Infectious Diseases

As the novel coronavirus snaked its way across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early February distributed 200 test kits it had produced to more than 100 public health labs run by states and counties nationwide.

Each kit contained material to test a mere 300-400 patients. And labs, whether serving the population of New York or tiny towns in rural America, apparently received the same kits.

The kits were distributed roughly equally to locales in all 50 states. That decision presaged weeks of chaos, in which the availability of COVID-19 tests seemed oddly out of sync with where testing was needed.

A woman in South Dakota with mild symptoms and no fever readily got the test and the results. Meanwhile, political leaders and public officials in places like New York, Boston, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area – all in the throes of serious outbreaks – couldn’t get enough tests to screen ill patients or, thereby, the information they needed to protect the general public and stem the outbreak of the virus, whose symptoms mimic those of common respiratory illnesses.

Rapid testing is crucial in the early stages of an outbreak. It allows health workers and families to identify and focus on treating those infected and isolate them.

Yet health officials in New York and such states as New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Georgia confirmed that they each initially got one test kit, calling into question whether they would have even stood a chance to contain the outbreaks that would emerge. They would soon discover that the tests they did receive were flawed, lacking critical components, and delivering faulty results.

During those early weeks, the virus took off, infecting thousands of people and leading to nationwide social distancing and sheltering in place. Public health officials are just beginning to grapple with the fallout from that early bungling of testing, which is likely to haunt the country in the months to come.
 

Too little too late

The first shipment to Washington state arrived more than 2 weeks after officials there announced the first U.S. case of coronavirus, and at a moment when deadly outbreaks of the disease were already festering in places like the Life Care Center in Kirkland. Within weeks, three dozen people infected with COVID-19 would die at the nursing home in the suburbs of Seattle.

The spread of COVID-19 would not take long to overwhelm the state, which as of March 20, 2020, had more than 1,300 cases.

The Trump administration in recent days has attempted to speed testing for the virus after early missteps hampered the government’s response to contain the contagion, and officials have had to respond to a barrage of criticism from public health experts, state officials, and members of Congress.

Federal health officials have eased the process for university and commercial labs to perform their own tests, and they are ramping up their capacity. As of March 16, public and private labs in the United States had the ability to test more than 36,000 people a day, according to estimates compiled by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, a figure expected to rapidly escalate in coming weeks. That figure, however, can vary considerably by state and does not indicate how many tests are actually given to patients.

“We are now beginning to see that they have spread out in a prioritized way. We asked them to prioritize the regions that were mostly affected,” Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said March 18 of private labs’ testing, without elaboration.

The scaling up of testing is set to take place after weeks of faltering and hundreds, if not thousands, of undiagnosed people spreading the virus. For example, New York’s state health department received a faulty CDC test kit on Feb. 8 for 800 patient specimens, an amount that’s consistent with other states, according to a spokesperson. It later began testing patients with a test that state officials developed based on the CDC protocol and has significantly increased testing – as of March 20, more than 7,200 people had tested positive statewide.

In New York City, the first batch was obtained on Feb. 7.

“The other state and local public health laboratories got test kits as they became available,” said Eric Blank, chief program officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Places in the middle of the country with no outbreaks had the luxury of time to plan. For example, Missouri officials have had about 800 tests to work with, leading to only 395 performed so far in the region by public health labs – 26 of which were positive. When private lab tests are accounted for, as of March 20 there were 47 confirmed cases.

Health care providers and public health staff in the state, however, benefited from the fact that there is less international travel to the region, according to infectious disease expert Steven Lawrence, MD, of Washington University, St. Louis.

“This is very similar to 1918 with the influenza pandemic – St. Louis had more time to prepare and was able to put measures in place to flatten the curve than, say, Philadelphia,” Dr. Lawrence said. “Seattle didn’t have an opportunity to prepare as much in advance.”

While commercial labs are coming online, strict restrictions are limiting testing capabilities, Dr. Lawrence said.

“The state has had their hands tied,” he added.
 

Waiting And wondering

Because of a widespread lag in testing, it is still a mystery for thousands of people to know whether they’ve come into contact with an infected person until well after it happens. As of March 20, the pandemic had killed more than 11,000 globally. More than 16,000 Americans were confirmed infected and at least 216 have died.

“CDC will distribute tests based on where they can do the most good. But without hospital-based testing and commercial testing, it will not be possible to meet the need,” said Tom Frieden, who led the CDC during President Obama’s administration and is a former commissioner of the New York City Health Department.

In California, public school teacher Claire Dugan, whose state was among the hardest hit in the initial wave of U.S. coronavirus cases, was told she didn’t qualify for testing because she had not traveled abroad to any country with an outbreak of the virus or been in contact with an infected person. Ms. Dugan, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is already medically fragile after a stray bullet nearly killed her while driving 4 years ago, sought a test from her doctor after registering a temperature of 100.7° F earlier this month.

“There are a lot of layers as to why this is so messed up,” said Ms. Dugan, who relies on a feeding tube and said she sought a test not only to protect herself but her students. “It’s community spreading right now, so it’s kind of silly we’re still insisting on [the early criteria for testing]. How would I know?”

Since the CDC’s initial distribution, states have been reordering more tests through the office’s International Reagent Resource – a long-standing tool that public health labs have relied on. They have also revised testing protocols to use only one sample per person, which boosts the number of people screened.

Yet problems still abound with tests or other materials needed to be able to detect the virus. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on March 12 that county public health labs can’t use all of the 8,000 test kits the state has because they are missing key components.

In Pennsylvania, state officials weren’t able to begin testing until March 2 because of problems with the CDC’s initial kit, according to Nate Wardle, a spokesperson at its department of health. New York received two newly manufactured CDC test kits on Feb. 29 and also began performing tests March 2, according to its health department.

“We are still limited on extraction kits,” Mandy Cohen, the Health & Human Services secretary in North Carolina, said in an interview in mid-March. Officials earlier this month could test only 300 patients because of shortages in the extraction materials needed to register whether the novel coronavirus is present.

In North Dakota, Loralyn Hegland wrote her physician’s practice an email on March 10 with the subject line “dry cough,” wondering if she should come in for testing after learning that was one symptom of COVID-19. The recommendation she got echoes those of countless others across the United States, saying her risk of being exposed was very low because she hadn’t traveled outside the United States and had not come into contact with a person who had been “definitely” diagnosed with the virus.

Ms. Hegland, who lives in Fargo, didn’t have a fever but decided to shelter herself, anyway, out of caution.

Would she push to get a test?

“What’s the point?” she said. “You can’t know what you don’t know. It’s just that simple. How else do you explain it to people when you’re not testing?”

KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber in St. Louis contributed to this article.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

As the novel coronavirus snaked its way across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early February distributed 200 test kits it had produced to more than 100 public health labs run by states and counties nationwide.

Each kit contained material to test a mere 300-400 patients. And labs, whether serving the population of New York or tiny towns in rural America, apparently received the same kits.

The kits were distributed roughly equally to locales in all 50 states. That decision presaged weeks of chaos, in which the availability of COVID-19 tests seemed oddly out of sync with where testing was needed.

A woman in South Dakota with mild symptoms and no fever readily got the test and the results. Meanwhile, political leaders and public officials in places like New York, Boston, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area – all in the throes of serious outbreaks – couldn’t get enough tests to screen ill patients or, thereby, the information they needed to protect the general public and stem the outbreak of the virus, whose symptoms mimic those of common respiratory illnesses.

Rapid testing is crucial in the early stages of an outbreak. It allows health workers and families to identify and focus on treating those infected and isolate them.

Yet health officials in New York and such states as New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Georgia confirmed that they each initially got one test kit, calling into question whether they would have even stood a chance to contain the outbreaks that would emerge. They would soon discover that the tests they did receive were flawed, lacking critical components, and delivering faulty results.

During those early weeks, the virus took off, infecting thousands of people and leading to nationwide social distancing and sheltering in place. Public health officials are just beginning to grapple with the fallout from that early bungling of testing, which is likely to haunt the country in the months to come.
 

Too little too late

The first shipment to Washington state arrived more than 2 weeks after officials there announced the first U.S. case of coronavirus, and at a moment when deadly outbreaks of the disease were already festering in places like the Life Care Center in Kirkland. Within weeks, three dozen people infected with COVID-19 would die at the nursing home in the suburbs of Seattle.

The spread of COVID-19 would not take long to overwhelm the state, which as of March 20, 2020, had more than 1,300 cases.

The Trump administration in recent days has attempted to speed testing for the virus after early missteps hampered the government’s response to contain the contagion, and officials have had to respond to a barrage of criticism from public health experts, state officials, and members of Congress.

Federal health officials have eased the process for university and commercial labs to perform their own tests, and they are ramping up their capacity. As of March 16, public and private labs in the United States had the ability to test more than 36,000 people a day, according to estimates compiled by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, a figure expected to rapidly escalate in coming weeks. That figure, however, can vary considerably by state and does not indicate how many tests are actually given to patients.

