The Daily 3: Covid-19

March 16th, 2020

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COVID Video –3162020

Intro

Government intervention to manage COVID19 has escalated over the weekend, highlighting the need for further flexibility for health care at home agencies to work through this epidemic.

We’re working diligently with the state and federal government to get you that flexibility. Here’s what we’re asking for thus far:

• Flexibility on managing workforce via managing visits and plans of care. We hope that regulators will give you the flexibility to reduce and/or eliminate all unnecessary visits, and instead provide them via phone and telehealth.
• Requesting assistance to support PPE needs; specifically around gloves, masks, face shields, and sanitary cleaning supplies.
• The resources needed to provide testing for COVID19 to home care and hospice patients without having to go anywhere for the testing.

Congress is working on a relief package for COVID19 that could include 0% small business loans and mandatory paid sick leave. We’re in the process of working with our congressional delegation top share our concerns with these approaches, as to ensure they take into consideration the unique needs of health care at home agencies. Loans with attractive interest rates mean nothing if you have a workforce that you’re required to pay without having the ability to generate revenue to keep the lights on and eventually pay that loan back.

We’ll be sending a letter to our congressional delegation today, as well as to the DeWine Administration letting them know what we need.

In the meantime, we need to you let us know what it is you need. Specific to PPE, we’re asking any agency that has a CRTICAL PPE level—defined as 3-4 day stock of essential PPE—please reach out to the Helpdesk. We’re working with our DME, Health Plan, and state/federal partners to help those agencies first.

Of course please let us know if there’s anything else we need to be considering by emailing HELPDESK at helpdesk@ochch.org. Thank you.