The Executive order was initially extended until December 31, 2020 and has now been extended a second time until March 31, 2021.
Governor Ducey extends the Good Samaritan Executive Order
Executive Order 2020-27, originally issued on April 9, 2020, provides civil liability protections to licensed healthcare professionals, emergency medical technicians, and Arizona healthcare institutions and treatment facilities assisting in COVID-19 care. The Executive order was initially extended until December 31, 2020 and has now been extended a second time until March 31, 2021.
ADHS releases draft rules and seeks comments on implementation of Jake’s Law
Governor Ducey signed Jake’s Law last March which requires health insurance plans to ensure there is mental health parity in Arizona in addition to many other initiatives related to suicide prevention.
Jake’s Law requires the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to adopt rules related to admitting and discharging patients who have attempted suicide or exhibited suicidal ideation. Accordingly, ADHS recently posted draft rules revising Arizona 9 A.A.C. 10, Articles 2 and 3. The Notice of Public Information and text of the draft rules are accessible here.
AzHHA will compile and submit comments to ADHS, which are due February 21. Please email your feedback or questions to Liz Lorenz, AzHHA director of policy development by Monday, February 2 to allow time for review, compilation and submission of comments to ADHS. Click here to review a summary of the ADHS draft rules.
Information Blocking – Resources for healthcare providers
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published the Information Blocking Final Rule on May 1, 2020. The Information Blocking Rule (45 C.F.R. Part 171) went into effect on June 30, 2020 with the compliance deadline, originally scheduled for November 2, 2020. The deadline has now been extended to April 5, 2021. Health Current, Arizona’s Health Information Exchange, has created a webpage with resources to assist organizations to comply with the new rule. Visit healthcurrent.org/information-center/information-blocking/ to access free resources.
ADHS publishes vaccine finder
The Arizona Department of Health Services launched a new webpage this week to provide information on the COVID-19 vaccine in our state. Go to azhealth.gov/covid19findvaccine to learn more about how the vaccine will be distributed in phases, as well as locate vaccination sites by county.
Now available AzHHA Consent Manual - 2020 Edition
The 2020 AzHHA Consent Manual, reviewed and updated by Coppersmith Brockelman’s Health Care Practice Group, is now available for purchase. This manual is the only comprehensive resource guide for Arizona healthcare consent laws, rules and guidelines. Updated from the 2014 version, it has been expanded to include, among other topics, the following information:
- Opioid orders and prescriptions in a completely new chapter which includes a template opioid consent to treatment form.
- Updated content regarding the use and disclosure of specially protected substance use disorder information, including the most recent August 2020 changes to 42 C.F.R. Part 2.
- An expanded chapter on research compliance, including compliance with HIPAA, FDA regulations, the Common Rule, NIH Certificates of Confidentiality, Arizona state research laws and more.
- An expanded chapter on interactions with law enforcement, including interactions with border patrol.
- Incorporation of the revised Medicare and Arizona hospital discharge rules and electronic “ADT” notification requirements.
- Expanded telemedicine guidance.
- A new discussion of social media concerns.
- Discussion of the revised health information organization (HIO) laws.
- References to a variety of other new laws and regulations since the 2014 edition that touch on consent, reporting, and health information management, including the alignment of mental health, communicable disease, and genetic testing confidentiality provisions with HIPAA, revised Data Bank reporting requirements, direct pay notices to patients and much more.
- Much more extensive citation, cross-referencing and linking to legal authorities and treatise materials to guide further analysis of thorny regulatory questions.
Request your purchase link here.
Palliative care telehealth is available in Arizona
Patients experiencing acute or chronic COVID-19 symptoms and related complications have another resource available for their care. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association launched the Palliative Care Telehealth program last month to give patients the option for care in their home while alleviating the current surge on our hospital systems.
Palliative Care Telehealth is a referral source for healthcare providers across Arizona to help their patients navigate through the complexities of COVID-19 related symptoms, or those chronic conditions exacerbated by COVID-19. Patients referred to this free service will be able to consult with a palliative care specialist for symptom management or goals of care. After the consultation, the palliative care specialist will collaborate with the referring provider on any changes to the plan of care.
This program is administered by the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association with a grant from the Arizona Department of Health Services. There is no charge to the patient or referring provider to use this service.
Please visit our website for more resources including patient and provider flyers and frequently asked questions: https://palliative.vsee.me/u/clinic.
Winter State of the State – The Hertel Report
The Hertel Report will be hosting, virtually, its Winter State of the State on Friday, January 22. The virtual event will include Arizona healthcare leaders as guest speakers including AzHHA President and CEO, Ann-Marie Alameddin, AzPHA Executive Director, Will Humble, AHCCCS Director, Jami Snyder and many more who will provide fresh insight and trends impacting our local managed care industry. AzHHA members will receive $15 off registration when using the code ‘azhha2021’. To register for the event, click here.
Upcoming Events
January 14 - Navigating Tough Conversations with Patients and Families
Join us for this special session designed to empower anyone on the care team to have these difficult conversations with easy-to-implement, evidence-based, proven communications tools and strategies. Learn how to build rapport, give difficult news, respond to emotion, assess patient understanding, discuss prognosis, identify support systems, and elicit goals to develop a plan for care that is consistent with the patient’s wishes and values. Click here to register.
February 10 - Advance Care Planning: Train the Trainer
This workshop prepares community representatives and volunteers to facilitate the 1 or 2-hour community Advance Care Planning workshop. Participants will learn the basic steps needed for effective advance care planning, Arizona regulations governing advance care planning, facilitation strategies and community/state/national resources. Click here to register.
Multiple dates – Introduction to POLST workshop
The one-hour Introduction to POLST workshop equips healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST in Arizona. The objectives are to describe what POLST is at the state and national level, explain why POLST is important, define the population for POLST, when to begin the conversation and who completes POLST, describe the process for completing, reviewing and updating POLST and learn the process of submitting healthcare planning documents to the Arizona Healthcare Directive Registry. Dates for the first quarter of 2021 have been announced. Click on the date to register for a workshop.
In Other News
Arizona hospitals at a 'critical point' as COVID-19 cases continue to rise
KJZZ
CDC: Arizona first in U.S. for new COVID infections
KOLD News 13
Maricopa County releases new details about COVID-19 vaccine distribution delays
AZ Family