“We are now beginning to see that they have spread out in a prioritized way. We asked them to prioritize the regions that were mostly affected,” Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said March 18 of private labs’ testing, without elaboration.

The scaling up of testing is set to take place after weeks of faltering and hundreds, if not thousands, of undiagnosed people spreading the virus. For example, New York’s state health department received a faulty CDC test kit on Feb. 8 for 800 patient specimens, an amount that’s consistent with other states, according to a spokesperson. It later began testing patients with a test that state officials developed based on the CDC protocol and has significantly increased testing – as of March 20, more than 7,200 people had tested positive statewide.

In New York City, the first batch was obtained on Feb. 7.

“The other state and local public health laboratories got test kits as they became available,” said Eric Blank, chief program officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Places in the middle of the country with no outbreaks had the luxury of time to plan. For example, Missouri officials have had about 800 tests to work with, leading to only 395 performed so far in the region by public health labs – 26 of which were positive. When private lab tests are accounted for, as of March 20 there were 47 confirmed cases.

Health care providers and public health staff in the state, however, benefited from the fact that there is less international travel to the region, according to infectious disease expert Steven Lawrence, MD, of Washington University, St. Louis.

“This is very similar to 1918 with the influenza pandemic – St. Louis had more time to prepare and was able to put measures in place to flatten the curve than, say, Philadelphia,” Dr. Lawrence said. “Seattle didn’t have an opportunity to prepare as much in advance.”

While commercial labs are coming online, strict restrictions are limiting testing capabilities, Dr. Lawrence said.

“The state has had their hands tied,” he added.
 

Waiting And wondering

Because of a widespread lag in testing, it is still a mystery for thousands of people to know whether they’ve come into contact with an infected person until well after it happens. As of March 20, the pandemic had killed more than 11,000 globally. More than 16,000 Americans were confirmed infected and at least 216 have died.

“CDC will distribute tests based on where they can do the most good. But without hospital-based testing and commercial testing, it will not be possible to meet the need,” said Tom Frieden, who led the CDC during President Obama’s administration and is a former commissioner of the New York City Health Department.

In California, public school teacher Claire Dugan, whose state was among the hardest hit in the initial wave of U.S. coronavirus cases, was told she didn’t qualify for testing because she had not traveled abroad to any country with an outbreak of the virus or been in contact with an infected person. Ms. Dugan, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is already medically fragile after a stray bullet nearly killed her while driving 4 years ago, sought a test from her doctor after registering a temperature of 100.7° F earlier this month.

“There are a lot of layers as to why this is so messed up,” said Ms. Dugan, who relies on a feeding tube and said she sought a test not only to protect herself but her students. “It’s community spreading right now, so it’s kind of silly we’re still insisting on [the early criteria for testing]. How would I know?”

Since the CDC’s initial distribution, states have been reordering more tests through the office’s International Reagent Resource – a long-standing tool that public health labs have relied on. They have also revised testing protocols to use only one sample per person, which boosts the number of people screened.

Yet problems still abound with tests or other materials needed to be able to detect the virus. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on March 12 that county public health labs can’t use all of the 8,000 test kits the state has because they are missing key components.

In Pennsylvania, state officials weren’t able to begin testing until March 2 because of problems with the CDC’s initial kit, according to Nate Wardle, a spokesperson at its department of health. New York received two newly manufactured CDC test kits on Feb. 29 and also began performing tests March 2, according to its health department.

“We are still limited on extraction kits,” Mandy Cohen, the Health & Human Services secretary in North Carolina, said in an interview in mid-March. Officials earlier this month could test only 300 patients because of shortages in the extraction materials needed to register whether the novel coronavirus is present.

In North Dakota, Loralyn Hegland wrote her physician’s practice an email on March 10 with the subject line “dry cough,” wondering if she should come in for testing after learning that was one symptom of COVID-19. The recommendation she got echoes those of countless others across the United States, saying her risk of being exposed was very low because she hadn’t traveled outside the United States and had not come into contact with a person who had been “definitely” diagnosed with the virus.

Ms. Hegland, who lives in Fargo, didn’t have a fever but decided to shelter herself, anyway, out of caution.

Would she push to get a test?

“What’s the point?” she said. “You can’t know what you don’t know. It’s just that simple. How else do you explain it to people when you’re not testing?”

KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber in St. Louis contributed to this article.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

As the novel coronavirus snaked its way across the globe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early February distributed 200 test kits it had produced to more than 100 public health labs run by states and counties nationwide.

Each kit contained material to test a mere 300-400 patients. And labs, whether serving the population of New York or tiny towns in rural America, apparently received the same kits.

The kits were distributed roughly equally to locales in all 50 states. That decision presaged weeks of chaos, in which the availability of COVID-19 tests seemed oddly out of sync with where testing was needed.

A woman in South Dakota with mild symptoms and no fever readily got the test and the results. Meanwhile, political leaders and public officials in places like New York, Boston, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area – all in the throes of serious outbreaks – couldn’t get enough tests to screen ill patients or, thereby, the information they needed to protect the general public and stem the outbreak of the virus, whose symptoms mimic those of common respiratory illnesses.

Rapid testing is crucial in the early stages of an outbreak. It allows health workers and families to identify and focus on treating those infected and isolate them.

Yet health officials in New York and such states as New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Georgia confirmed that they each initially got one test kit, calling into question whether they would have even stood a chance to contain the outbreaks that would emerge. They would soon discover that the tests they did receive were flawed, lacking critical components, and delivering faulty results.

During those early weeks, the virus took off, infecting thousands of people and leading to nationwide social distancing and sheltering in place. Public health officials are just beginning to grapple with the fallout from that early bungling of testing, which is likely to haunt the country in the months to come.
 

Too little too late

The first shipment to Washington state arrived more than 2 weeks after officials there announced the first U.S. case of coronavirus, and at a moment when deadly outbreaks of the disease were already festering in places like the Life Care Center in Kirkland. Within weeks, three dozen people infected with COVID-19 would die at the nursing home in the suburbs of Seattle.

The spread of COVID-19 would not take long to overwhelm the state, which as of March 20, 2020, had more than 1,300 cases.

The Trump administration in recent days has attempted to speed testing for the virus after early missteps hampered the government’s response to contain the contagion, and officials have had to respond to a barrage of criticism from public health experts, state officials, and members of Congress.

Federal health officials have eased the process for university and commercial labs to perform their own tests, and they are ramping up their capacity. As of March 16, public and private labs in the United States had the ability to test more than 36,000 people a day, according to estimates compiled by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington, a figure expected to rapidly escalate in coming weeks. That figure, however, can vary considerably by state and does not indicate how many tests are actually given to patients.

“We are now beginning to see that they have spread out in a prioritized way. We asked them to prioritize the regions that were mostly affected,” Deborah Birx, the coronavirus response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said March 18 of private labs’ testing, without elaboration.

The scaling up of testing is set to take place after weeks of faltering and hundreds, if not thousands, of undiagnosed people spreading the virus. For example, New York’s state health department received a faulty CDC test kit on Feb. 8 for 800 patient specimens, an amount that’s consistent with other states, according to a spokesperson. It later began testing patients with a test that state officials developed based on the CDC protocol and has significantly increased testing – as of March 20, more than 7,200 people had tested positive statewide.

In New York City, the first batch was obtained on Feb. 7.

“The other state and local public health laboratories got test kits as they became available,” said Eric Blank, chief program officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Places in the middle of the country with no outbreaks had the luxury of time to plan. For example, Missouri officials have had about 800 tests to work with, leading to only 395 performed so far in the region by public health labs – 26 of which were positive. When private lab tests are accounted for, as of March 20 there were 47 confirmed cases.

Health care providers and public health staff in the state, however, benefited from the fact that there is less international travel to the region, according to infectious disease expert Steven Lawrence, MD, of Washington University, St. Louis.

“This is very similar to 1918 with the influenza pandemic – St. Louis had more time to prepare and was able to put measures in place to flatten the curve than, say, Philadelphia,” Dr. Lawrence said. “Seattle didn’t have an opportunity to prepare as much in advance.”

While commercial labs are coming online, strict restrictions are limiting testing capabilities, Dr. Lawrence said.

“The state has had their hands tied,” he added.
 

Waiting And wondering

Because of a widespread lag in testing, it is still a mystery for thousands of people to know whether they’ve come into contact with an infected person until well after it happens. As of March 20, the pandemic had killed more than 11,000 globally. More than 16,000 Americans were confirmed infected and at least 216 have died.

“CDC will distribute tests based on where they can do the most good. But without hospital-based testing and commercial testing, it will not be possible to meet the need,” said Tom Frieden, who led the CDC during President Obama’s administration and is a former commissioner of the New York City Health Department.

