’s existing enterprise-level clinical experience platform, CB Bridges, which is designed to support millions of users. The platform is compliant with all relevant regulations governing the collection and usage of private data, including FERPA, FCRA, CCPA and more. CB COVID-19 Compliance will be available to all ASAHP members and allied health programs, regardless of whether they’re current CastleBranch clients.

“It’s crucial that we take all available measures to help the healthcare community during this time of crisis, and that includes helping health students get back to the classroom and back into clinical rotations to continue their education,” said Brett Martin, CEO of CastleBranch. “These students are the next generation of healthcare professionals we’ll rely on to help our communities respond to and recover from COVID-19.”

CB COVID-19 Compliance will be available to ASAHP members, students, and associated healthcare facility partners at no cost through December 2020.

For more information, please visit https://discover.castlebranch.com/covid-19-resources-cu/ or call or email CastleBranch at 888.914.7279, covid19@castlebranch.com.

Relief Fund Payments For Safety Net Hospitals, Medicaid & CHIP Providers

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced additional distributions from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. HHS also announced the distribution of Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

More details can be obtained at https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/09/hhs-announces-enhanced-provider-portal-relief-fund-payments-for-safety-net-hospitals-medicaid-chip-providers.html.

Summary of Senate Hearing on Returning to College Safely

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing last Thursday on “COVID-19: Going Back to College Safely.” Topics discussed by the committee include institutional plans for COVID-19 testing, isolation of students who test positive or have been exposed, social distancing guidelines, disparities for underrepresented college students with distance learning, contact tracing, and collaborative efforts between the institution, local, state, and federal agencies.

The memo, compiled by ASAHP staff, may be accessed here.

ACE Publishes Department of Education Funded Blockchain Report

Today the American Council on Education (ACE) released their report, “Connected Impact: Unlocking Education and Workforce Opportunity through Blockchain”. The report, based on numerous interviews, is the result of a study funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The report will inform the Blockchain Innovation Challenge grant program.

More information may be accessed here, and the report may be accessed here. An Inside Higher Ed article on the report may be accessed here.

Nonprofit Organizations Struggle To Survive COVID-19 

Nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs) provide invaluable social services to society’s most vulnerable members, but the COVID-19 pandemic threatens CBOs' survival at a time when their clients need them most. A report from the Commonwealth Fund describes the pandemic’s implications, including dwindling funds, staffing constraints, and challenges in delivering services. 

 The report can be obtained here.

Upcoming Senate Committee Hearing: Telehealth Lessons from the Pandemic

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has announced a full committee hearing on telehealth, focusing on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 10am Eastern in 430 Dirksen in Washington D.C. Witnesses and more information to be announced.

FDA Posts COVID-19 Resources For Health Professionals

The FDA has created a page of resources for health professionals on the topic of COVID-19. It contains information about emergency use authorizations, personal protective equipment, and medical products, including investigational drugs and fraudulent devices.

Resources can be obtained at https://www.fda.gov/health-professionals/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-resources-health-professionals.

ACAPT Releases Guidelines for PT Programs

The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy’s (ACAPT) board of directors initiated and is leading several work groups to address pressing concerns as a result of the COVID-19 impact.  Work groups have been developing guidelines to help PT programs, including the following:

  1. ACAPT's new guidelines for returning to the PT classroom and lab during COVID-19

  2. Needs of the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) class of 2020 (preliminary report)

  3. Guidance on participation in clinical education experiences.

They will continue to update their resources with new information. Read more here.