COVID-19 Resources
We want to thank you, our dedicated hospitals and physicians, for all you are doing on the frontlines of this crisis. We’re sure the last thing you have time to do is comb through your policy details to determine what is or isn’t covered, when you need to notify your carrier and what exceptions or temporary orders have been put in place to deal with this everchanging situation.
We have put together a list of COVID-19 Coverage Question FAQs for you to use as a quick reference guide and will update it regularly as things evolve to help you get the answers you need quickly.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at notifications@inspirien.net with any additional questions.
Yes, the state of Alabama has approved measures to limit the liability to hospitals that have invoked their emergency operations plan. You can read more about that protection here.
We have temporary coverage options available.
Please fill out the Temporary Physicians Application and email it to notifications@inspirien.net.
If you would like more information, contact our underwriters at notifications@inspirien.net.
According to your policy, Inspirien should be notified in advance of any changes to individuals listed on your policy. Therefore, please let us know of any changes as soon as possible so we can ensure that you have the necessary coverage in place to support any change in operations.
Many of you are probably working diligently to make plans for providing the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to your facility. We have reviewed reliable resources and discussed this process with our team and wanted to provide you with the following information to assist you with this process.
Links to COVID-19 vaccination resources are below - these include both CDC guidance, as well as valuable information from the ADPH and ABN.
Please remember that if you are planning to utilize "retired nurses" to administer the vaccines, that you must follow ABN guidelines.
- Nurses must be volunteers and receive no compensation for their services
- Provide these nurses with the COVID-19 vaccination education from the CDC website and complete the CDC competency skills checklist - provided in the links below
- Make sure these nurses sign a HIPAA form for volunteers
Contact us to learn how the Inspirien Insurance policy can protect your facility if your facility is planning to use volunteers.
COVID-19 Vaccination Resources
COVID -19 Clinical Training and Resources for HCPs
Executive Summary for Alabama's Interim COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
Please provide and document effective, although it can be abbreviated, formal orientation and competency verification and place this information in the staff member’s personnel file just as one should do anytime staff members “float to other areas”.
Resource: Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages | CDC
Due to the continued surge in COVID-19 patients and it's impact on hospital processes, it is imperative to continue to be vigilant in regards to your documentation of daily services, as well as understand the importance of considering the following points and resources.
- Utilize the COVID-19 Language provided for you to document on patient records. Click HERE to view the suggested language.
- Document your daily activities - to include, but not be limited to: number of COVID-19 patients; number of patients tested/quarantined for suspected COVID-19; types and availability of testing; PPE and other important equipment/testing around this; processes implemented and any changes in processes; etc. It is important that we don't get fatigued during this continued journey and forget to timely document your hospital's efforts to appropriately address what it has taken and is taking to effectively provide care during this time.
- Apply the guidance provided to you in the COVID-19 Documentation Toolkit available to you to memorialize these initiatives, actions and responses crucial to this unprecedented times, as well as provide you with up-to-date resources. Click HERE to view the toolkit.
In lieu of hearing some of the difficulties you might be facing with the transfer of critical patients, we wanted to send this reminder for you to share with frontline staff as it is imperative your documentation reflect the actions you are taking to do what is best for your patients:
- Document every facility contacted (date/time) in an attempt to transfer, who you spoke with and specifically what they said when accepting or denying transfer
- Document each update given to the patient and/or family regarding attempts to transfer, patient condition updates, risks and benefits of transfer specific to that patient
- Document every step of care provided to the patient waiting for transfer (I know this should go without saying, but when staff become inundated with trying to transfer things can go missed)
- Physicians need to be documenting every conversation they have with specialists regarding the care they are providing and/or regarding transfer attempts
- Remind patients and families everyone is dealing with this pandemic right now and each facility is doing their best. Don't give in to "bad mouthing" other facilites
- Ensure the physician says the patients is "stable or unstable" appropriately for transfer; if unstable let the receiving facility know this as well as EMS transport
- If you have adopted utilization of the COVID-19 language documentation we provided for your consent for treatment, please be diligent in using this with every patient. If you have not currently adopted utilizing this language, please consider adopting it. Click HERE to view the suggested language.
According to your policy, Inspirien should be notified in advance of any changes to the type and/or volume of professional services. Therefore, please let us know of any changes as soon as possible so we can ensure that you have the necessary coverage in place to support any change in operations.
Yes, according to Governor Ivey’s “Safer at Home” order issued on 04/28/2020; ‘Effective April 30, 2020 at 5 P.M, dental, medical, or surgical procedures may proceed within the following guidelines…” https://governor.alabama.gov/assets/2020/04/Safer-At-Home-Order-Signed-4.28.20.pdf
Medical procedures. Effective April 30, 2020, at 5:00 P.M., dental, medical, or surgical procedures may proceed unless the State Health Officer or his designee determines that performing such procedures, or any category of them (whether statewide or regionally), would unacceptably reduce access to personal protective equipment or other resources necessary to diagnose and treat COVID-19. Providers performing these procedures shall follow all applicable COVID-19-related rules adopted by a state regulatory board or by the Alabama Department of Public Health. In the absence of such rules, providers should take reasonable steps to comply with applicable COVID-19-related guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the CDC, including “Re-opening Facilities to Provide Non-emergent NonCOVID-19 Healthcare: Phase I” from CMS, available at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-flexibility-reopen-essential-non-covid-services.pdf
and “Infection Control Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)” from the CDC, available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control.html
Additional resources:
- Fact Sheet for “Safer at Home” order (04/28/2020) https://governor.alabama.gov/assets/2020/04/GKI-0040-2020-Health-Order-Update-Info-Sheet.pdf
- Joint Statement: Roadmap for Resuming Elective Surgery after COVID-19 Pandemic – from American Hospital Association (AHA), American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Association of perioperative Registered Nurse (AORN) https://www.aha.org/standardsguidelines/2020-04-17-roadmap-aha-others-safely-resuming-elective-surgery-covid-19-curve
- COVID-19 Medical Practice Reopening Checklist https://4c27ta1wi0ea2ypdxh4fepue-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MGMA-Practice-Reopening-Checklist.pdf
How to Cope with Job Stress and Build Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/mental-health-non-healthcare.html
Preventing Employee Burnout - https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0817/pages/how-to-prevent-employee-burnout.aspx
Physician Burnout - https://www.ahrq.gov/prevention/clinician/ahrq-works/burnout/index.html
Guidance per industry by CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/workplaces-businesses/specific-industries.html
How to find treatment and/or mental health providers - https://www.samhsa.gov/find-treatment
Coping with Stress and Mental Health and Crisis (tips and resources for healthcare workers and others related to Stress and Mental Health) - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
Employee Burnout - https://www.insperity.com/blog/employee-burnout/
OSHA Issues FINAL Rule on COVID Healthcare Workplace Safety
Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule requiring healthcare employers to protect workers against on-the-job COVID-19 infection. The emergency temporary standard (ETS) applies only to the healthcare sector.