In California, public school teacher Claire Dugan, whose state was among the hardest hit in the initial wave of U.S. coronavirus cases, was told she didn’t qualify for testing because she had not traveled abroad to any country with an outbreak of the virus or been in contact with an infected person. Ms. Dugan, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area and is already medically fragile after a stray bullet nearly killed her while driving 4 years ago, sought a test from her doctor after registering a temperature of 100.7° F earlier this month.

“There are a lot of layers as to why this is so messed up,” said Ms. Dugan, who relies on a feeding tube and said she sought a test not only to protect herself but her students. “It’s community spreading right now, so it’s kind of silly we’re still insisting on [the early criteria for testing]. How would I know?”

Since the CDC’s initial distribution, states have been reordering more tests through the office’s International Reagent Resource – a long-standing tool that public health labs have relied on. They have also revised testing protocols to use only one sample per person, which boosts the number of people screened.

Yet problems still abound with tests or other materials needed to be able to detect the virus. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on March 12 that county public health labs can’t use all of the 8,000 test kits the state has because they are missing key components.

In Pennsylvania, state officials weren’t able to begin testing until March 2 because of problems with the CDC’s initial kit, according to Nate Wardle, a spokesperson at its department of health. New York received two newly manufactured CDC test kits on Feb. 29 and also began performing tests March 2, according to its health department.

“We are still limited on extraction kits,” Mandy Cohen, the Health & Human Services secretary in North Carolina, said in an interview in mid-March. Officials earlier this month could test only 300 patients because of shortages in the extraction materials needed to register whether the novel coronavirus is present.

In North Dakota, Loralyn Hegland wrote her physician’s practice an email on March 10 with the subject line “dry cough,” wondering if she should come in for testing after learning that was one symptom of COVID-19. The recommendation she got echoes those of countless others across the United States, saying her risk of being exposed was very low because she hadn’t traveled outside the United States and had not come into contact with a person who had been “definitely” diagnosed with the virus.

Ms. Hegland, who lives in Fargo, didn’t have a fever but decided to shelter herself, anyway, out of caution.

Would she push to get a test?

“What’s the point?” she said. “You can’t know what you don’t know. It’s just that simple. How else do you explain it to people when you’re not testing?”

KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber in St. Louis contributed to this article.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

The American Medical Association is offering on its website various published resources to assist physicians on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The literature include news, advocacy, and other information to help front-line physicians provide care to patients and keep themselves safe “in a rapidly changing environment,” the organization said in a statement.

“The AMA continues to forcefully advocate for [personal protective equipment] and critical policy and regulatory changes needed to address our public health and health system needs. Because so many of the challenges of the pandemic are felt at a practice level, we are also providing new tools and information to help physicians respond,” AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, said in the statement.

The COVID-19 physician and practice resources released by the AMA include:

• A Physicians Guide to COVID-19 .
• An AMA COVID-19 online resource center and a COVID-19 FAQ.
• A Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice.
• Ethical guidance for physicians .
• Evidence-based resources from the The JAMA Network COVID-19 Resource Center.
• CME for physicians through the JAMA Network’s JN Learning website.

klennon@mdedge.com

The American Medical Association is offering on its website various published resources to assist physicians on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The literature include news, advocacy, and other information to help front-line physicians provide care to patients and keep themselves safe “in a rapidly changing environment,” the organization said in a statement.

“The AMA continues to forcefully advocate for [personal protective equipment] and critical policy and regulatory changes needed to address our public health and health system needs. Because so many of the challenges of the pandemic are felt at a practice level, we are also providing new tools and information to help physicians respond,” AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, said in the statement.

The COVID-19 physician and practice resources released by the AMA include:

• A Physicians Guide to COVID-19 .
• An AMA COVID-19 online resource center and a COVID-19 FAQ.
• A Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice.
• Ethical guidance for physicians .
• Evidence-based resources from the The JAMA Network COVID-19 Resource Center.
• CME for physicians through the JAMA Network’s JN Learning website.

klennon@mdedge.com

The American Medical Association is offering on its website various published resources to assist physicians on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The literature include news, advocacy, and other information to help front-line physicians provide care to patients and keep themselves safe “in a rapidly changing environment,” the organization said in a statement.

“The AMA continues to forcefully advocate for [personal protective equipment] and critical policy and regulatory changes needed to address our public health and health system needs. Because so many of the challenges of the pandemic are felt at a practice level, we are also providing new tools and information to help physicians respond,” AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, said in the statement.

The COVID-19 physician and practice resources released by the AMA include:

• A Physicians Guide to COVID-19 .
• An AMA COVID-19 online resource center and a COVID-19 FAQ.
• A Quick Guide to Telemedicine in Practice.
• Ethical guidance for physicians .
• Evidence-based resources from the The JAMA Network COVID-19 Resource Center.
• CME for physicians through the JAMA Network’s JN Learning website.

klennon@mdedge.com

One of a smartphone’s simplest features has become a powerful communication and coordination tool for metro Seattle’s critical care departments.

Anne B. Lipke, MD, is the medical director of Swedish Medical Center’s Issaquah, Wash., campus in suburban Seattle. In an audio interview, Dr. Lipke explains how texting has become a fast, effective component of Seattle’s critical care response to COVID-19. And she offers lessons for physicians across the country who may soon be seeing situations similar to Seattle’s.

trudd@mdedge.com

One of a smartphone’s simplest features has become a powerful communication and coordination tool for metro Seattle’s critical care departments.

Anne B. Lipke, MD, is the medical director of Swedish Medical Center’s Issaquah, Wash., campus in suburban Seattle. In an audio interview, Dr. Lipke explains how texting has become a fast, effective component of Seattle’s critical care response to COVID-19. And she offers lessons for physicians across the country who may soon be seeing situations similar to Seattle’s.

trudd@mdedge.com

One of a smartphone’s simplest features has become a powerful communication and coordination tool for metro Seattle’s critical care departments.

Anne B. Lipke, MD, is the medical director of Swedish Medical Center’s Issaquah, Wash., campus in suburban Seattle. In an audio interview, Dr. Lipke explains how texting has become a fast, effective component of Seattle’s critical care response to COVID-19. And she offers lessons for physicians across the country who may soon be seeing situations similar to Seattle’s.

trudd@mdedge.com

In a webinar conducted on March 20, Leonard Valentino, MD, president and CEO of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), provided specific information of relevance and some reassurance to the bleeding disorders community on the impact of COVID-19.

Overall, the risk of comorbidities is no different in the bleeding disorders population than in the general population, and similar precautions should be maintained, Dr. Valentino stated. He listed some of the at-risk populations as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In particular, he pointed out that, when the CDC referred to a greater risk of COVID-19 to individuals with bleeding disorders, the organization was referring to patients with HIV and sickle cell disease. The CDC was not referring to patients with other forms of bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, Dr. Valentino stated.

All individuals should be following CDC and state and federal recommendations with regard to social distancing and hygiene. However, with regard to immunocompromised individuals, “the two populations we [in the bleeding disorders community] have to be concerned about are those in gene therapy clinical trials and those with inhibitors,” said Dr. Valentino.

Patients in a gene therapy clinical trial should exercise additional precautions because the use of steroids, common in these trials. “Steroids are an immunosuppressive drug, and this would increase one’s risk of infection, including COVID-19,” according to Dr. Valentino.

In addition, “I will say, if you have hemophilia and an inhibitor [an antibody to clotting factor treatment], that may alter the immune system, and we don’t know what the implication of that is in terms of coronavirus infection and COVID-19 disease. So people with an inhibitor should take special precautions to limit their exposures.”

Patients with a port should not need to have extra concerns regarding COVID-19, but they should continue to exercise the good hygiene that has always been essential, according to Dr. Valentino.

Dr. Valentino asked: Are patients with a bleeding disorder who become infected with COVID-19 more susceptible to a bleed? “You shouldn’t be more susceptible to bleeding except if you have severe cough, and that cough could result in bleeding to the head,” he answered.

If a patient needs to go to the emergency department for a bleed or possible COVID-19 infection, they should wear a face mask if they are sick to prevent spreading of disease. “This is really the only instance where a face mask may be beneficial” in that it limits other people’s exposure to your infection. It is especially important to call ahead before visiting the doctor or going to the emergency department. “Make sure that they’re aware that you’re coming.”

Of particular concern to patients is the amount of factor product they should have on hand. The current CDC recommendation is a 30-day supply of medicines, but that is misleading, because it refers to general medications, such as high-blood pressure medicine, and not factor products. “The current MASAC [NHF’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council] recommendation is to have a 14-day supply of factor products available to you,” said Dr. Valentino, “and one should reorder when you have a 1-week supply.”

MASAC has issued a letter on the crisis on the NHF website.

