WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic; NABH Cancels 2020 Annual Meeting
The World Health Organization this week declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic as the virus has spread to more than 100 countries and killed more than 4,200 people.
After careful consideration, NABH this week cancelled the 2020 NABH Annual Meeting and all related events to protect the health and safety of all meeting participants and minimize unnecessary risks to exposure of the COVID-19.
NABH will reimburse all meeting registrants in full, including the $50 cancellation fee for any meeting registrant who has cancelled already. All meeting registrants are responsible for covering and cancelling their hotel and transportation costs. In addition, NABH sent a message to all exhibitors and sponsors regarding reimbursement.
The entire NABH team looks forward to seeing the association’s members and other meeting participants at the 2021 NABH Annual Meeting at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC from March 1-3, 2021!
CMS Issues Guidance for Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week issued a series of guidance notices to ensure healthcare workers are protecting themselves and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 9, CMS delivered
guidance on the screening, treatment, and transfer procedures healthcare workers must follow when interacting with patients to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, as well as guidance that highlights the benefits of telehealth in the
Medicare and
Medicaid programs. The following day CMS issued a
memorandum to state survey agencies—which are responsible for inspecting nursing homes and other facilities that serve Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries—that includes guidance about protective mask guidance for healthcare workers.
Click
here for additional information from CMS and
here for the situation summary on the virus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
NABH Supports Recommendations for Strengthening Addiction Service Workforce
NABH this week joined more than a dozen organizations that comprise the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose (CSOO) in sending a
letter to Congress that outlines recommendations to strengthen the addiction service workforce.
The letter—which includes specific appropriations recommendations—requests increased funding of important addition prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support programs aimed at strengthening the addiction service workforce in 2021.
As the letter noted, an estimated 21.2 million Americans aged 12 or older needed treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) in 2018, but only about 3.7 million Americans aged 12 or older received any form of treatment for SUD.
“By advancing sustainable, comprehensive public policies and expanding federal investment throughout our health care system for SUD, we will move closer to a future where all Americans living with addiction receive the high-quality care they need and deserve,” the letter said.
IPFQR Webinar on Navigating Hospital Compare Website Scheduled for March 24
CMS will host a webinar for participants in the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting (IPFQR) program about how to navigate the Hospital Compare website on Tuesday, March 24 at 2 p.m. ET.
The webinar will highlight the steps to use the Hospital Compare website to compare IPFQR program data for up to three providers at a time and review the ways to download complete facility-, state-, and national-level data files from the Hospital Compare archive.
Slides will be available on the Quality Reporting Center website one day before the webinar. Click
here to register.
HRSA Accepting Applications for Opioid Response Program in Rural Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for its Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), which is intended to reduce the morbidity and mortality of SUD, including opioid use disorder, in high-risk communities.
Eligible applicants include all domestic public or private, non-profit or for-profit entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations.
Click
here to learn more and apply. HRSA will accept applications through April 24.
Fact of the Week
In 2018, the
states with the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rates were West Virginia (51.5 per 100,000 standard population), Delaware (43.8), Maryland (37.2), Pennsylvania (36.1), Ohio (35.9), and New Hampshire (35.8).
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.