COVID -19 Racial/Ethnic Disparities

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in the U.S., research has shown that racial and ethnic minorities bear a disproportionate burden of illness and death. An article published ahead of print in the journal Health Affairs on June 14 involves the use of pre-pandemic data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to explore potential explanations.

The article can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00897.

CastleBranch Live Webinar: Keeping Students Safe in the Age of COVID-19

Healthcare students stay busy and come in contact with many different people through classes, clinicals and skill labs, not to mention jobs, family and social obligations. But their hard work, drive and passion in these many different areas put them at high risk for exposure to COVID-19. How can you help them return to campus and clinicals safely and responsibly?

Please join CastleBranch on Wednesday, July 29 at 2:00pm EST for a live webinar, “Keeping Students Safe in the age of COVID-19.” Experts will discuss best practices to help keep your healthcare students safe from COVID-19.

Host: Katie Giacalone, Sr. Manager of Strategic Partnerships

Katie Giacalone is the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at CastleBranch.  She has fifteen years of experience with the company in a variety of roles that have allowed her to build and grow key relationships and partnerships both inside and outside the organization. A University of Rhode Island graduate in Business Administration, Katie has served in a variety of marketing and sales roles at CastleBranch including leading a team of sales executives as Director of Sales. 

Guest: Pat Dunty, VP, Executive Team, Best Practice Liaison

Pat Dunty is the Vice President and Best Practice Liaison for CastleBranch and a vital member of the executive team at CastleBranch. He has been a part of CastleBranch for 5 years and held numerous positions which have given Pat a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by our clients. His experiences have allowed him to excel at identifying new and innovative products that help meet our client’s needs. Most recently, Pat has worked side by side with our Infectious Disease Council dedicated to helping keep healthcare students safe nationwide.

Register here:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1410590263782747151

Administration Rescinds International Student Directive

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today rescinded its recent policy directive requiring that international students must take at least some in-person classes in order to remain in the U.S. ASAHP is pleased with today’s decision, as the directive would have limited the flexibility for our institutions, and would have been detrimental to the students, health professions education, research, and public health efforts. As part of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), ASAHP joined numerous other associations in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security voicing opposition to the earlier guidance.

More details may be found here. The previous newswire post on this issue and the joint letter to DHS may be accessed here.

ASAHP Urges Continuation of Public Health Emergency Declaration

ASAHP joined many other organizations in a joint letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, urging renewal of the current public health emergency declaration for at least an additional 90 days before it expires on July 25. Such a declaration is needed to adequately deploy necessary resources and authorities.

The letter may be accessed here.

ASAHP Joins FASHP Letter on International Student and Exchange Visitor Program

As part of the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP), ASAHP joined numerous other associations in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security voicing opposition to guidance released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the US if the institutions they attend adopt online-only instruction models amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICE guidance limits the flexibility needed for our institutions, and would be detrimental to the students, health professions education, research, and public health efforts. The associations recommend that ICE should allow students with valid visas the opportunity to continue receiving their education in the manner determined by their school to be the safest and most effective for them and their classmates.

The letter may be accessed here.

COVID-19 And Medicare Coverage Of Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights gaps in Medicare mental health coverage as well as opportunities for improvement. A report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses how policies to expand coverage of telemental health should be studied rigorously and potentially made permanent as a strategy to increase access to mental health services by beneficiaries.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/jul/medicare-mental-health-coverage-covid-19-gaps-opportunities?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Medicare.

ACAPT Releases Additional Guidance to Resume Clinical Education

The American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT)’s National Consortium of Clinical Educators (NCCE) has released additional guidance for resuming physical therapy clinical education. The guidance includes

• strategies for maximizing capacity by reassessing the curriculum to ensure accreditation standards are met in an efficient manner,

• using “innovative” scheduling and prioritization for clinical education placements, and

• sharing resources across academic programs and clinical sites.

Read more here.

Clinical Education During the Pandemic

Inside Higher Education explores how clinical education has had to adapt from clinical site closures to slowly allowing students to return, as a result of the pandemic. Julie O’Sullivan Maillet, chair of ASAHP’s Clinical Education Task Force (CETF), along with two CETF members Dr. Mari Knettle (Cleveland Clinic) and Dr. Peter Hu (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) provided insight on how their respective educational institutions, healthcare institutions, and accrediting bodies have responded and challenges they have faced.

ASAHP’s CETF has held several webinars on clinical education during the pandemic. All webinar recordings are available here, and we invite members to engage in our “Clinical Education Discussion Forum” online community. To join, please contact Kristen Truong at kristen@asahp.org.

Read the full article here.