These recommendations should not be exceeded in order to ensure that there is enough factor available to all patients, he added. Hoarding is discouraged, and there are no concerns as yet of factor running out. “We have had conversations with manufacturers and … the supply chain is robust.” The greater concern is with regard to ancillary supplies in the hospital that a hemophilia patient may require during treatment.

Patients and practitioners should consult the COVID-19 pages of both the NHF and Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) websites. This includes a Health and Wellness update by Dr. Valentino.

With regard to financial issues, he and Sharon Meyers, CEO and president of the HFA, spoke, stating that both NHF and HFA have advocacy for patients seeking to deal with insurance issues or in paying for their products, urging people to go to the organizational websites and to also use their emails: advocate@hemophilia.org and advocacy@hemophiliafed.org.

She also announced that the annual meeting of the HFA was being postponed to Aug. 24-26 at the Hilton Inner Harbor Baltimore, Md.

Dr. Valentino and Ms. Meyers did not provide any disclosure information.

mlesney@mededg.com

In a webinar conducted on March 20, Leonard Valentino, MD, president and CEO of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), provided specific information of relevance and some reassurance to the bleeding disorders community on the impact of COVID-19.

Overall, the risk of comorbidities is no different in the bleeding disorders population than in the general population, and similar precautions should be maintained, Dr. Valentino stated. He listed some of the at-risk populations as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In particular, he pointed out that, when the CDC referred to a greater risk of COVID-19 to individuals with bleeding disorders, the organization was referring to patients with HIV and sickle cell disease. The CDC was not referring to patients with other forms of bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, Dr. Valentino stated.

All individuals should be following CDC and state and federal recommendations with regard to social distancing and hygiene. However, with regard to immunocompromised individuals, “the two populations we [in the bleeding disorders community] have to be concerned about are those in gene therapy clinical trials and those with inhibitors,” said Dr. Valentino.

Patients in a gene therapy clinical trial should exercise additional precautions because the use of steroids, common in these trials. “Steroids are an immunosuppressive drug, and this would increase one’s risk of infection, including COVID-19,” according to Dr. Valentino.

In addition, “I will say, if you have hemophilia and an inhibitor [an antibody to clotting factor treatment], that may alter the immune system, and we don’t know what the implication of that is in terms of coronavirus infection and COVID-19 disease. So people with an inhibitor should take special precautions to limit their exposures.”

Patients with a port should not need to have extra concerns regarding COVID-19, but they should continue to exercise the good hygiene that has always been essential, according to Dr. Valentino.

Dr. Valentino asked: Are patients with a bleeding disorder who become infected with COVID-19 more susceptible to a bleed? “You shouldn’t be more susceptible to bleeding except if you have severe cough, and that cough could result in bleeding to the head,” he answered.

If a patient needs to go to the emergency department for a bleed or possible COVID-19 infection, they should wear a face mask if they are sick to prevent spreading of disease. “This is really the only instance where a face mask may be beneficial” in that it limits other people’s exposure to your infection. It is especially important to call ahead before visiting the doctor or going to the emergency department. “Make sure that they’re aware that you’re coming.”

Of particular concern to patients is the amount of factor product they should have on hand. The current CDC recommendation is a 30-day supply of medicines, but that is misleading, because it refers to general medications, such as high-blood pressure medicine, and not factor products. “The current MASAC [NHF’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council] recommendation is to have a 14-day supply of factor products available to you,” said Dr. Valentino, “and one should reorder when you have a 1-week supply.”

MASAC has issued a letter on the crisis on the NHF website.

These recommendations should not be exceeded in order to ensure that there is enough factor available to all patients, he added. Hoarding is discouraged, and there are no concerns as yet of factor running out. “We have had conversations with manufacturers and … the supply chain is robust.” The greater concern is with regard to ancillary supplies in the hospital that a hemophilia patient may require during treatment.

Patients and practitioners should consult the COVID-19 pages of both the NHF and Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) websites. This includes a Health and Wellness update by Dr. Valentino.

With regard to financial issues, he and Sharon Meyers, CEO and president of the HFA, spoke, stating that both NHF and HFA have advocacy for patients seeking to deal with insurance issues or in paying for their products, urging people to go to the organizational websites and to also use their emails: advocate@hemophilia.org and advocacy@hemophiliafed.org.

She also announced that the annual meeting of the HFA was being postponed to Aug. 24-26 at the Hilton Inner Harbor Baltimore, Md.

Dr. Valentino and Ms. Meyers did not provide any disclosure information.

mlesney@mededg.com

In a webinar conducted on March 20, Leonard Valentino, MD, president and CEO of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), provided specific information of relevance and some reassurance to the bleeding disorders community on the impact of COVID-19.

Overall, the risk of comorbidities is no different in the bleeding disorders population than in the general population, and similar precautions should be maintained, Dr. Valentino stated. He listed some of the at-risk populations as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In particular, he pointed out that, when the CDC referred to a greater risk of COVID-19 to individuals with bleeding disorders, the organization was referring to patients with HIV and sickle cell disease. The CDC was not referring to patients with other forms of bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia, Dr. Valentino stated.

All individuals should be following CDC and state and federal recommendations with regard to social distancing and hygiene. However, with regard to immunocompromised individuals, “the two populations we [in the bleeding disorders community] have to be concerned about are those in gene therapy clinical trials and those with inhibitors,” said Dr. Valentino.

Patients in a gene therapy clinical trial should exercise additional precautions because the use of steroids, common in these trials. “Steroids are an immunosuppressive drug, and this would increase one’s risk of infection, including COVID-19,” according to Dr. Valentino.

In addition, “I will say, if you have hemophilia and an inhibitor [an antibody to clotting factor treatment], that may alter the immune system, and we don’t know what the implication of that is in terms of coronavirus infection and COVID-19 disease. So people with an inhibitor should take special precautions to limit their exposures.”

Patients with a port should not need to have extra concerns regarding COVID-19, but they should continue to exercise the good hygiene that has always been essential, according to Dr. Valentino.

Dr. Valentino asked: Are patients with a bleeding disorder who become infected with COVID-19 more susceptible to a bleed? “You shouldn’t be more susceptible to bleeding except if you have severe cough, and that cough could result in bleeding to the head,” he answered.

If a patient needs to go to the emergency department for a bleed or possible COVID-19 infection, they should wear a face mask if they are sick to prevent spreading of disease. “This is really the only instance where a face mask may be beneficial” in that it limits other people’s exposure to your infection. It is especially important to call ahead before visiting the doctor or going to the emergency department. “Make sure that they’re aware that you’re coming.”

Of particular concern to patients is the amount of factor product they should have on hand. The current CDC recommendation is a 30-day supply of medicines, but that is misleading, because it refers to general medications, such as high-blood pressure medicine, and not factor products. “The current MASAC [NHF’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Council] recommendation is to have a 14-day supply of factor products available to you,” said Dr. Valentino, “and one should reorder when you have a 1-week supply.”

MASAC has issued a letter on the crisis on the NHF website.

These recommendations should not be exceeded in order to ensure that there is enough factor available to all patients, he added. Hoarding is discouraged, and there are no concerns as yet of factor running out. “We have had conversations with manufacturers and … the supply chain is robust.” The greater concern is with regard to ancillary supplies in the hospital that a hemophilia patient may require during treatment.

Patients and practitioners should consult the COVID-19 pages of both the NHF and Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) websites. This includes a Health and Wellness update by Dr. Valentino.

With regard to financial issues, he and Sharon Meyers, CEO and president of the HFA, spoke, stating that both NHF and HFA have advocacy for patients seeking to deal with insurance issues or in paying for their products, urging people to go to the organizational websites and to also use their emails: advocate@hemophilia.org and advocacy@hemophiliafed.org.

She also announced that the annual meeting of the HFA was being postponed to Aug. 24-26 at the Hilton Inner Harbor Baltimore, Md.

Dr. Valentino and Ms. Meyers did not provide any disclosure information.

mlesney@mededg.com

Researchers have hypothesized that treatments that increase angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may also increase the risk of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This speculation and other concerns have led some officials and organizations to question whether ibuprofen or other drugs such as renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) antagonists should be avoided as treatments in patients with COVID-19. Health agencies and professional organizations have said they are not recommending against these medications.

The Food and Drug Administration on March 19 advised patients that it was “not aware of scientific evidence connecting” nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen “with worsening COVID-19 symptoms.”

“The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available,” the FDA said. “However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that ‘the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections.’ ” The FDA also noted that other over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for pain relief and fever reduction, and patients who “are concerned about taking NSAIDs and rely on these medications to treat chronic diseases” should talk to a health care provider.

A World Health Organization spokesperson said during a press conference on March 17 that the organization was looking into concerns about ibuprofen use in patients with COVID-19 and suggested that in the meantime patients take acetaminophen for fever instead. On March 18, the WHO said that it was not recommending against the use of ibuprofen.

