COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus: Updates & Resources for Physicians

January 24, 2020
Precautions & PPE   |   Sourcing PPE  |   Testing   |   Vaccines
Relief Aid   |   Telehealth  |   Billing & Coding  |   Licensure
CME   |   Volunteer Opportunities   |   Other Resources

Last Updated August 17, 2021 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MCMS has offered resources and support to physicians and patients, including timely clinical information and practice support resources. The following is a listing of resources by topic. If your practice needs support or has questions not addressed by these resources, please contact us.

Practice Information: Precautions and OSHA, PPE, Testing, and Vaccines

Precautions, Exposure Control, and OSHA Recommendations

MCMS Guides for Physician Members

CDC Guidance

Temporary staffing needs? Check out MCMS’s ROI MEDStaffing Service.

Sourcing PPE

MedChi Group Buying Program for Members: MedChi has partnered with ActionPPE.org and 30+ medical associations on a group buying program for medical and healthcare professionals to purchase PPE at a discounted rate – including Honeywell H910 Plus N95 Respirators, gloves, gowns, face shields, and hand sanitizer.  To find out more, visit actionppe.org/medchi and be sure to use our member discount code: MEDCHI-SAVE5.

Requesting Emergency Equipment and Supplies: To request emergency PPE supplies from MDH, fill out this request form online, or this Emergency Medical Material request form on pages 3 and 4 of this document, then send it to pper.phepr@montgomerycountymd.gov. The online form is the preferred method to submit a request.

HandCraft Services Member Advantage Program: Montgomery County Medical Society and HandCraft Linen & Uniform Services have joined together to provide our members with critical personal protective equipment (PPE) that is currently in shortage, particularly isolation gowns, barrier gowns, and scrubs. Depending on order size and products, your first delivery could arrive within the next few weeks; no upfront fees and no ancillary fees ever (i.e. Delivery, Environmental, and Energy ETC fees.) Learn more.

The following are vendors referred to us that still have stock of some PPE items:

Testing

Testing Information for Physicians

Testing Locations

Vaccines

While guidance continues to evolve and additional details are released each day, the MCMS Immunization Task Force has created this toolkit to provide updates on COVID-19 vaccination distribution in Montgomery County, collate guidance on vaccine handling and storage, promote strong vaccination recommendations to patients, and answer frequently asked questions from physician members.

Practice Economics: Relief Aid, Telemedicine, Billing, and Coding

Relief Aid

Telehealth

From MCMS

From MedChi

  • Telehealth Coding/Billing Guidelines
  • Telemedicine FAQ’s
  • CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) and the Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi) launched a grant program to provide independent physician practices with five or fewer members, a year of complimentary access to DrFirst’s Backline Telehealth platform for physicians who enroll between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021. Fill out the application and return it to MedChi via email to Andrea Mullin or mail to 1211 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 attn. Andrea Mullin.

From the American Medical Association (AMA)

From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

From SimpleVisit

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

  • Notice from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Telehealth – OCR will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for non-compliance with the regulatory requirements under the HIPAA Rules against covered health care providers in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency.  Learn more.

Billing and Coding

Licensure & Continuing Medical Education

Maryland Licensure Updates

In Executive Order 21-03-09-03, Governor Hogan postponed the expiration of professional licenses, including physician and other health occupations licenses. The Order extended the expiration date of all licenses through June 30, 2021. On Tuesday, June 15th, an additional “Grace Period” was established through August 15th, but no further. If you have not yet renewed yours, do so promptly.

MCMS’s recent article on licensure updates includes additional details on healthcare workforce flexibility.

COVID-19 CME

Volunteer Opportunities

The Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps are seeking volunteers to staff clinics and field hospitals. To register for Maryland Responds, please visit the Medical Reserve Corps here.

For the A-Z resource guide, and additional information on how to help – including Red Cross blood donations, Meals on Wheels, and other ways – visit Maryland Unites.

Montgomery County is also looking for volunteers – both clinical and non-clinical. If you are interested in assisting the community, please visit their website here. Physician volunteers are encouraged to contact Jessica Pryor at jessica.pryor@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Bethesda Transit has also provided information on essential transportation updates and how to help local businesses here.

Other Resources

The following is the contact information for clinicians to use for local health departments, if necessary:

COVID-19 Variant Information: The CDC is carefully monitoring COVID-19 variants. For the latest news, visit the CDC’s Science & Research update page.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

From the World Health Organization (WHO): WHO Coronavirus Home

From the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): Guidance for diagnosis and treatment, updated on a rolling basis.

Local Maryland/Montgomery County Resources

Posted in Clinical Guide, Compliance, Infectious Disease, Patient Care, Public Health
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