08/06/2020

Today's COVID-19 Report: Thursday, August 6, 2020

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Thursday, August 6 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clarification: Billing for State Testing

Monday's COVID-19 Report featured the following paragraph in the article "State-supported Staff Retesting in Nursing Homes - Webinar Recap & Resources":

The lab requisition must be complete, have an appropriate ICD-10 code, and include insurance information. The state affirmed that it will be the payer of last resort after all other insurance options are exhausted. However, for incomplete forms or all forms reflecting uninsured, the state will bill the nursing home employer. The state is in the process of developing a way to financially support self-insured nursing homes, but those are not yet finalized.

LeadingAge Ohio wanted to provide clarification on the last sentence of the above paragraph, as it caused some confusion.

The instances that will be returned to the facility are those that have a significant amount of incomplete billing information or those that have the entire facility staff—or significant portions of staff—noted as uninsured. In the first round, many facilities were unprepared with insurance information and the Ohio National Guard instructed them to note staff as ‘uninsured’ if they couldn’t produce the information. As a result, there were much larger numbers reported as uninsured than the state had anticipated. The state is trying to correct this in the next round. A provider with a portion of its staff shown as uninsured will likely not be billed for them.  If a submission occurs where all or nearly all of a facility’s staff is shown as uninsured,  the lab will consider this a reflection of incomplete data entry and will bill the provider directly.

The state is still unsure of the exact process by which self-insured providers will access funding, but for now employees of self-insured providers should have their insurance information provided to the lab.  LeadingAge Ohio is working to understand whether the state will pay the lab directly, or if a provider will be billed by the lab and this invoice will go to the state, or another arrangement—LeadingAge Ohio was assured the state is working with the labs and third party administrators to sort the process out.

ODH Shares Updated Schedule on Nursing Home Staff Testing and Specimen Collection, Cancels Some Testing

With the requirement to test staff on a regular basis in nursing homes, the Congregate Care Unified Response Team (CCURT) has developed the schedule for staff re-testing for the week of August 9. This also includes updated specimen collection dates and lab assignments through August 16. 

Note: the state has asked LeadingAge Ohio to alert members that it must cancel some testing for next week due to some unforeseen shipping issues --- the list of facilities affected is available here. These include facilities previously assigned to use University Hospitals next week.  ODH is working with each facility to develop an alternate plan - either collecting specimens once the kits arrive and having Quest pick them up, or postponing their first collection date until the week of August 17. The earliest date a facility on this list will be rescheduled to is August 17.

The anticipated routine is as follows: Specimen kits will be shipped to providers, and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) shared that, depending on the lab, there should be enough samples for providers to test three (3) times for the staff identified in the survey. Again, details may vary by lab. If you have questions related to shipments please email ccurt@odh.ohio.gov.

ODH also shared the Quest new account set-up form, which can be used by facilities that are using Quest for the first time to facilitate their Quest account set-up process. Completed forms can be sent to Patricia.M.Mcnertney@questdiagnostics.com.

ODH Distributes FAQ on the POC Machines

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reminded LeadingAge Ohio members of the Frequently Asked Questions: COVID-19 Testing at Skilled Nursing Facilities/ Nursing Homes document. ODH wanted to draw attention to the following two sections regarding the point-of-care (POC) testing machines.

3. When will the testing platforms and authorized point-of-care tests be distributed?

Instruments and authorized diagnostic antigen tests will begin shipping the week of July 20 and shipments will continue over the course of 14 weeks. Supplies will arrive in a single shipment directly from the manufacturer and/or distributor.

5. Who will provide training to nursing home staff? In what format will the training be provided in?

Quidel and BD will provide training materials to nursing home staff. Training documentation will be made widely available for all nursing homes that are receiving supplies. Quidel training information can be found at quideltogetheragain.com. BD is offering training services through their Learning Management System (LMS) platform to all BD Veritor System customers at no additional cost. The eLearning training platform is available online.

The FAQ also provides helpful information on Question 15 regarding how to most efficiently schedule staff for the machine so that the maximum number of staff tests can be accomplished in the shortest period of time. 

Save the Date: Bereavement Networking Forum August 11

LeadingAge Ohio invites hospice bereavement professionals, chaplains and social workers to join its next Bereavement Networking Forum, scheduled for August 11 from 12:00-1:00 pm. The virtual event will begin with an update from Ohio Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services Lori Criss, who will outline the DeWine Administration’s strategy for supporting the mental health needs of Ohioans through the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has drastically impacted the way Ohioans grieve, with traditional rituals like funerals and gatherings now limited, and many secondary losses, including job/income loss, loss of roles and routines, and other factors further complicating the bereavement process.  

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in small group discussions to share ideas, concerns and best practices they are adopting to support their communities. 

Bereavement Networking Forum
August 11, 2020
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Registration is available online here. 

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – August 6, 2020

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured information on LeadingAge's newest Action Alert, as well as a social media graphic to accompany it. 

Check out the full report here.

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.