“At present, based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of ibuprofen,” the organization said. “We are also consulting with physicians treating COVID-19 patients and are not aware of reports of any negative effects of ibuprofen, beyond the usual known side effects that limit its use in certain populations. WHO is not aware of published clinical or population-based data on this topic.”

A spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on March 18, “More research is needed to evaluate reports that ibruprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may affect the course of COVID-19. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence that ibuprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of serious complications or of acquiring the virus that causes COVID-19. There is also no conclusive evidence that taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is harmful for other respiratory infections.”

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 18 said, “There is currently no scientific evidence establishing a link between ibuprofen and worsening of COVID‑19. EMA is monitoring the situation closely and will review any new information that becomes available on this issue in the context of the pandemic.”

In correspondence published March 11 in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Lei Fang, MD, of the department of biomedicine at University Hospital Basel (Switzerland), and colleagues suggested that patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus may be at increased risk of COVID-19 because these comorbidities “are often treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.” In addition, “ACE2 polymorphisms that have been linked to diabetes mellitus, cerebral stroke, and hypertension” also may play a role, the researchers said (Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8).

“ACE2 is substantially increased in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who are treated with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers (ARBs). Hypertension is also treated with ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which results in an upregulation of ACE2. ACE2 can also be increased by thiazolidinediones and ibuprofen.”

A March 16 statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HSFC), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA) addressed concerns about using RAAS antagonists in COVID-19.

“Patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases appear to have an increased risk for adverse outcomes with [COVID-19],” the organizations said. “Although the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are dominated by respiratory symptoms, some patients also may have severe cardiovascular damage. [ACE2] receptors have been shown to be the entry point into human cells for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a few experimental studies with animal models, both [ACE] inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to upregulate ACE2 expression in the heart. Though these have not been shown in human studies, or in the setting of COVID-19, such potential upregulation of ACE2 by ACE inhibitors or ARBs has resulted in a speculation of potential increased risk for COVID-19 infection in patients with background treatment of these medications.”

ACE2, ACE, angiotensin II, and other RAAS system interactions “are quite complex, and at times, paradoxical,” the statement says. “In experimental studies, both ACE inhibitors and ARBs have been shown to reduce severe lung injury in certain viral pneumonias, and it has been speculated that these agents could be beneficial in COVID-19.

“Currently there are no experimental or clinical data demonstrating beneficial or adverse outcomes with background use of ACE inhibitors, ARBs or other RAAS antagonists in COVID-19 or among COVID-19 patients with a history of cardiovascular disease treated with such agents. The HFSA, ACC, and AHA recommend continuation of RAAS antagonists for those patients who are currently prescribed such agents for indications for which these agents are known to be beneficial, such as heart failure, hypertension, or ischemic heart disease. In the event patients with cardiovascular disease are diagnosed with COVID-19, individualized treatment decisions should be made according to each patient’s hemodynamic status and clinical presentation. Therefore, be advised not to add or remove any RAAS-related treatments, beyond actions based on standard clinical practice.

“These theoretical concerns and findings of cardiovascular involvement with COVID-19 deserve much more detailed research, and quickly. As further research and developments related to this issue evolve, we will update these recommendations as needed.”

Dr. Fang and colleagues had no competing interests.
 

jremaly@mdedge.com

SOURCE: Fang L et al. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8.

Researchers have hypothesized that treatments that increase angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may also increase the risk of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This speculation and other concerns have led some officials and organizations to question whether ibuprofen or other drugs such as renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) antagonists should be avoided as treatments in patients with COVID-19. Health agencies and professional organizations have said they are not recommending against these medications.

The Food and Drug Administration on March 19 advised patients that it was “not aware of scientific evidence connecting” nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen “with worsening COVID-19 symptoms.”

“The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available,” the FDA said. “However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that ‘the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections.’ ” The FDA also noted that other over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for pain relief and fever reduction, and patients who “are concerned about taking NSAIDs and rely on these medications to treat chronic diseases” should talk to a health care provider.

A World Health Organization spokesperson said during a press conference on March 17 that the organization was looking into concerns about ibuprofen use in patients with COVID-19 and suggested that in the meantime patients take acetaminophen for fever instead. On March 18, the WHO said that it was not recommending against the use of ibuprofen.

“At present, based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of ibuprofen,” the organization said. “We are also consulting with physicians treating COVID-19 patients and are not aware of reports of any negative effects of ibuprofen, beyond the usual known side effects that limit its use in certain populations. WHO is not aware of published clinical or population-based data on this topic.”

A spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on March 18, “More research is needed to evaluate reports that ibruprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may affect the course of COVID-19. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence that ibuprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of serious complications or of acquiring the virus that causes COVID-19. There is also no conclusive evidence that taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is harmful for other respiratory infections.”

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 18 said, “There is currently no scientific evidence establishing a link between ibuprofen and worsening of COVID‑19. EMA is monitoring the situation closely and will review any new information that becomes available on this issue in the context of the pandemic.”

In correspondence published March 11 in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Lei Fang, MD, of the department of biomedicine at University Hospital Basel (Switzerland), and colleagues suggested that patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus may be at increased risk of COVID-19 because these comorbidities “are often treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.” In addition, “ACE2 polymorphisms that have been linked to diabetes mellitus, cerebral stroke, and hypertension” also may play a role, the researchers said (Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8).

“ACE2 is substantially increased in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who are treated with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers (ARBs). Hypertension is also treated with ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which results in an upregulation of ACE2. ACE2 can also be increased by thiazolidinediones and ibuprofen.”

A March 16 statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HSFC), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA) addressed concerns about using RAAS antagonists in COVID-19.

“Patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases appear to have an increased risk for adverse outcomes with [COVID-19],” the organizations said. “Although the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are dominated by respiratory symptoms, some patients also may have severe cardiovascular damage. [ACE2] receptors have been shown to be the entry point into human cells for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a few experimental studies with animal models, both [ACE] inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to upregulate ACE2 expression in the heart. Though these have not been shown in human studies, or in the setting of COVID-19, such potential upregulation of ACE2 by ACE inhibitors or ARBs has resulted in a speculation of potential increased risk for COVID-19 infection in patients with background treatment of these medications.”

ACE2, ACE, angiotensin II, and other RAAS system interactions “are quite complex, and at times, paradoxical,” the statement says. “In experimental studies, both ACE inhibitors and ARBs have been shown to reduce severe lung injury in certain viral pneumonias, and it has been speculated that these agents could be beneficial in COVID-19.

“Currently there are no experimental or clinical data demonstrating beneficial or adverse outcomes with background use of ACE inhibitors, ARBs or other RAAS antagonists in COVID-19 or among COVID-19 patients with a history of cardiovascular disease treated with such agents. The HFSA, ACC, and AHA recommend continuation of RAAS antagonists for those patients who are currently prescribed such agents for indications for which these agents are known to be beneficial, such as heart failure, hypertension, or ischemic heart disease. In the event patients with cardiovascular disease are diagnosed with COVID-19, individualized treatment decisions should be made according to each patient’s hemodynamic status and clinical presentation. Therefore, be advised not to add or remove any RAAS-related treatments, beyond actions based on standard clinical practice.

“These theoretical concerns and findings of cardiovascular involvement with COVID-19 deserve much more detailed research, and quickly. As further research and developments related to this issue evolve, we will update these recommendations as needed.”

Dr. Fang and colleagues had no competing interests.
 

jremaly@mdedge.com

SOURCE: Fang L et al. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8.

Researchers have hypothesized that treatments that increase angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may also increase the risk of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This speculation and other concerns have led some officials and organizations to question whether ibuprofen or other drugs such as renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) antagonists should be avoided as treatments in patients with COVID-19. Health agencies and professional organizations have said they are not recommending against these medications.

The Food and Drug Administration on March 19 advised patients that it was “not aware of scientific evidence connecting” nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen “with worsening COVID-19 symptoms.”

“The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available,” the FDA said. “However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that ‘the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections.’ ” The FDA also noted that other over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for pain relief and fever reduction, and patients who “are concerned about taking NSAIDs and rely on these medications to treat chronic diseases” should talk to a health care provider.

A World Health Organization spokesperson said during a press conference on March 17 that the organization was looking into concerns about ibuprofen use in patients with COVID-19 and suggested that in the meantime patients take acetaminophen for fever instead. On March 18, the WHO said that it was not recommending against the use of ibuprofen.

“At present, based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of ibuprofen,” the organization said. “We are also consulting with physicians treating COVID-19 patients and are not aware of reports of any negative effects of ibuprofen, beyond the usual known side effects that limit its use in certain populations. WHO is not aware of published clinical or population-based data on this topic.”

A spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said on March 18, “More research is needed to evaluate reports that ibruprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may affect the course of COVID-19. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence that ibuprofen and other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of serious complications or of acquiring the virus that causes COVID-19. There is also no conclusive evidence that taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is harmful for other respiratory infections.”

