Use These Checklists to Stay Ahead of Promised COVID-19 Focus During Surveys
In a Quality, Safety & Oversight Group memo to state and regional CMS offices, the agency ordered its surveyors to suspend “non-emergency inspections across the country” to allow “inspectors to turn their focus on the most serious health and safety threats like infectious diseases and abuse. This shift in approach will also allow inspectors to focus on addressing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).”
How One Arizona Health System Is Preparing Emergency Department, Critical Care for Surge
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting states with varying intensity, with patient surges expected to roll out across the country in different time frames. For example, as of April 15, New York had nearly 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to more than 3,800 cases in Arizona, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Just Over 25% of CFOs Anticipate Layoffs Because of Pandemic
More than 80% of surveyed CFOs expect company revenues and profits to decline this year as a result of the outbreak. Additionally, 75% of CFOs now view the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on operations and liquidity as the top concern for 2020.
COVID-19 Partner Resources
The below is a list of COVID-19 related resources from our media partners. We will be updating this list frequently.
Online Tool Helps Hospitals Place Staff in Appropriate Roles During COVID-19 Pandemic
The goal of the tool is to help administrators evaluate the competence of this new workforce and assign healthcare professionals to the appropriate patient assignments or tasks that are based on their individual level of practice, according to an Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses news release.
A Quarter of Rural Hospitals at ‘High Risk’ of Closure, COVID-19 Likely to Make it Worse
More than 350 rural hospitals, accounting for $8.3 billion in total patient revenue, are at the greatest financial risk of closure, according to Guidehouse. The five states most likely to be impacted by hospital closures include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, and Kansas, according to the analysis.
Warning: Despite Blanket Waivers, CoP, EMTALA Regulations Are Still in Effect
The blanket waivers were issued for the national emergency declared by the president, retroactive to March 1, to empower healthcare providers to take needed actions and to provide flexibility when preparing and caring for COVID-19 patients.
5 Strategies to Manage Surge of Coronavirus Patients
New York is expected to experience the country’s first peak of COVID-19 patients in the next week or two, followed closely by other hotspot states such as Louisiana, New Jersey, and Michigan. The surge of patients is straining hospital capacity, healthcare worker staffing, and supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators.
OIG Finds COVID-19 Testing Delays Bottlenecked Hospital Throughput
The scarcity of the tests, and the subsequent wait for results for patients and staff, which often took a week or longer, had a snowball effect on patient throughput, according to a survey and analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General.
How to Address Intensivist Shortfall During Coronavirus Pandemic
The United States leads the world in reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, with the total as of April 6 at more then 336,000, according to worldometer. A significant percentage of COVID-19 patients require mechanical ventilation in the ICU setting, which is expected to strain critical care resources including staff as coronavirus patients surge in the coming weeks.