Emergency preparedness is being ramped up quickly to handle the expected surge of coronavirus patients. This action comes per the the directive of President Trump who issued it this past Friday, March 13th. He asked hospitals to activate their emergency preparedness plans and declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a national emergency. This will allow the department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to give providers more flexibility.
Emergency Preparedness: What’s Involved?
Moreover, the HHS secretary can now waive several requirements hospitals had, such as the 3-day hospital stay requirement for skilled nursing facility coverage. Also waived are the limits on numbers of beds and length of stay in Critical Access Hospitals. Moreover, also waived are the HIPAA requirements that could be an obstacle to telemedicine accessibility; as well as restrictions on where certain patients can be treated within a hospital.
As far as the emergency preparedness is concerned, there are now enough funds to cover all contingencies.
The Trump Administration is also in discussion with pharmacies and retailers to set up drive-through testing sites in locations determined by public health officials. One of the services will be mobile COVID-19 testing sites to minimize exposure for healthcare workers in primary care and hospital settings.
This will protect health care personnel who may not have sufficient personal protective equipment.
Constant Guidance Helps
CMS Administrator Seema Verma said Friday that the agency will issue guidance instructing nursing homes to restrict all visitors and non-essential personnel, with exceptions including end-of-life situations.