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 18 said, “There is currently no scientific evidence establishing a link between ibuprofen and worsening of COVID‑19. EMA is monitoring the situation closely and will review any new information that becomes available on this issue in the context of the pandemic.”

In correspondence published March 11 in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Lei Fang, MD, of the department of biomedicine at University Hospital Basel (Switzerland), and colleagues suggested that patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus may be at increased risk of COVID-19 because these comorbidities “are often treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.” In addition, “ACE2 polymorphisms that have been linked to diabetes mellitus, cerebral stroke, and hypertension” also may play a role, the researchers said (Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8).

“ACE2 is substantially increased in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who are treated with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers (ARBs). Hypertension is also treated with ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which results in an upregulation of ACE2. ACE2 can also be increased by thiazolidinediones and ibuprofen.”

A March 16 statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HSFC), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and American Heart Association (AHA) addressed concerns about using RAAS antagonists in COVID-19.

“Patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases appear to have an increased risk for adverse outcomes with [COVID-19],” the organizations said. “Although the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are dominated by respiratory symptoms, some patients also may have severe cardiovascular damage. [ACE2] receptors have been shown to be the entry point into human cells for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a few experimental studies with animal models, both [ACE] inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to upregulate ACE2 expression in the heart. Though these have not been shown in human studies, or in the setting of COVID-19, such potential upregulation of ACE2 by ACE inhibitors or ARBs has resulted in a speculation of potential increased risk for COVID-19 infection in patients with background treatment of these medications.”

ACE2, ACE, angiotensin II, and other RAAS system interactions “are quite complex, and at times, paradoxical,” the statement says. “In experimental studies, both ACE inhibitors and ARBs have been shown to reduce severe lung injury in certain viral pneumonias, and it has been speculated that these agents could be beneficial in COVID-19.

“Currently there are no experimental or clinical data demonstrating beneficial or adverse outcomes with background use of ACE inhibitors, ARBs or other RAAS antagonists in COVID-19 or among COVID-19 patients with a history of cardiovascular disease treated with such agents. The HFSA, ACC, and AHA recommend continuation of RAAS antagonists for those patients who are currently prescribed such agents for indications for which these agents are known to be beneficial, such as heart failure, hypertension, or ischemic heart disease. In the event patients with cardiovascular disease are diagnosed with COVID-19, individualized treatment decisions should be made according to each patient’s hemodynamic status and clinical presentation. Therefore, be advised not to add or remove any RAAS-related treatments, beyond actions based on standard clinical practice.

“These theoretical concerns and findings of cardiovascular involvement with COVID-19 deserve much more detailed research, and quickly. As further research and developments related to this issue evolve, we will update these recommendations as needed.”

Dr. Fang and colleagues had no competing interests.
 

jremaly@mdedge.com

SOURCE: Fang L et al. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Mar 11. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30116-8.

Robert Wachter, MD, MHM, chair of the department of medicine at UCSF, interviewed Armond Esmaili, MD, a hospitalist and assistant professor of medicine at UCSF, who is the leader of the Respiratory Isolation Unit at UCSF Medical Center, where the institution's COVID-19 and rule-out COVID-19 patients are being cohorted.

Robert Wachter, MD, MHM, chair of the department of medicine at UCSF, interviewed Armond Esmaili, MD, a hospitalist and assistant professor of medicine at UCSF, who is the leader of the Respiratory Isolation Unit at UCSF Medical Center, where the institution's COVID-19 and rule-out COVID-19 patients are being cohorted.

Robert Wachter, MD, MHM, chair of the department of medicine at UCSF, interviewed Armond Esmaili, MD, a hospitalist and assistant professor of medicine at UCSF, who is the leader of the Respiratory Isolation Unit at UCSF Medical Center, where the institution's COVID-19 and rule-out COVID-19 patients are being cohorted.

The viral tsunami that is COVID-19 has hit the United States, and influenza appears to be riding the crest of the wave.

Flu activity, in the form of visits to health care providers, increased for the second consecutive week after declining for the three previous weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Flu-related visits went from 5.2% of all outpatient visits the week before to 5.8% during the week ending March 14.

“The COVID-19 outbreak unfolding in the United States may affect healthcare seeking behavior which in turn would impact data from” the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network, the CDC explained.

Data from clinical laboratories show that, despite the increased activity, fewer respiratory specimens tested positive for influenza: 15.3% for the week of March 8-14, compared with 21.1% the week before, the CDC’s influenza division said in its latest FluView report.

Influenza activity also increased slightly among the states, with 35 states and Puerto Rico at the highest level on the CDC’s 1-10 scale, versus 34 states and Puerto Rico the previous week. The count was down to 33 for the last week of February, CDC data show.

Severity measures remain mixed as overall hospitalization continues to be moderate but rates for children aged 0-4 years and adults aged 18-49 years are the highest on record and rates for children aged 5-17 years are the highest since the 2009 pandemic, the influenza division said.

Mortality data present a similar picture: The overall death rate is low, but the 149 flu-related deaths reported among children is the most for this point of the season since 2009, the CDC said.

rfranki@mdedge.com

The viral tsunami that is COVID-19 has hit the United States, and influenza appears to be riding the crest of the wave.

Flu activity, in the form of visits to health care providers, increased for the second consecutive week after declining for the three previous weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Flu-related visits went from 5.2% of all outpatient visits the week before to 5.8% during the week ending March 14.

“The COVID-19 outbreak unfolding in the United States may affect healthcare seeking behavior which in turn would impact data from” the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network, the CDC explained.

Data from clinical laboratories show that, despite the increased activity, fewer respiratory specimens tested positive for influenza: 15.3% for the week of March 8-14, compared with 21.1% the week before, the CDC’s influenza division said in its latest FluView report.

Influenza activity also increased slightly among the states, with 35 states and Puerto Rico at the highest level on the CDC’s 1-10 scale, versus 34 states and Puerto Rico the previous week. The count was down to 33 for the last week of February, CDC data show.

Severity measures remain mixed as overall hospitalization continues to be moderate but rates for children aged 0-4 years and adults aged 18-49 years are the highest on record and rates for children aged 5-17 years are the highest since the 2009 pandemic, the influenza division said.

Mortality data present a similar picture: The overall death rate is low, but the 149 flu-related deaths reported among children is the most for this point of the season since 2009, the CDC said.

rfranki@mdedge.com

The viral tsunami that is COVID-19 has hit the United States, and influenza appears to be riding the crest of the wave.

Flu activity, in the form of visits to health care providers, increased for the second consecutive week after declining for the three previous weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Flu-related visits went from 5.2% of all outpatient visits the week before to 5.8% during the week ending March 14.

“The COVID-19 outbreak unfolding in the United States may affect healthcare seeking behavior which in turn would impact data from” the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network, the CDC explained.

Data from clinical laboratories show that, despite the increased activity, fewer respiratory specimens tested positive for influenza: 15.3% for the week of March 8-14, compared with 21.1% the week before, the CDC’s influenza division said in its latest FluView report.

Influenza activity also increased slightly among the states, with 35 states and Puerto Rico at the highest level on the CDC’s 1-10 scale, versus 34 states and Puerto Rico the previous week. The count was down to 33 for the last week of February, CDC data show.

Severity measures remain mixed as overall hospitalization continues to be moderate but rates for children aged 0-4 years and adults aged 18-49 years are the highest on record and rates for children aged 5-17 years are the highest since the 2009 pandemic, the influenza division said.

Mortality data present a similar picture: The overall death rate is low, but the 149 flu-related deaths reported among children is the most for this point of the season since 2009, the CDC said.

rfranki@mdedge.com

There is a highly infectious virus spreading around the world and it is targeting the most vulnerable among us. It is among the most contagious of human diseases, spreading through the air unseen. No, it isn’t the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. It’s measles.

Remember measles? Outbreaks in recent years have brought the disease, which once was declared eliminated in the United States, back into the news and public awareness, but measles never has really gone away. Every year there are millions of cases worldwide – in 2018 alone there were nearly 10 million estimated cases and 142,300 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The good news is that measles vaccination is highly effective, at about 97% after the recommended two doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “because of vaccination, more than 21 million lives have been saved and measles deaths have been reduced by 80% since 2000.” This is a tremendous public health success and a cause for celebration. But our work is not done. The recent increases in vaccine hesitancy and refusal in many countries has contributed to the resurgence of measles worldwide.

