Here is your Thursday

NCMS Morning Rounds 

  April 2, 2020

Don’t forget our first ‘Power Hour‘ will be held tomorrow.

More information is available in the Learning Opportunity section below.

NCMS Launches Telehealth Platform – At No Charge to You

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in an effort to ease the burden on North Carolina’s physicians and patients, the NCMS today is launching a telemedicine platform available to all health care providers in North Carolina at no charge, until the COVID-19 pandemic abates. This custom platform, called Presence, was produced in a collaboration between the NCMS Foundation’s Project OBOT NC and The Recovery Platform.

The Presence platform provides a central portal where patients can schedule a telemedicine visit with their provider. In fact, patients can look up their provider by practice or provider name and are given a calendar with times the physician has reserved for telemedicine or phone based appointments. Physicians will receive a notification of scheduled visits and access the Presence dashboard to initiate and manage these patient interactions.
To setup your account you simply need to:
• Go to the onboarding page here.
• Activate your account to setup your Telemedicine Availability Schedule
• Login to the dashboard to see upcoming scheduled visits
• Initiate the patient visit
• Digitally order labs on the platform with our integrated partners
• Charting and billing are performed in your own EHR

After you receive confirmation your account is set-up you will be provided with instructions to:
• Sign the BAA
• Download Zoom at https://zoom.us/download
• Email patient roster (suggested language below)

Learn more about Presence and how you can access this valuable NCMS Foundation resource.

Respiratory Care Board Clarifies Policies on Telehealth

As part of its ongoing efforts to provide health care professionals with critical information during the national response to the COVID-19 virus, the North Carolina Respiratory Care Board wants to address any concerns about possible restrictions on respiratory care practitioners providing respiratory care via a telehealth platform.

Board Rule 21 NCAC 61 .0103 (3) states: “The practice of respiratory care” means the performance of assessments and diagnostic tests, and implementation of treatment procedures and protocols related to the cardiopulmonary system pursuant to G.S. 90-648(10) and the activities defined by the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) clinical guidelines. Review those guidelines here. Based on the AARC Position Statement, respiratory therapists may provide all of the following respiratory therapy services in a telehealth setting or platform:

  • Patient assessment and education
    • Diagnostic evaluation
    • Sleep testing
    • Home ventilator monitoring and management
    • Monitoring patient health and activities
    • Managing patients with chronic conditions
    • Disease prevention
    • Health promotion
    • Rehabilitation
    • Patient consultations

For these reasons, the North Carolina Respiratory Care Board wants to emphasize that each licensed respiratory care practitioner holding the appropriate competencies and acting under facility policy and procedure, and the written order of physician as outlined in Board Rule 21 NCAC 61 .0103 (3) may provide these services via telehealth.

NCMS Leadership Nominations Still Being Accepted

Here is some important, non-COVID-19 news: the NCMS Nominating and Leadership Development Committee is seeking nominations for openings on the NCMS Board of Directors, NC AMA Delegation and the Committee itself. You have until May 18 to nominate yourself or a colleague for one of these key leadership positions, listed below.

Here is the nomination form. This is a meaningful way to serve your profession and the health of North Carolinians, now more than ever!

Applications will be reviewed by the NCMS Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, with the final ballot being put to a vote of the entire NCMS membership later this year. Review descriptions of what is required of each position.

Board of Directors (Term runs from the NCMS’ Annual Meeting 2020, which will be held Oct. 15-16, to the Annual Meeting 2021):
• Secretary Treasurer: Incumbent (John J. Meier, IV, MD) is eligible for reelection
• Region 3 Representative: Open
• Region 4 Representative: Incumbent (Rachel D. Keever, MD) is eligible for reelection
• At-Large Member: Incumbent (Eileen M. Raynor, MD) is eligible for reelection
• At-Large Member: Open

NC AMA Delegation (Four delegate openings to serve January 2021 to December 2022)
• Incumbent (G. Hadley Callaway, MD) is eligible for reelection
• Incumbent (William E. Bowman, MD) is eligible for reelection
• Incumbent (Darlyne Menscer, MD) is eligible for reelection
• Incumbent (Liana Puscas, MD) is eligible for reelection
Alternate AMA Delegate (One delegate opening to serve January 2021 to December 2022)
• Incumbent (E. Rebecca Hayes, MD) is eligible for reelection

Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (Term runs from Annual Meeting 2020 to Annual Meeting 2022)
Region 1 (represents the eastern third of the state)
• Two open seats
Region 2 (represents 21 counties encompassing the Triangle and Triad)
• Incumbent (Justin Hurie, MD) eligible for reelection
Region 4 (represents the western third of the state)
• Incumbent (Gregory Evans, MD) eligible for reelection

Survey Reminders

Several surveys have gone out recently to help gather information about current conditions in your practice to help us understand them and to help. If you haven’t already responded, please take just a minute to complete these quick snapshots of your experience during this unique time.

Thank you! And thank you for all you are doing for your patients and the community!

In the News

These Charts Show Who Is Most Vulnerable to the Coronavirus, The Center for Public Integrity/NPR, 4-1-20

Learning Opportunity

The NCMS Foundation presents its Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership (KIPL) Power Hour: Telemedicine During COVID-19, Friday, April 3 from noon to 1 p.m. Register here. The link to the Zoom meeting login will be sent after you register. If you don’t receive the link, please contact Kristina Natt och Dag at [email protected].

Originally created as a way to reach patients remotely, telehealth needs during the COVID-19 pandemic have skyrocketed. Physician practices are working to get telehealth platforms set up and running so they can continue to see patients. This Power Hour is an opportunity to share knowledge and learn from each other about applying telehealth technology during this pandemic. Steve North, MD, a family physician and adolescent medicine specialist in Mitchell County, Reynold Yordy, who has 20 years of health care IT and programming experience and the NCMS’ Vice President for Rural Health Systems Innovation Franklin Walker will lead the conversation.

The KIPL Power Hour aims to provide a forum for ongoing conversation, collaboration and community. Tune in to Power Hour weekly to hear from different experts, decision makers and influencers on a variety of topics. The format is informal and conversational and sessions are easy to access through Zoom. Power Hours will be recorded and made  available to you through your NCMS Morning Rounds and on the KIPL webpage.