12/29/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Wednesday, December 30 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 you better communicate about the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines that have arrived in Ohio.

In Today's Report

• Walgreens webinar on vaccine clinics
• Simplifying the consent form completion process for vaccine clinics 
• Ohio COVID-19 vaccine preparedness office weekly update for December 29
• LeadingAge Ohio all-member call recording available
• Medicare FFS Claims: 2% payment adjustment (sequestration) suspended through March

Walgreens webinar on vaccine clinics

Over 900 members attended the LeadingAge webinar on Tuesday with Walgreens to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine distribution clinics. The Walgreens Head of U.S. Government Affairs, Ed Kaleta, gave an overview of the program and answered questions from members. Here is an article summarizing the presentation and the Q&A that followed. Members can click here for complete details on the Walgreens COVID-19 Vaccine Program. A recording of the presentation has been made available for members to view in the event they missed the call.

Simplifying the consent form completion process for vaccine clinics 

LeadingAge would like your input!

LeadingAge would like your input! Has your facility auto-populated the CVS or Walgreens consent forms by using electronic health records and/or payroll records? If so, please email senior vice president of technology and executive director of the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) Majd Alwan at MAlwan@leadingage.org, and copy Senior Director of LeadingAge CAST Scott Code at Scode@leadingage.org, as they are interested in learning what was done and what platforms were used. LeadingAge is exploring options to help members save staff time and effort, recognizing that the window for this is short.

Ohio COVID-19 vaccine preparedness office weekly update for December 29

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) would like to share the most recent Ohio COVID Office Weekly Update with LeadingAge Ohio members.

Included in this week's update:

• Phase 1B announced
• Moderna vaccine storage and handling guidance
• New COVID-19 maps

LeadingAge Ohio all-member call recording available

Yesterday morning, LeadingAge Ohio held an all-member call featuring guests from Otterbein Lebanon and Jennings who discussed their first vaccine clinic experiences.

To hear a recording of yesterday's call, please click here.

Medicare FFS Claims: 2% payment adjustment (sequestration) suspended through March

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspended the payment adjustment of 2% applied to all Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) claims from May 1 through December 31. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, signed into law on December 27, extends the suspension period to March 31, 2021. 

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.