What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws Technical Assistance Questions and Answers – Updated on April 17, 2020 All EEOC materials related to COVID-19 are collected at www.eeoc.gov/coronavirus. The EEOC enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act (which … Read more
Implementing Safety Practices for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Had Exposure to a Person with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Interim Guidance To ensure continuity of operations of essential functions, CDC advises that critical infrastructure workers may be permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19, provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are … Read more
Work for America The Framework for Reopening America provides guidance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to adjust restrictive community mitigation measures in a controlled way that supports the safe reopening of communities when appropriate, supporting Americans reentering civic life. Why Is the Plan Important to the American People The strict community mitigation measures … Read more
April 4 — EMS World reported today that CMS will allow payment for transport by ambulance to non-hospital sites during the Covid -19 event. Paperwork requirements are also being reduced to facilitate greater availability for patients. The EMS World article is found at https://www.emsworld.com/article/1224106/cms-ems-can-now-be-reimbursed-alternative-destination-transports The Press Release from CMS can be found at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-ambulances.pdf
Illinois Governor Pritzger (D) announced the death of an infant at his press conference on April 2, 2020, and gave the impression to viewers that this child died of Covid-19. Chicago’s Channel 5, however, quoted other state officials as stating that the child had been hospitalized for four weeks with a bowel obstruction and multi-system … Read more
The federal PREP law provides for a type of limited liability for healthcare workers under a declaration by the Secretary of HHS. On March 17, 2020, the Declaration activating that provision was issued by the Secretary. Excerpts are provided below. Full-text link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-03-17/pdf/2020-05484.pdf “Under the Declaration Covered Persons who are afforded liability immunity are ‘‘manufacturers,’’ … Read more
April 2, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the distribution of hoarded personal protective equipment (PPE), including approximately 192,000 N95 respirator masks, to those on the frontline of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response in New York and New Jersey. The … Read more
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) responsible for enforcement of HIPAA has issued an advisory on how HIPAA may apply to EMS and first-responders and interactions with health departments, covered entities, and dispatch. The advisory does not change the basic rules of exchange of PHI for Treatment, Payment, Operations, and as required by Law but … Read more
3-31-2020 19:00 CDT — CMS has just released a 26-page list of waivers for the Covid-19 emergency, including the long-awaited clarification on EMTALA. My thanks to Dr. Todd Taylor for getting it to me within 30 minutes of its release. The lengthy document waives numerous other federal requirements for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and psychiatric … Read more