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Most Adults Prefer Telehealth Via Health Plans, Doctors
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 A majority of respondents to a survey of adults in the US who have used telehealth services did so through their health plan or regular health care provider compared with through on-demand telemedicine services. About 90% of telehealth users described their virtual care experience as affordable, easy and friendly, but 45% of those who had used telehealth said they prefer in-person care.
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New CMS and OSHA Vaccine and Testing Regulations Published
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On Nov. 5th the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published an interim rule requiring most Medicare and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers to ensure all staff are vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have a documented medical or religious exception.
(For medical exemptions documentation must include all information specifying which of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are clinically contraindicated for the staff member to receive and the recognized clinical reasons for the contraindications. Facilities should refer to the CDC informational document with regards to recognized clinical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.)
The rule states that all staff must receive their first dose by December 5, 2021, followed by a second dose (unless vaccinated with a single dose vaccine) by January 3.
This regulation does not apply to physician offices (unless part of a larger system) because they are not subject to CMS health and safety regulations.
For more information about the interim rule, please refer to the CMS FAQs and infographic fact sheet.
In addition, today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for COVID-19 vaccination and testing. This regulation applies to employers with 100 or more employees that are not subject to the Healthcare ETS.
Beginning December 5, employers must determine vaccination status of all employees, provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated and recover from side effects, report work related COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations, and provide employees with information about the ETS, CDC document on vaccine efficacy and safety; protections against retaliation and discrimination; and laws that provide for criminal penalties for knowingly supplying false statements or documents. Beginning January 4, unvaccinated employees must be tested weekly.
For more information, please refer to the OSHA FAQs and COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS webpage.
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Bill Would Permanently Expand Telehealth Coverage
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Four senators last week introduced a bill seeking to permanently expand Medicare coverage of telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech language pathologists. The Expanded Telehealth Access Act would also allow the HHS secretary to make more health care professionals eligible for telehealth reimbursement.
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 Our CEO, Wylecia Wiggs Harris, Ph.D., CAE, wrote an opinion article for HIStalk about AHIMA's health equity policy statement. "AHIMA and our members stand in a unique position to improve health equity," she writes. "Health information professionals possess the data skills and expertise to make a positive impact, and we often have a bird's-eye view of our respective healthcare organizations, allowing us to see the big picture and the ripple effects of any decision."
Sue Bowman, MJ, RHIA, CCS, FAHIMA, our senior director of coding policy and compliance, was quoted in this Kaiser Health News article on tracking inpatient COVID-19 cases among hospitalized patients.
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