PRACTICE SUPPORT RESOURCES

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT CARE NETWORK WEBINAR 

Paul D. Vanchiere, MBA

April 9, 2020

Update September 16

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UPDATED DE-ISOLATION GUIDELINES

To align with new Center for Disease Control (CDC) and LA County Department of Public Health recommendations, patient de-isolation guidelines were updated last month.

These recommendations were modified by the CDC and LA County based on evidence demonstrating that patients with COVID-19 do not remain infectious longer than 10 days after their symptoms began. Related evidence demonstrates that patients who are immunocompromised or had severe COVID-19 infections do not remain infectious longer than 20 days after their symptoms began. Due to the nature of the PCR test, however, patients can continue to test positive, not because they are able to infect others, but because CHLA’s highly sensitive PCR tests are able to identify trace particles of the virus, which is interpreted as a positive result. Unfortunately, the tests are not designed to differentiate between live virus that can cause infection and dead, fragments of viral particles that can remain in the body for a much longer time. Based on the existing evidence, test-based strategies for de-isolation are no longer recommended as they result in prolonged isolation of patients who continue to test positive but are no longer infectious.

No additional testing is recommended or required for patients who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 until 90 days have passed since their original positive test, at which point immunity to the virus may have waned. The exception to this re-testing protocol is if the patient develops a recurrence of symptoms.

Please note, the updated de-isolation guidelines also provides updated guidance for the scenario in which a patient tests negative, but their parents have tested positive for COVID-19.

For CDC guidelines, click here.  For CHLA Quarantine and De-isolation Reference Guide, click here.

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Update September 2

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COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING RESOURCES FOR LEADERS

In response to many requests for additional information on back to work guidelines and contact tracing, click here for two documents for your reference. The “Contact Tracing Process” document provides details about CHLA’s overall contact tracing process along with communications templates.  The “COVID-19 Exposure Risk Assessment for MANAGERS” document is a two-page reference guide with quarantine and testing recommendations. We recommend also saving the link as a favorite so that you can refer to the most recent versions of the attached documents as CHLA periodically makes changes.  

We would like to emphasize that the CHLA guidelines are intended to ensure adequate and safe staffing for the hospital.  They do differ from the LA County guidelines that are much more restrictive. 

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• Contact Tracing Process

• COVID-19 Exposure Risk Assessment for MANAGERS

• Post COVID-19 Test Results Instructions

Webinar 11 (June 4)

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Webinar 12 (June 18)

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Webinar 13 (July 2)

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Webinar 14 (July 16)

Update - June 16, 2020

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BLUE SHIELD FINANCIAL RELIEF PROGRAMS 

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Blue Shield of California (“BSC”) will extend financial support to providers to help offset the financial impact COVID-19 has had on their revenue stream. There are two options that would apply to the CHLA Care Network members. They include,  Advance Pre-payments and Direct Financial Support. These options generate monies to providers for services equal to a defined portion of their historical BSC claims or through Member Receivables (MR).

The Advanced Pre-payment is not a loan. Rather, it is an advance of future claims to be offset later. There are no fees or interest applied to the advance of future claims. The maximum advance is a percentage of historical BSC provider payments : 25% of total 2019 claims payments (equal to 3-month average). 

The Member receivables are member co-pay and/or co-insurance obligations (payables) to providers that are currently outstanding and open on the providers’ financial system as a valid receivable.

Intake, Evaluation and Approval Process

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• Providers shall complete the application form

• Providers email application form to: Financecommunication@blueshieldca.com

• Provider requests will be evaluated every Monday and Thursday by the Program Review Committee.

• Once a request is approved, the provider must sign applicable paperwork.

• Under the advanced payment program, funds are released within 2 days after signed documents have been received by BSC.

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Click here for additional information.  Please contact Anahit Petrosyan at anapetrosyan@chla.usc.edu if we can help with additional information.

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The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPPFA) was signed into law on June 5, 2020. This bill was the result of numerous concerns raised by small business owners in the wake of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) portion of the CARES Act.  Securian Financials’ Teri Hirt has provided the Care Network with the attached document that summarizes the revisions the PPPFA has made to the PPP to help you better understand what changes have been made.

Please click here to view the document.