COVID-19 may be in the forefront of everyone’s minds, but this doesn’t mean that other contagious illnesses like measles have gone away. Influenza still is in full swing with the CDC reporting high activity in 1 states for the week ending April 4th. Seasonal influenza, according to currently available data, has a lower fatality rate than COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean it is harmless. Thus far in the 2019-2020 flu season, there have been at least 24,000 deaths because of influenza in the United States alone, 166 of which were among pediatric patients.*

Like many pediatricians, I have seen firsthand the impact of vaccine-preventable illnesses like influenza, pertussis, and varicella. I have personally cared for an infant with pertussis who had to be intubated and on a ventilator for nearly a week. I have told the family of a child with cancer that they would have to be admitted to the hospital yet again for intravenous antiviral medication because that little rash turned out to be varicella. I have performed CPR on a previously healthy teenager with the flu whose heart was failing despite maximum ventilator support. All these illnesses might have been prevented had these patients or those around them been appropriately vaccinated.

Right now, the United States and governments around the world are taking unprecedented public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, directing the public to stay home, avoid unnecessary contact with other people, practice good hand-washing and infection-control techniques. In order to promote social distancing, many primary care clinics are canceling nonurgent appointments or converting them to virtual visits, including some visits for routine vaccinations for older children, teens, and adults. This is a responsible choice to keep potentially asymptomatic people from spreading COVID-19, but once restrictions begin to lift, we all will need to act to help our patients catch up on these missing vaccinations.

This pandemic has made it more apparent than ever that we all rely upon each other to stay healthy. While this pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, we can’t let it disrupt one of the great successes in health care today: the prevention of serious illnesses. As soon as it is safe to do so, we must help and encourage patients to catch up on missing vaccinations. It’s rare that preventative public health measures and vaccine developments are in the nightly news, so we should use this increased public awareness to ensure patients are well educated and protected from every disease. As part of this, we must continue our efforts to share accurate information on the safety and efficacy of routine vaccination. And when there is a vaccine for COVID-19? Let’s make sure everyone gets that too.

Dr. Leighton is a pediatrician in the ED at Children’s National Hospital and currently is completing her MPH in health policy at George Washington University, both in Washington. She had no relevant financial disclosures.*

* This article was updated 4/10/2020.

There is a highly infectious virus spreading around the world and it is targeting the most vulnerable among us. It is among the most contagious of human diseases, spreading through the air unseen. No, it isn’t the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. It’s measles.

Remember measles? Outbreaks in recent years have brought the disease, which once was declared eliminated in the United States, back into the news and public awareness, but measles never has really gone away. Every year there are millions of cases worldwide – in 2018 alone there were nearly 10 million estimated cases and 142,300 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The good news is that measles vaccination is highly effective, at about 97% after the recommended two doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “because of vaccination, more than 21 million lives have been saved and measles deaths have been reduced by 80% since 2000.” This is a tremendous public health success and a cause for celebration. But our work is not done. The recent increases in vaccine hesitancy and refusal in many countries has contributed to the resurgence of measles worldwide.

COVID-19 may be in the forefront of everyone’s minds, but this doesn’t mean that other contagious illnesses like measles have gone away. Influenza still is in full swing with the CDC reporting high activity in 1 states for the week ending April 4th. Seasonal influenza, according to currently available data, has a lower fatality rate than COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean it is harmless. Thus far in the 2019-2020 flu season, there have been at least 24,000 deaths because of influenza in the United States alone, 166 of which were among pediatric patients.*

Like many pediatricians, I have seen firsthand the impact of vaccine-preventable illnesses like influenza, pertussis, and varicella. I have personally cared for an infant with pertussis who had to be intubated and on a ventilator for nearly a week. I have told the family of a child with cancer that they would have to be admitted to the hospital yet again for intravenous antiviral medication because that little rash turned out to be varicella. I have performed CPR on a previously healthy teenager with the flu whose heart was failing despite maximum ventilator support. All these illnesses might have been prevented had these patients or those around them been appropriately vaccinated.

Right now, the United States and governments around the world are taking unprecedented public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, directing the public to stay home, avoid unnecessary contact with other people, practice good hand-washing and infection-control techniques. In order to promote social distancing, many primary care clinics are canceling nonurgent appointments or converting them to virtual visits, including some visits for routine vaccinations for older children, teens, and adults. This is a responsible choice to keep potentially asymptomatic people from spreading COVID-19, but once restrictions begin to lift, we all will need to act to help our patients catch up on these missing vaccinations.

This pandemic has made it more apparent than ever that we all rely upon each other to stay healthy. While this pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, we can’t let it disrupt one of the great successes in health care today: the prevention of serious illnesses. As soon as it is safe to do so, we must help and encourage patients to catch up on missing vaccinations. It’s rare that preventative public health measures and vaccine developments are in the nightly news, so we should use this increased public awareness to ensure patients are well educated and protected from every disease. As part of this, we must continue our efforts to share accurate information on the safety and efficacy of routine vaccination. And when there is a vaccine for COVID-19? Let’s make sure everyone gets that too.

Dr. Leighton is a pediatrician in the ED at Children’s National Hospital and currently is completing her MPH in health policy at George Washington University, both in Washington. She had no relevant financial disclosures.*

* This article was updated 4/10/2020.

There is a highly infectious virus spreading around the world and it is targeting the most vulnerable among us. It is among the most contagious of human diseases, spreading through the air unseen. No, it isn’t the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. It’s measles.

Remember measles? Outbreaks in recent years have brought the disease, which once was declared eliminated in the United States, back into the news and public awareness, but measles never has really gone away. Every year there are millions of cases worldwide – in 2018 alone there were nearly 10 million estimated cases and 142,300 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The good news is that measles vaccination is highly effective, at about 97% after the recommended two doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “because of vaccination, more than 21 million lives have been saved and measles deaths have been reduced by 80% since 2000.” This is a tremendous public health success and a cause for celebration. But our work is not done. The recent increases in vaccine hesitancy and refusal in many countries has contributed to the resurgence of measles worldwide.

COVID-19 may be in the forefront of everyone’s minds, but this doesn’t mean that other contagious illnesses like measles have gone away. Influenza still is in full swing with the CDC reporting high activity in 1 states for the week ending April 4th. Seasonal influenza, according to currently available data, has a lower fatality rate than COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean it is harmless. Thus far in the 2019-2020 flu season, there have been at least 24,000 deaths because of influenza in the United States alone, 166 of which were among pediatric patients.*

Like many pediatricians, I have seen firsthand the impact of vaccine-preventable illnesses like influenza, pertussis, and varicella. I have personally cared for an infant with pertussis who had to be intubated and on a ventilator for nearly a week. I have told the family of a child with cancer that they would have to be admitted to the hospital yet again for intravenous antiviral medication because that little rash turned out to be varicella. I have performed CPR on a previously healthy teenager with the flu whose heart was failing despite maximum ventilator support. All these illnesses might have been prevented had these patients or those around them been appropriately vaccinated.

Right now, the United States and governments around the world are taking unprecedented public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, directing the public to stay home, avoid unnecessary contact with other people, practice good hand-washing and infection-control techniques. In order to promote social distancing, many primary care clinics are canceling nonurgent appointments or converting them to virtual visits, including some visits for routine vaccinations for older children, teens, and adults. This is a responsible choice to keep potentially asymptomatic people from spreading COVID-19, but once restrictions begin to lift, we all will need to act to help our patients catch up on these missing vaccinations.

This pandemic has made it more apparent than ever that we all rely upon each other to stay healthy. While this pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, we can’t let it disrupt one of the great successes in health care today: the prevention of serious illnesses. As soon as it is safe to do so, we must help and encourage patients to catch up on missing vaccinations. It’s rare that preventative public health measures and vaccine developments are in the nightly news, so we should use this increased public awareness to ensure patients are well educated and protected from every disease. As part of this, we must continue our efforts to share accurate information on the safety and efficacy of routine vaccination. And when there is a vaccine for COVID-19? Let’s make sure everyone gets that too.

Dr. Leighton is a pediatrician in the ED at Children’s National Hospital and currently is completing her MPH in health policy at George Washington University, both in Washington. She had no relevant financial disclosures.*

* This article was updated 4/10/2020.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has issued guidance and a roadmap to key resources for dermatologists who are navigating the rapidly changing world of best practices in patient care delivery and reimbursement in the era of COVID-19.

The guidance pages are publicly viewable. Additionally, AAD has made a collection of COVID-19 articles from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology freely available for the next 6 months.

George Hruza, MD, AAD president, detailed regulatory updates and other federal actions as well as guidance regarding telemedicine and clinical practice in a message to AAD members.

“While many questions still need answers, I have appointed an Ad Hoc Task Force to assess dermatology’s needs, share knowledge, and provide ongoing guidance and information throughout the crisis,” Dr. Hruza wrote.

“The situation is changing rapidly, and we are committed to keeping you updated with reliable and practical information to help you adapt to the circumstances,” he noted, referring dermatologists to the AAD’s information hub for the coronavirus outbreak. “We are keeping this page updated frequently, and it will serve as your primary source for what we know now,” he noted.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has recently relaxed key regulations regarding technology to provide telemedicine so that physicians and patients can use existing platforms such as FaceTime and Skype for virtual visits. The usual fines for HIPAA noncompliance have been waived. Additionally, telemedicine visits can now be reimbursed at the same rate as in-person visits.

