02/03/2021

Today's COVID-19 Report: Thursday, February 4, 2021

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Thursday, February 4 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics of importance.

A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS

Check LeadingAge's FAQs and Resources on COVID-19 Vaccines and Issues Surrounding Vaccinations frequently. The most recent update includes Q&A on implications of mandating the vaccine for staff.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has released a preliminary toolkit that has been developed with talking points, language tips, social media language, and trusted resources to help providers better communicate information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. 

In Today's Report

• Next all-member webinar - Tuesday, February 9 at 11:30AM
• CareSource network notifications
• HUD and FTC share information on avoiding COVID-19 scams
• LeadingAge Ohio member pulse survey closes tomorrow, your input needed
• Advocacy in Action call: Monday at 10:00AM
• Webinar: ABCs of using CMS data to improve clinical programming, quality measures and census development
• Ohio Unemployment Update from CompManagement
• LeadingAge Need to Know

Next all-member webinar - Tuesday, February 9 at 11:30AM

LeadingAge Ohio will host its bi-monthly all-member webinar focused entirely on member questions and answers on Tuesday, February 9 at 11:30AM.

During the unscripted, 30-minute webinar, LeadingAge Ohio policy and regulatory experts Stephanie DeWees, Anne Shelley, Kathryn Brod and Susan Wallace will field your questions on the vaccine and all things compliance, including infection control, testing, surveys, reporting requirements, and other fast-moving topics.

Members can send questions in advance to the COVID-19 mailbox. Alternately, members will be able to chat in questions during the webinar.

Registration is required, but there is no fee to participate.

CareSource recent provider portal updates

CareSource issued the following Provider Portal Updates and LeadingAge Ohio is sharing with members. 

Updates include:

• Integration with ECHO Health for Provider Payments
• Claims Messaging
• Member Eligibility
• Provider Maintenance
• New Workflow for Denied Claims
• Updates Consent Form
• Urine Drug Test (UDT) Prior Authorization
• Appeal Letters
• Dispute Letters

HUD and FTC share information on avoiding COVID-19 scams

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a webinar on February 3 that shared common coronavirus-related scams and fraud and how to report them to the FTC. A recording of the webinar is not yet available but will be posted on HUD Exchange in the coming weeks. In the interim, slides from the February 3 presentation are available here.

LeadingAge Ohio member pulse survey closes tomorrow, your input needed

In a special bulletin last Thursday, a request was sent to provider members to complete a brief survey to provide the LeadingAge Ohio staff and board a pulse on member interests in advocacy efforts and program development. 

If you have not had a chance to complete the ‘pulse’ survey, tomorrow, February 5, is the deadline. Please take a moment to complete the COVID-19 Member Pulse Survey. The survey is estimated to take less than 2 minutes.

Advocacy in Action call: Monday at 10:00AM

Join the LeadingAge Ohio policy team for the Advocacy in Action call at 10:00AM on Monday, February 8. Advocacy in Action calls will be held at 10:00AM on the second and fourth Monday of each month throughout the budget season.

Next week’s call will provide detail on the Governor’s budget proposals for Ohio nursing facilities, home- and community-based service providers, and managed care.

To join Zoom call from your computer:  

https://easyconnecthd.zoom.us/j/9150897248?pwd=UmtubGgzY2hyRk1BaXJEV0EzdWhZZz09

Meeting ID: 915-089-7248
Meeting Passcode: 634189

To join via phone, dial: (646) 558-8656; meeting ID: 915-089-7248.

One-touch dial: 16465588656,9150897248#,,,,#

Webinar: ABCs of using CMS data to improve clinical programming, quality measures and census development

As LeadingAge Ohio members work to navigate their facilities as a “preferred provider” in the continuum of care, the use of CMS data can be integral in steering both clinical and financial outcomes. HPSI Purchasing Services and Value First are offering a free interactive session on Wednesday, February 10 that is geared towards facility operators, clinicians and marketing audiences to gain practical and straightforward insights and strategies to impact their operational approaches to reduce risk and impact quality.

Ohio Unemployment Update from CompManagement

LeadingAge Ohio partner CompManagement, LLC provided a recent update on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (The Act), which was enacted on December 27. This update announces the extension of many of the unemployment-related provisions originally passed in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) through March 14, 2021.

Below is a summary of extensions and amendments covered in this update:

• Employer Provisions
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)
• Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)
• and more...

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – February 4, 2021

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured news on the upcoming "Ethics and Equity in a Pandemic" roundtable event taking place on February 25.

Check out the full report here.

Questions

Please send all questions to COVID19@leadingageohio.org. Additionally, members are encouraged to visit the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 Working Group facebook group to pose questions to peers and share best practices. LeadingAge is continuing its daily calls for all members.  To participate in these daily online updates, members should register here.  

LeadingAge Ohio is working to ensure that the information in our daily alerts, on our website, and all coronavirus-related communications is as accurate as possible. However, LeadingAge Ohio makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.