by Christine Woolstenhulme, QMC QCC CMCS CPC CMRS
Apr 20th, 2020
The day is coming when the freeways will have 5:00 pm stop-and-go traffic again, no doubt. However, when it comes to re-opening our world, CMS has recommendations!
Changes are finally here; we are starting to see a decline in COVID-19 cases in some states and certain locations. It may be time to make that dentist appointment you have been avoiding. Part 1 in the Trump Administration’s guidelines for opening America again recommends providing essential non-COVID-19 care to patients without symptoms of COVID-19 in these areas of low risk. While we were complying with CMS’ recommendations to postpone non-essential procedures, the world was beginning to heal. CMS is talking about a gradual transition and encourages health officials to coordinate with local and state public health officials to ensure you are ready and have the following available.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Workforce availability
- Facility readiness
- Testing capacity
Some changes may be a new normal, for example, CMS states: “Providers and patients are still highly encouraged to continue to utilize virtual care for services that can be managed via remote appointments to continue limiting the risk of exposure and spread of this virus.”
For more information, the new recommendations can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-flexibility-reopen-essential-non-covid-services.pdf
The guidelines for Opening Up America Again can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/#criteria
References/Resources
About Christine Woolstenhulme, QMC QCC CMCS CPC CMRS
Christine Woolstenhulme, CPC, QCC, CMCS, CMRS, is a Certified coder and Medical Biller currently employed with Find-A-Code. Bringing over 30 years of insight, business knowledge, and innovation to the healthcare industry. Establishing a successful Medical Billing Company from 1994 to 2015, during this time, Christine has had the opportunity to learn all aspects of revenue cycle management while working with independent practitioners and in clinic settings. Christine was a VAR for AltaPoint EHR software sales, along with management positions and medical practice consulting. Understanding the complete patient engagement cycle and developing efficient processes to coordinate teams ensuring best practice standards in healthcare. Working with payers on coding and interpreting ACA policies according to state benchmarks and insurance filings and implementing company procedures and policies to coordinate teams and payer benefits.
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