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January 24, 2023 | Volume XX, Issue 3
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Cluster of Chickenpox Identified
On January 9, 2023, DC Health surveillance identified a cluster of varicella (chickenpox) cases among an unvaccinated group of people living in the District of Columbia. As of January 23, 2023, a total of seven cases have been reported across four families. Ages ranged from infant to young adults and all cases have been mild so far without complication.
With the success of varicella vaccination programs in the U.S., cases of chickenpox have become far less common. However, people lacking immunity can still catch chickenpox if they are exposed. Immunocompromised people, infants, people aged 15 and older, and pregnant women are at risk for more severe disease and have a higher incidence of complications. To ensure timely identification and public health follow-up of cases, DC Health asks that providers assist in surveillance by doing the following: 1) Review clinical presentations of chickenpox and testing recommendations as needed, and 2) Promptly reporting suspected or confirmed cases to DC Health. Providers should continue providing education on the safety and efficacy of the chickenpox vaccine, and strongly encourage vaccination of eligible patients.
Related Content
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New CDC Dashboards Track Hospital Stays, ED Visits for COVID-19, Flu and RSV
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a dashboard tracking hospitalization rates for laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, flu and RSV by age group, sex, race/ethnicity, state and season based on data from select counties in 13 states, which the agency will update weekly. CDC also released another dashboard tracking weekly emergency department visits for COVID-19, flu and RSV by age group and percent of all ED visits based on data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program.
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COVID-19 Community Transmission Level: Substantial
CDC's COVID-19 data that DC Health uses to measure levels of transmission.
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Meet Charlie Alexander, President & CEO of Infinite Legacy
I want to take the opportunity to introduce myself as the President & CEO of Infinite Legacy, the new organ procurement organization serving almost 10 million people in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Infinite Legacy is the product of two strong organizations, Washington Regional Transplant Community and The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland, coming together as one. With our merger closing, Infinite Legacy realizes an exceptional opportunity to bring together collective expertise, resources and offerings to provide improved donation and transplant services to communities we serve.
With more than 100,000 people still waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S., it’s imperative that we put ourselves in a position as an organization where we can maximize the number of lives we can save and improve through organ and tissue recoveries.
For the past 18 years, I proudly served as the President & CEO of The Living Legacy Foundation and worked closely with hospital leaders in the state of Maryland. I am looking forward to working with you and your teams to improve the health and quality of life of patients in DC. Thanks for your support and commitment to helping fulfill our lifesaving mission.
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Hospitals Can Apply for Grants to Prevent, Treat Opioid Use Disorders
Nonprofit hospitals and emergency departments can apply through March 6 for up to $500,000 per year for up to three years to develop and implement alternatives to opioids for pain management in hospitals and ED settings, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced. The agency expects to award up to 14 grants under the program. Health care facilities and other eligible entities also can apply through March 7 for up to $750,000 per year for five years to administer medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders.
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SNF Provider Preview Reports Available
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports, which contain provider performance scores for quality measures, can now be accessed. The data is based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 3, 2021 through Quarter 2, 2022. They will be uploaded on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog during the April 2023 refresh. Providers need to review their performance data by February 16, 2023. If providers believe their performance data in the Preview Reports is inaccurate, they can request for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to review.
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Updated COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheets
CMS released updated COVID-19 public reporting tip sheets for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities. The tip sheets include definitions of the quarters for reporting of claims-based measures displayed on Care Compare and the Provider Data Catalog, descriptions of the public reporting of the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel, and an announcement regarding the accelerated refresh for NHSN Influenza Vaccination among HCP measure.
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New CMS Equity Webpage
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services added a new Health Equity webpage to their website. The new webpage was added to support Executive Order 13985. Released in January 2021, this Executive Order intends to advance racial equity and create opportunities for historically underserved communities. CMS is engaging in the advancement of health equity through creating policies and programs that support health for all program beneficiaries, eliminating avoidable differences in health outcomes, and providing needed care.