ASAHP Joins Letter to Congress Urging Public Health Infrastructure Funding

Today, ASAHP joined over 250 organizations in a letter sent to Congressional leadership in support of increased funding for public health infrastructure. The groups recommend $4.5 billion in additional annual funding for CDC, state, local, tribal and territorial core public health infrastructure to pay for such essential activities

The letter may be accessed here.

ASAHP Joins Letters to Congress in Support of the Public Health Workforce

ASAHP joined with a coalition of organizations led by the National Association of County and City Health Officials in sending letters last week to Congressional leadership in the U.S. House and Senate. The House letter outlines the undersigned organizations’ strong support of the Public Health Loan Repayment Program included in the HEROES Act and urges Congress to create and fund this program as part of the next COVID-19 package. The Senate letter outlines the organizations’ strong support of the Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act, and urges Congress to include that bill as part of the next COVID-19 package and provide funding to implement it.

The House letter may be accessed here and the Senate letter may be accessed here.

2020 Financial Impact Of COVID-19 On Hospitals And Health Systems

A new AHA report released today finds that the immense financial strain facing hospitals and health systems due to COVID-19 will continue, with total losses expected to be at least $323 billion in 2020 and patient volume expected to remain well below baseline levels. 

The report can be obtained at https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/06/aha-covid19-financial-impact-report.pdf.

Resources For Tracking Federal Spending On COVID-19

Congress responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with various kinds of legislation providing relief to individuals and families; state and local governments; businesses; health care providers; and other entities.  A report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has information on selected sources for tracking relief funding provided through these bills.

The report can be obtained at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IN11407.pdf.

COVID-19 Outpatient Care Visits

The coronavirus dramatically changed outpatient care in the United States, with visits to physician offices declining by nearly 60% in March. An updated report from the Commonwealth Fund indicates that although outpatient visits across the nation rebounded in June, visits remain as much as 20% below pre-pandemic levels in some regions of the U.S.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/jun/impact-covid-19-pandemic-outpatient-visits-practices-adapting-new-normal?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform.

Potential Health Care Costs And Resource Use For COVID-19 In The U.S.

A paper in the journal Health Affairs published in the June 2020 issue estimates that direct medical costs incurred during the course of the infection range from $163.4 billion if 20% of the population gets infected to $654.0 billion if 80% of the population becomes infected.

The paper can be obtained at https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00426.

U.S. House Of Representatives Hearing On COVID-19 Response

The House Energy and Commerce Committee today held a hearing on the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Testimony was heard from Anthony S. Fauci, Director, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Brett P. Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health; Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Robert R. Redfield, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Their testimonies can be obtained at https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/full-committee-hearing-on-oversight-of-the-trump-administrations.

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Telehealth Lessons Learned

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on “Telehealth: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” to examine changes made to insurance payments and effectiveness of waivers granted for telehealth due to COVID-19. An expert panel provided testimony on how telehealth has been crucial for safe medical care and the necessity of waivers to become permanent. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked the witnesses how Congress can help to prepare the current and future workforce on utilizing telehealth and what resources, such as funding, education, and Internet access, are needed to achieve this. Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) expressed hesitation in mandating reciprocity agreements between states for healthcare provider licenses but would rather encourage states to participate in these agreements.

Full memo available here.

Senate Hearing On Telehealth Lessons From The COVID-19 Pandemic

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee today conducted a hearing on telehealth lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Testimony by witnesses can be obtained at https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/telehealth-lessons-from-the-covid-19-pandemic.

Health Insurance Coverage Of A Future COVID-19 Vaccine

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses whether existing public and private insurance coverage will suffice to sustain a national immunization strategy.

The report can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2020/why-we-cant-rely-health-insurance-alone-guarantee-universal-immunization-against-covid-19.

ASU Virtual Summit on Online and Blended Learning

On July 13 and 14, ASU will host REMOTE: The Connected Faculty Summit. The virtual conference, supported by the ASU Foundation, will showcase best practices, techniques, and tools to provide actionable insight to Higher Education faculty around the concept of “the best of online education.”  Attendees can access 60+ curated sessions of 30 minutes during two 4-hour days of simultaneous learning tracks. This virtual conference is free of charge for those involved in learning delivery (faculty and learning practitioners) as well as Administration worldwide.

More information and registration details my be accessed here.

Updated Profiles Of Health Care Systems Around The World

Why have some nations seemed better equipped than others to address the health needs of their population during the COVID-19 pandemic? The completely updated and revised 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Fund’s International Profiles of Health Care Systems reveals the ins and outs of health systems in 20 nations.

The Profiles can be obtained at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=International%20Health.