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COVID-19 Reported Patient Impact And Hospital Capacity By Facility

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The Department of Health and Human Services released hospital-level data on COVID-19 capacity, which provides facility-level data for hospital utilization aggregated on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday). Information is derived from reports with facility-level granularity across two main sources: (1) HHS TeleTracking, and (2) reporting provided directly to HHS Protect by state/territorial health departments on behalf of their healthcare facilities.

Additional information can be obtained at https://healthdata.gov/dataset/covid-19-reported-patient-impact-and-hospital-capacity-facility.

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New ICD-10 Codes For COVID-19-Related Conditions

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As a means of capturing more information about COVID-19 in the nation’s surveillance data and health care claims, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), under the National Emergencies Act Section 201 and 301, is announcing further additions to ICD-10-CM Classification related to COVID-19, that will become effective January 1, 2021. 

Additional details can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd/Announcement-New-ICD-code-for-coronavirus-19-508.pdf.

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Department of Education Extends Student Loan Forbearance to January 31, 2021

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Due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has extended the federal student loan administrative forbearance period, the pause in interest accrual, and the suspension of collections activity through January 31, 2021.

More information on the extension can be found here.

ASAHP Call for Mentors

ASAHP’s Leadership Development Committee is looking for experienced deans and senior administrators who each would be willing to serve as a 1:1 peer coach/mentor for 1) individuals in the role of Associate/Assistant Dean positions at their institutions as they prepare to seek promotion opportunities, and 2) new Deans who would like to engage in coaching and/or mentorship to facilitate success in their new role. Expansion of leadership development opportunities is an area of focus in the newly created ASAHP Strategic Plan. The Leadership Committee is working on developing a structure to facilitate a virtual program specifically designed to address these needs.

Individuals willing to serve as a mentor/coach are requested to submit contact information to Kristen Truong at kristen@asahp.org by December 14, 2020. A committee member will provide follow up after January 1, 2021.

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Options To Reduce Quarantine For Contacts Of Persons With SARS-Cov-2

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Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced shorter quarantine options based on local circumstances and resources for individuals exposed to the COVID-19 virus. 

More information can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html.

Continuing The Conversation On Race And Crisis At A Crossroads

The American Council on Education has produced a series of videos and a key takeaways toolkit to build on the dialogue begun at ACE’s June 2020 virtual summit, “Race and Crisis at a Crossroads.” 

Resource material can be obtained at https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Continuing-the-Conversation-on-Race-and-Crisis-at-a-Crossroads.aspx.

Fixing The Federal Student Lending System

The student loan system is in need of significant structural changes for the program to function equitably and efficiently for today’s students. A brief from the Urban Institute highlights potential changes a new administration and Congress might make to the loan system, focusing on repayment plans, loan limits, public service loan forgiveness, and relief for current borrowers. 

The brief can be obtained at https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/103268/fixing-the-federal-student-lending-system_1.pdf.

Vaccine Development, Approval, And Regulation

The Food and Drug Administration generally approves vaccines when their benefits outweigh their risks for their intended use. A paper in the journal Health Affairs that was published today reviews current and potential approaches to this critical role of the FDA. 

The paper can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01620.

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COVID-19 Virus Test That Can Be Administered At Home

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The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit, the first rapid test to detect the COVID-19 virus that one can administer completely at home when prescribed by a health care provider to individuals age 14 or older. Previously authorized at-home test kits allow the user to collect a sample at home and send it to a lab for testing.  

The authorization letter can be obtained at https://www.fda.gov/media/143810/download.

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Advancing Integrated Care

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Because COVID-19 can affect both physical and mental health, the disease has heightened the need for a team-based approach to treatment that integrates primary care with behavioral health services. A Commonwealth Fund report explores steps for overcoming obstacles, such as the still-predominant fee-for-service payment system and the limited number of behavioral health practitioners.  

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/nov/practices-advance-implementation-integrated-care-covid?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.

Meeting Older Adults’ Social Needs

The Volume And Repayment Of Federal Student Loans: 1995 To 2017

Between 1995 and 2017, the balance of outstanding federal student loan debt increased from $187 billion to $1.4 trillion (in 2017 dollars). A report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examines factors that contributed to that growth, including changes to student loan policies and how they affected borrowing and repayment.

The report can be obtained at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2020-11/56706-student-loans.pdf.

Senate Releases Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations Bills

Today the Senate Appropriations Committee released their Fiscal Year 2021 funding bills. The legislation would provide the Title VII Health Professions and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs with $750.67 million, a $16.16 million increase (2.2%) from FY 20 enacted levels, including an increase in funding for geriatric programs. The legislation would provide funding increases to the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA, the NIH, and the CDC.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies FY 21 documents may be accessed here: Bill Text, Explanatory Statement, Highlights

The Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) has put together a funding chart that may be accessed here.

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COVID-19 Patients Experiencing Same-Hospital Readmission

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An analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that among the 106,543 (85%) surviving patients hospitalized for COVID-19, 9% were readmitted to the same hospital within two months of discharge through August 2020. More than a single readmission occurred among 1.6% of patients discharged after the index hospitalization.

The report can be obtained at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6945e2-H.pdf.

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Webinar on Running Campuses in a Pandemic

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The Chronicle of Higher Education will be hosting a virtual forum, Running Campuses in a Pandemic: Hard Lessons from Fall, Prospects for Spring. A panel of experts will discuss what they have learned and what they foresee as higher education continues to navigate the challenges posed by Covid-19. The virtual forum will be held on Tuesday, November 10, at 2:00pm Eastern.

More details including a registration form may be accessed here.

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COVID-19 And Safety-Net Providers

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A report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses how health care providers that serve vulnerable individuals are dealing with the enormous challenges created by COVID-19.

The report can be obtained at http://features.commonwealthfund.org/safety-net-providers-population-health-community-outreach-pandemic-response?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.