According to OSHA, the goal of the ETS is to protect workers facing the highest COVID-19 hazards—those working in healthcare settings where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated. This includes employees in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities; emergency responders; home healthcare workers; and employees in ambulatory care facilities where suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients are treated. The ETS exempts fully vaccinated workers from masking, distancing, and barrier requirements when in well-defined areas where there is no reasonable expectation that any person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 will be present.
Key Requirements of the ETS include:
- Develop and implement a COVID-19 plan, must be in writing and include several elements and policies and procedures
- Patient screening and management
- Standard and transmission-based precautions
- Personal protective equipment
- Aerosol-generating procedures on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19
- Physical distancing
- Physical barriers
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Ventilation
- Health screening and medical management
- Vaccination
- Training
- Anti-retaliation
- Record keeping
- Reporting work-related COVID-19 fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations to OSHA.
The ETS is effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register. Employers must comply with most provisions within 14 days, and with provisions involving physical barriers, ventilation, and training within 30 days.
For more information, go to OSHA’s COVID-19 Healthcare ETS webpage, which includes several documents about the rule and implementation. For the full text of the ETS, refer to 29 CFR 1910;502 at www.osha.gov/coronavirus/etc.
In addition to the healthcare-focused ETS, OSHA is issuing updated guidance to help employers and workers in other industries protect workers who are still not vaccinated, with a special emphasis on other industries noted for prolonged close-contacts like meat processing, manufacturing, seafood, and grocery and high-volume retail.
Additional Resources:
Summary of the ETS - https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4120.pdf
OSHA ETS Standards - https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/covid-19-healthcare-ets-reg-OSHA
Additional guidance for healthcare workers - https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/safework
OSHA Fact Sheet - https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4122.pdf
Please contact a member of our Inspirien Risk Team at riskmanagement@inspirien.net to explore services we provide that can assist you with compliance for these regulations.
Other COVID -19 FAQs
Although this is not a covered service in your general liability policy, we can help you obtain temporary coverage. Please contact us for more details.
Along with our Mission to be a remarkable partner, we want to help our insureds remain focused on your mission of providing medical care in this time of need. If you need to discuss upcoming payment options, or would like us to provide proactive information about your upcoming renewal, please reach out to us at accounting@inspirien.net.
No – the CDC recommendation is to place COVID-19 positive patients in a single patient room and keep the door closed. Additionally, the CDC recommends to:
- Limit transport and movement of the patient outside of the room to medically essential purposes.
- House patients in the same room for the duration of their stay.
- Whenever possible, perform procedures/tests in the patient’s room.
- Reserve Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) for patients who will be undergoing aerosol-generating procedures.
The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued updated guidance on the proper use of facemasks. Please visit https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/assets/cov-hcp-mask-use.pdf for more information.
Additionally, the CDC has a PPE Burn Rate Calculator toolkit available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/burn-calculator.html
Nursing Home residents have been and continue to be a very vulnerable patient population in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Federal Government issued guidance for ‘Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations for State and Local Officials’ this week on May 18, 2020 to provide proactive measures that can be taken to prepare for opening our Nursing homes back up. This guidance can be viewed at https://www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfs-states-and-regopolicy-and/nursing-home-reopening-recommendations-state-and-local-officials.
However, Governor Ivey’s updated Safer at Home Order https://governor.alabama.gov/assets/2020/05/Safer-at-Home-Order-FINAL-5.21.2020.pdf
issued on May 21, 2020 validates that both hospitals and nursing homes must continue to implement limited visitation policies to protect patients in our healthcare systems. See the fact sheet from Governor Ivey’s updated order for further information - https://governor.alabama.gov/assets/2020/05/GKI-0040-2020-Health-Order-Update-May-22-DFT3-Horizontal-Info-Sheet-003.pdf.
With this being said, we encourage Nursing Home leadership to begin to view the CMS guidance in order to be prepared when our COVID-19 statistics allow Nursing Homes to relax their visitation limitations and to proactively address other measures that will provide for continued safe care for this vital group of patients/residents.
Other Resources
Building Resiliency for Healthcare Professionals Toolkit
COVID-19 Toolkit
Inspirien's Business Continuity Plan
COVID-19 Risk Management Resource List
Testimonials
“It’s also important that organizations select a partner to assist them in thoroughly evaluating potential carriers who understand risk management, who focus on education and will stand beside their clients during turbulent circumstances.”
Glenn Sisk
Hospital CEO | Coosa Valley Medical Center