Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Along with the news that provider reimbursement is now available for counseling patients to self-isolate at time of COVID-19 testing, CMS has provided a Talking Points for Providers document. This 2-page document explains the difference between quarantine and self-isolation.  It also provides clear guidance for patients…… Continue reading COVID-19 Testing – Talking Points for Providers

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare I’m providing this guidance as another resource to help LTCFs hone their response to COVID-19.  The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has published this document to give nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities guidance in the event a positive COVID-19 case is associated with the…… Continue reading COVID-19 Response for Nursing Facilities (Version 3.3) – Texas Health and Human Services

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The subtitle sums up this warning: Agency Urges Consumers, Health Care Professionals Not to Use Certain Products, Citing Serious Adverse Events and Death. In FDA News issued July 27, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration “continues to warn consumers and health care professionals not to use…… Continue reading FDA Reiterates Warning About Dangerous Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers Containing Methanol

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare If you subscribe to our blog website, perhaps you’ve seen this recent blog on a webinar that addressed caring for COVID-19 residents in LTC facilities.  In that blog, I speak to NETEC and its mission.  This group provides great resources “to increase the capability of United…… Continue reading Upcoming Supply Management & Inventory Control Webinars

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The following News Alert was issued mid-day on Thursday, June 30, 2020: CMS and CDC announce provider reimbursement available for counseling patients to self-isolate at time of COVID-19 testing Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…… Continue reading News Alert: Provider Reimbursement Available for Counseling Patients to Self-Isolate at Time of COVID-19 Testing

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare In case you’re looking for a comprehensive guide that explains Medicare changes during the COVID-19 pandemic from a beneficiary perspective, look no further than COVID-19: An Advocates Guide to Beneficiary-Related Medicare Changes.  You’ll also find that it is a great, quick guide for healthcare providers as…… Continue reading COVID-19 Advocates Guide to Beneficiary-Related Medicare Changes

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare This 140-page COVID-19 FAQ document was updated on July 28, 2020.   This is what’s new in this version during July: Page 10 – Diagnostic Laboratory Services … 14. Question: If a physician/non-physician practitioner (NPP) reports CPT code 99211 “Office or other outpatient visit for the…… Continue reading COVID-19 FAQs on Medicare Fee-for-Service Billing Updated Again

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare I received the following email notification at 4pm on Thursday, July 30, 2020 and wanted to pass it on to SNF and AL facilities to make sure you see it: Dear Facility Directors, Long-term care populations, including those in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, are…… Continue reading Minnesota SNF and AL Facility Directors – Please Review This COVID-19 Testing Information ASAP!

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released its first monthly update of data that provides a snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on the Medicare population. For the first time, the snapshot includes data for American Indian/Alaskan Native Medicare beneficiaries. The new data indicate…… Continue reading CMS Updates Data on COVID-19 Impacts on Medicare Beneficiaries

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare This list was most recently updated on July 28, 2020. Updates to the list of underlying medical conditions that put individuals at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 were based on published reports, articles in press, unreviewed pre-prints, and internal data available between December 1,…… Continue reading Underlying Medical Conditions That Increase a Person’s Risk of Severe Illness from COVID-19