COVID-19 may be a novel virus, but the novelty certainly is beginning to wear off. Missouri’s positive test rates remain too high, and hospitals are experiencing record levels of hospitalization statewide. Throughout the last month, the state experienced a surge in regions that had not seen surge-level utilization in spring or the early summer months.
We’re increasingly seeing what has been called COVID-fatigue. It’s manifesting in our communities, and it is having a very real influence on health care workers.
We all remember scenes in the spring of communities celebrating their hospitals and staff. Organizations sent food, held vigils in parking lots, other first responders conducted parades and tributes — there was a sense of solidarity and a recognition of the great sacrifice. Unfortunately, COVID-19 isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. And, the ongoing and growing challenges health care workers are seeing every day are very real, even though the public celebration and support has moved to the background.
Yesterday, I attended an event sponsored by the Spirit of Liberty Foundation. The organization is approximately halfway through a nationwide fly-around event celebrating the tremendous contribution of health care workers during this crisis. The event in Jefferson City was preceded by a stop in Kansas City on Sunday. A final Missouri event will be held at Lambert Airport in St. Louis on Monday, Oct. 12.
In Jefferson City, health care team members from Capital Region Medical Center and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Jefferson City attended as did Gov. Mike Parson, First Lady Teresa Parson and several state elected officials. It was clear from the governor’s comments that he understands that hospitals remain under significant pressure to provide care.
The representative from the Spirit of Liberty Foundation indicated that our first responders and health care workers are a new “Greatest Generation.” Like those who fought on the home front or in the battles that led to victory over the Axis Powers in WWII, today’s health care workers are engaged in a daily and life-altering struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. For most, it will be the defining moment in their careers and lives, and — like the Greatest Generation of the last century — they are driven to serve because it is the right thing to do.
The work our organizations are doing now, and have done since early this year, is saving lives. We are providing community leadership in the struggle — not just through care delivery, but in modeling behaviors, keeping our patients and communities informed, and demonstrating flexibility and resilience. Hospitals are filled with health care heroes.
It will be months, if not years, before the crisis abates. The spontaneous events demonstrating support and celebration of health care heroes have been replaced by something different. Our patients and communities have a much better understanding of the high value of having hospitals and health care assets locally, and the courage and perseverance of the individuals who work in them — from the bedside to the boardroom, and beyond.
“Everyday heroes” are undercelebrated. Nonetheless, they are essential. Thank you for what you do.
U.S. Senators Voice Concern About Provider Relief Repayment Standards
MHA And MPCA Contact State Attorney General On 340B Concerns
Parson Reverses Some Budget Withholdings And Distributes New COVID-19 Relief
MA And Medicare Part D Receive Plan Star Ratings
Nursing Board Issues Scam Alert
MLN Connects Provider eNews Available
CMS Hosts Stakeholder Engagement Calls
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and 30 other Senators sent Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar a joint letter about HHS’ new standards for using and repaying COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds. It expresses “grave concerns” that the standards will “create uncertainty and financial hardship for hospitals in our states, particularly in rural areas.” Sen. Roy Blunt sent a separate letter on the topic. MHA appreciates the Senators’ responsiveness to advocacy by MHA and its members reacting to the agency’s abrupt and unconventional revisions of its June standards. MHA also sent its own letter to Secretary Azar.
The Missouri Primary Care Association and MHA sent a joint letter to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt regarding efforts by several pharmaceutical manufacturers to restrict the scope of coverage under the 340B drug discount program. Other state attorneys general have taken direct action on this issue. Previously, MHA advocacy on this topic focused on Congress, which has yielded strong support from the Missouri delegation, and federal agencies.
Gov. Parson reversed $38 million in state budget withholdings ordered to address pandemic-related budgetary shortfalls. Restorations of import to hospitals include spending for the Medicaid Audit and Compliance Unit and third-party eligibility verification work for social services programs. The governor also distributed $94 million in federal Coronavirus Relief funding, including $10 million for personal protective equipment and other COVID-19-related expenses in assisted living and residential care facilities.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released quality ratings for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D drug plans. Most Medicare beneficiaries who enrolled in MA plans with drug coverage will be in plans that achieved a star rating of four or more. The average star rating for all MA plans with prescription drug coverage improved to 4.06 in 2021, up from 4.02 in 2017. CMS Administrator Seema Verma stated, “The historically low premiums for Medicare Advantage plans this year would mean little if they didn’t come paired with high-quality care. With nearly half of Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage rated at four stars or higher, and more than three-quarters of beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage enrolled in such four-star plans, seniors are coming out on top in 2021.”
The Missouri State Board of Nursing issued a consumer alert warning nurses of a scam circulating in the state. The scam involves calls or mail correspondence targeted to nurses under the guise of the State Board. The scammers appear to have personal information about the nurse, including licensure information. Funds are being requested to clear nurses of allegations against their license. Nurses can use the Nursys system to check their licensure status. If nurses are not enrolled in the Nursys system, the board encourages them to register now.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued updates to MLN Connects Provider eNews. eNews includes information about national provider calls, meetings, events, announcements and other MLN educational product updates. The latest issue provides updates and summaries of the following.
Institutional providers: give us your feedback on the provider-specific file by Sunday, Nov. 1
COVID-19: optimizing PPE, and child health and wellness
Laboratories: pay your CLIA certification fees online
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hosts a bi-monthly Office Hours Call to provide hospitals, health systems and providers an opportunity to ask questions regarding CMS’ temporary actions. The next call is at 4 p.m. CDT Tuesday, Oct. 13. Participants can join via audio webcast and use the dial-in number 833-614-0820 with passcode 6379959. Call recordings and transcripts are posted on the CMS podcast page.