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Easing Buprenorphine Access Did Not Increase Related Overdoses
The share of U.S. overdose deaths involving buprenorphine did not increase after federal agencies allowed clinicians to prescribe the opioid use disorder treatment remotely, among other flexibilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to a federal study reported today in JAMA Network Open.
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MedStar Washington Hospital Center Opens Biocontainment Unit to Care for Patients Who Contract Highly Infectious Diseases
MedStar Washington Hospital Center opened a state-of-the-art Biocontainment Unit (BCU) that will be used primarily for observation and flexed for respiratory isolation and further flexed to care for patients with highly infectious diseases – including quarantinable diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, infectious tuberculosis, plague, smallpox, yellow fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers (such as Marburg, Ebola, and Crimean-Congo), and severe acute respiratory syndromes. Physically located adjacent to the hospital’s ED, the 6,800-square-foot space has 10 beds for respiratory isolation and two rooms specifically designated for biocontainment, with an anteroom between them. The anteroom is where team members remove the required personal protective equipment they used to provide patient care for a designated rotation period. The team and patients are continuously monitored by a protector outside the room watching through the glass and a safety officer on a live camera feed. Negative air pressure ensures that infectious particles don’t spread to the hallway or other parts of the hospital, preventing the spread of infection.
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- US Proposes Once-a-Year COVID Shots for Most Americans, Associated Press, Matthew Perrone, January 24, 2023
- 8 Healthcare Finance Trends to Know for 2023, Becker's Hospital Review, Marcus Robertson, January 24, 2023
- Amazon Launches RxPass, a Generic-Drug Subscription Service for $5 a Month, Washington Business Journal, Drew Hansen, January 24, 2023
- The FDA Considers a Major Shift in the Nation's COVID Vaccine Strategy, NPR, Rob Stein, January 23, 2023
- Improving Maternal Outcomes Starts with Knowing Why, AHA, Aisha Syeda, January 23, 2023
- Howard, Georgetown Secure Mellon Foundation Grant to End Health Disparities in D.C., Washington Business Journal, Sara Gilgore, January 23, 2023
- Dollar General Launches Mobile Clinics as Next Move into Healthcare, Modern Healthcare, Caroline Hudson, January 23, 2023
- Hospitals Prescribing Fewer Opioids to Treat Pain, WFTV, Blair Miller, January 20, 2023
- Is It Time for a Reality Check on Rapid COVID Tests?, NPR, Sydney Lupkin, January 19, 2023
- Proportion of Americans Delaying Medical Care Over Cost Hits a High, Becker's Hospital Review, Erica Carbajal, January 17, 2023
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Human Trafficking Awareness Month
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Digital Toolkit for National Human Trafficking Awareness Month
In recognition of January’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, AHA created a digital toolkit with videos, graphics and social media posts in both English and Spanish to help hospitals and health systems raise awareness in health care settings on the various types of human trafficking.
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Making Evidence-Based Decisions at the Point of Care
February 8 | 1 pm | Webinar
Hospitalist clinicians care for patients with a multitude of disorders of varying severity. Clinical decision support can help internists care for the broad and comprehensive spectrum of illnesses their patients face. This webinar will share how timely and evidenced-based hospital focused information at the point of care can help hospitalist physicians admit and care for their patients and improve care from admission to discharge.
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DECO Recovery Management is happy to now be part of the ElevatePFS family, a company with core values and dedication to provide patients, hospitals and health systems with the most effective and compassionate services in the RCM world. A trusted partner for more than 40 years, Elevate Patient Financial Solutions℠ delivers market-leading RCM solutions to hospitals, health systems, and health providers nationwide. ElevatePFS provides best-in-class services and innovative, specialized technology to address the most complex challenges of the revenue cycle. Their teams have unmatched industry experience and a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement to deliver elevated results. Services include Eligibility & Disability Enrollment, Third Party Liability, Workers' Compensation, Veterans Administration, COB Denials, Out-of-State Eligibility, Self-Pay and A/R Services.
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