According to John Lynch, MD, the medical director of Harbor View Medical Center’s infection prevention and control program, the Seattle hospital has reported the first case of hospital-acquired novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The patient was receiving treatment at the hospital for another condition when he is believed to have contracted the virus.

After pushback from minority communities and people with disabilities, Massachusetts has revised its care-rationing guidelines in the case of a drastic surge in COVID-19 patients.

According to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 9,300 healthcare workers in the United States have contracted COVID-19, and approximately 55% believe they were exposed at work.

As a practical matter, it may seem strange, but your distant site does not need to have credentialing by proxy in its bylaws unless it is also going to be an originating site, explains Catherine M. Ballard, partner at Bricker & Eckler LLP, in Columbus, Ohio. 

As COVID-19 spreads throughout the U.S., MSPs face unique challenges to support their practitioners and keep patients safe. In response, we’ve launched an Acute Care Coronavirus response page that provides resources and solutions for hospitals and health systems as they navigate COVID-19. You can also visit our forum dedicated to COVID-19 discussions to ask your questions and share best practices with your colleagues

As the novel coronavirus remains a threat across the globe, healthcare organizations should brush up on procedures for handling and sharing protected health information (PHI) during the outbreak of an infectious disease.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine is playing a crucial role in both maintaining the provision of non-COVID-19 care as well as providing a safe means through which practitioners can screen people for COVID-19. With the demand so great and growing daily, now is the perfect time to brush up on the fundamentals of credentialing and privileging telemedicine practitioners. This webinar provides, compliance-minded guidance on performing effective credentialing, privileging, and peer review for remote practitioners. We encourage you to take this advice and apply it as you can during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizations need to be aware of whether their state requires specific disclosures (such as privacy agreements, the process for filing complaints, etc.) to be made in writing prior to a provider delivering patient care via telemedicine. Some organizations consider originating sites to be contracted providers governed by a telemedicine agreement in which the credentialing is delegated, and they are contracted with the other hospital to provide services via telemedicine. Others opt to add them as consulting members of the medical staff, rather than consider telemedicine a contracted service. Download this sample bylaws language for privileges in telemedicine.

Each healthcare facility needs a disaster preparedness plan, which should include steps the facility will take in the event of a natural disaster or other event that temporarily overtaxes its resources. One element of such disaster plans is language ensuring that appropriate volunteer licensed independent practitioners (LIP) can be accessed to assist when necessary. Consider the following sample emergency management policy and procedure as the COVID-19 pandemic and the world’s response evolves, in case your organization needs to credential non-staff volunteer practitioners for disaster responsibilities.