Coronavirus Guidance and Resources for Our Providers
Spotlight News, February 2021
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
The PPP has reopened to all lenders.
This round of loans is available to first-time applicants as well as to those who have already benefited from the PPP, which is designed to provide small businesses with money to continue paying employees during the COVID-19 crisis. Funds can be used to help with payroll costs, including benefits, mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker-protection costs related to COVID-19, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.
Practices have until March 31, 2021 to apply.
Eligibility criteria for practices:
- Have no more than 300 employees
- Be able to demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020
Note that these loans will be forgiven if all employee-retention criteria are met and funds are used only for eligible expenses.
Talk to your practice’s CPA or attorney prior to applying for any financial assistance.
For more information: https://bit.ly/36F7kuh
For a PPP application: https://bit.ly/3cH9lK2
NCDHHS Updates
The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has shared informational resources to deal with the new realities of treating patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. Links to those resources we feel may be most useful to our partner practices appear in the date-organized list below.
- Updated by 11 a.m. daily / COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard, a list of active cases and total deaths for our state
- 8.18.20 / NC Medical Society: Free PPE for Independent Practices
- 7.28.20 / Printable CDC COVID-19 safety posters for classrooms, medical offices
- 5.15.20 / (UPDATED) Information on COVID-19 Testing for Patients
- 4.7.20 / Interim Additional Guidance for Outpatient and Ambulatory Care Settings
- 3.29.20 / (UPDATED, SECOND TIME) COVID-19 Provider Guidance
- 3.23.20 / (UPDATED) COVID-19 Outpatient Triage and Assessment Guidance
- 3.19.20 / NCDHS COVID-19 webinar for practices
NCDHHS has launched a Thursday-afternoon webinar series for our state’s healthcare providers, to address the tremendous challenges posed by COVID-19. For more information and to register for the webinar, go here. - 3.16.20 / Interim Guidance for Discontinuation of Home Isolation for Patients with Suspected/Confirmed COVID-19
- 3.12.20 / Interim Guidance for Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) While Caring for Patients with Suspected/Confirmed COVID-19
- UNDATED / Consolidation of existing NCDHHS healthcare guidance; scroll down to “Health” section.
- UNDATED / Consolidation of NCDHHS COVID-19 state updates, by week
Other trusted sources for information and updates, all of whom have devoted large portions of their websites to COVID-19: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vidant Health.
Medical Volunteering
The American Medical Association (AMA) has posted a set of guidelines for physicians and other medical professionals wanting to assist communities across the country being hit hardest by COVID-19. The AMA resource includes both a list of opportunities for volunteering, including embattled states directly asking for medical assistance with the influx of confirmed cases and related hospitalizations, as well as important factors that potential volunteers should weigh prior to signing up to help.