Public Comment on Draft Research Plan: Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force posted today a draft research plan on screening for autism spectrum disorder in young children. The draft research plan is available for review and public comment from February 25, 2021 through March 24, 2021. To review the draft research plan and submit comments, go here. Any visitor to the Task Force Web site can comment on any of the listed USPSTF draft documents. However, readers should note that the USPSTF writes these documents for researchers, primary care doctors, and other health care providers, using medical ... February 25, 2021 General, Patient Care Autism, Screening 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS holds physicians harmless from MIPS penalties amid COVID-19 PHE CMS to Apply MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Policy for the 2020 Performance Period in Response to COVID-19; Reopens Application Today, CMS announced it will hold physicians harmless from up to 9% MIPS penalties due to the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 public health emergency on physician practices’ performance in 2020. The Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances Hardship Exception policy will be automatically applied to ALL MIPS eligible clinicians who do not submit any MIPS data for the 2020 performance period and avoid a 2022 payment penalty. CMS is also reopening the ... February 25, 2021 CMS, COVID19, MIPS CMS, COVID-19, MIPS 0 0 Comment Read More »
Coping with COVID Stress - Quick Tips from AAFP Family physicians Lalita Abhyankar, MD, and Kyle Bradford Jones, MD, recently joined Ada Stewart, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), for a virtual town hall(www.youtube.com) about stress and trauma related to COVID-19. The town hall was titled “Your Feelings Are Real: Navigating Grief, Anger, Fear, Guilt, and Moral Injury.” Jones shared his own experience working through depression and anxiety during medical training, an experience he chronicled in a memoir(www.amazon.com), and shared how the past year has worsened his mental health. Abhyankar, who works at a federally qualified health center in ... February 24, 2021 COVID19, Mental Health, Physician Wellness COVID-19, Mental Health, Stress, Trauma 0 0 Comment Read More »
COVID-19 Tracking Poll, February 2021: Views from California Health Care Providers on the Front Lines As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year, it continues to have unprecedented impact on California’s health care system. To assess that impact on health care providers, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), in conjunction with Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, conducted a statewide survey of California health care providers. The poll provides insights into providers’ acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine, assessment of their health care systems’ readiness to administer the vaccine to the general public, and the impact of COVID-19 on providers’ mental health and morale, as well as ... February 18, 2021 COVID19 COVID-19, Vaccine 0 0 Comment Read More »
County of Santa Clara Announces Expansion of COVID-19 Vaccinations Starting February 28 County officials announced on Tuesday that healthcare providers across Santa Clara County will expand access to COVID-19 vaccination to workers in education and childcare, emergency services, and the food and agriculture industries, starting February 28, 2021. As vaccine access expands to these additional groups, focusing vaccination efforts on the most impacted areas of the community and older residents at greatest risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 will remain a critical focus and priority. This expansion of vaccine access is planned as the County Health System continues to boost ... February 18, 2021 COVID19, Public Health COVID-19, Vaccine 0 0 Comment Read More »