Private payers are beginning to follow suit, said Dr. Hruza, noting that the AAD Association is working to harmonize private coverage with public reimbursement. The AAD also is tracking which payers are coming in line with federal policies on its teledermatology page.

These changes in regulation around telemedicine apply to patient encounters for any purpose, not just coronavirus-related encounters, noted Dr. Hruza. “The good news is that the government has taken action to make it much easier for us to provide virtual consults to patients. Dermatology has always been a leader in telemedicine, and it will be an important way to offer care to patients who can’t or don’t need to come into the office or clinic,” he added.

Importantly, said Dr. Hruza, CMS is allowing practices to have discretion over whether copays are collected, or collected in full, so that these payments don’t present a barrier to patient care in the current crisis environment.

For dermatologists who are new to telemedicine, AAD has created an online resource that includes information about various telemedicine platforms, updated guidance regarding regulations, and best practices for accurate coding and documentation of telemedicine visits.

The Academy has also been developing dermatology-specific guidance, including how to address the concerns of patients who are receiving biologic therapies and how to conserve personal protective equipment while still protecting physicians, staff, and patients from COVID-19 infection.

For patients on biologic therapy who show no sign of coronavirus infection, the decision to continue or stop biologics should be made on a case-by-case basis. Factors to be considered include patient age, comorbidities, and the severity of the original indication for biologic use.

Initiation of biologics should only be done after a similar risk-benefit analysis, with a recommendation to consider deferring initiation for patients 60 and older and those with comorbidities that may portend a worse course in the event of coronavirus infection. Biologics should be discontinued for patients who test positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Hruza outlined some of the federal measures taken that may affect the business side of dermatology practices. These include a $20 million transfer to the Small Business Administration to offset administrative expenses associated with increased loan volumes related to the coronavirus outbreak. Eligible expenses for loans may include new devices and environmental adjustments to accommodate telehealth services.

Additionally, it is anticipated that as employers are required to provide paid sick and family leave, a payroll tax credit will be issued to employers. Some self-employed individuals will also be able to claim a tax credit for sick and family leave.

A recent news release from the AAD encourages the public to use high-emollient moisturizers after handwashing. The release also provides other tips, such as using petrolatum at bedtime for hands that are particularly dry and focusing on the fingertips when moisturizing, as these areas are prone to cracking. The release also reaffirms that the most effective way to clean hands is soap and water, and that moisturizing after handwashing does not negate the antiviral effects of cleansing, contrary to some social media reports.
koakes@mdedge.com

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has issued guidance and a roadmap to key resources for dermatologists who are navigating the rapidly changing world of best practices in patient care delivery and reimbursement in the era of COVID-19.

The guidance pages are publicly viewable. Additionally, AAD has made a collection of COVID-19 articles from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology freely available for the next 6 months.

George Hruza, MD, AAD president, detailed regulatory updates and other federal actions as well as guidance regarding telemedicine and clinical practice in a message to AAD members.

“While many questions still need answers, I have appointed an Ad Hoc Task Force to assess dermatology’s needs, share knowledge, and provide ongoing guidance and information throughout the crisis,” Dr. Hruza wrote.

“The situation is changing rapidly, and we are committed to keeping you updated with reliable and practical information to help you adapt to the circumstances,” he noted, referring dermatologists to the AAD’s information hub for the coronavirus outbreak. “We are keeping this page updated frequently, and it will serve as your primary source for what we know now,” he noted.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has recently relaxed key regulations regarding technology to provide telemedicine so that physicians and patients can use existing platforms such as FaceTime and Skype for virtual visits. The usual fines for HIPAA noncompliance have been waived. Additionally, telemedicine visits can now be reimbursed at the same rate as in-person visits.

Private payers are beginning to follow suit, said Dr. Hruza, noting that the AAD Association is working to harmonize private coverage with public reimbursement. The AAD also is tracking which payers are coming in line with federal policies on its teledermatology page.

These changes in regulation around telemedicine apply to patient encounters for any purpose, not just coronavirus-related encounters, noted Dr. Hruza. “The good news is that the government has taken action to make it much easier for us to provide virtual consults to patients. Dermatology has always been a leader in telemedicine, and it will be an important way to offer care to patients who can’t or don’t need to come into the office or clinic,” he added.

Importantly, said Dr. Hruza, CMS is allowing practices to have discretion over whether copays are collected, or collected in full, so that these payments don’t present a barrier to patient care in the current crisis environment.

For dermatologists who are new to telemedicine, AAD has created an online resource that includes information about various telemedicine platforms, updated guidance regarding regulations, and best practices for accurate coding and documentation of telemedicine visits.

The Academy has also been developing dermatology-specific guidance, including how to address the concerns of patients who are receiving biologic therapies and how to conserve personal protective equipment while still protecting physicians, staff, and patients from COVID-19 infection.

For patients on biologic therapy who show no sign of coronavirus infection, the decision to continue or stop biologics should be made on a case-by-case basis. Factors to be considered include patient age, comorbidities, and the severity of the original indication for biologic use.

Initiation of biologics should only be done after a similar risk-benefit analysis, with a recommendation to consider deferring initiation for patients 60 and older and those with comorbidities that may portend a worse course in the event of coronavirus infection. Biologics should be discontinued for patients who test positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Hruza outlined some of the federal measures taken that may affect the business side of dermatology practices. These include a $20 million transfer to the Small Business Administration to offset administrative expenses associated with increased loan volumes related to the coronavirus outbreak. Eligible expenses for loans may include new devices and environmental adjustments to accommodate telehealth services.

Additionally, it is anticipated that as employers are required to provide paid sick and family leave, a payroll tax credit will be issued to employers. Some self-employed individuals will also be able to claim a tax credit for sick and family leave.

A recent news release from the AAD encourages the public to use high-emollient moisturizers after handwashing. The release also provides other tips, such as using petrolatum at bedtime for hands that are particularly dry and focusing on the fingertips when moisturizing, as these areas are prone to cracking. The release also reaffirms that the most effective way to clean hands is soap and water, and that moisturizing after handwashing does not negate the antiviral effects of cleansing, contrary to some social media reports.
koakes@mdedge.com

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has issued guidance and a roadmap to key resources for dermatologists who are navigating the rapidly changing world of best practices in patient care delivery and reimbursement in the era of COVID-19.

The guidance pages are publicly viewable. Additionally, AAD has made a collection of COVID-19 articles from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology freely available for the next 6 months.

George Hruza, MD, AAD president, detailed regulatory updates and other federal actions as well as guidance regarding telemedicine and clinical practice in a message to AAD members.

“While many questions still need answers, I have appointed an Ad Hoc Task Force to assess dermatology’s needs, share knowledge, and provide ongoing guidance and information throughout the crisis,” Dr. Hruza wrote.

“The situation is changing rapidly, and we are committed to keeping you updated with reliable and practical information to help you adapt to the circumstances,” he noted, referring dermatologists to the AAD’s information hub for the coronavirus outbreak. “We are keeping this page updated frequently, and it will serve as your primary source for what we know now,” he noted.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has recently relaxed key regulations regarding technology to provide telemedicine so that physicians and patients can use existing platforms such as FaceTime and Skype for virtual visits. The usual fines for HIPAA noncompliance have been waived. Additionally, telemedicine visits can now be reimbursed at the same rate as in-person visits.

Private payers are beginning to follow suit, said Dr. Hruza, noting that the AAD Association is working to harmonize private coverage with public reimbursement. The AAD also is tracking which payers are coming in line with federal policies on its teledermatology page.

These changes in regulation around telemedicine apply to patient encounters for any purpose, not just coronavirus-related encounters, noted Dr. Hruza. “The good news is that the government has taken action to make it much easier for us to provide virtual consults to patients. Dermatology has always been a leader in telemedicine, and it will be an important way to offer care to patients who can’t or don’t need to come into the office or clinic,” he added.

Importantly, said Dr. Hruza, CMS is allowing practices to have discretion over whether copays are collected, or collected in full, so that these payments don’t present a barrier to patient care in the current crisis environment.

For dermatologists who are new to telemedicine, AAD has created an online resource that includes information about various telemedicine platforms, updated guidance regarding regulations, and best practices for accurate coding and documentation of telemedicine visits.

The Academy has also been developing dermatology-specific guidance, including how to address the concerns of patients who are receiving biologic therapies and how to conserve personal protective equipment while still protecting physicians, staff, and patients from COVID-19 infection.

For patients on biologic therapy who show no sign of coronavirus infection, the decision to continue or stop biologics should be made on a case-by-case basis. Factors to be considered include patient age, comorbidities, and the severity of the original indication for biologic use.

Initiation of biologics should only be done after a similar risk-benefit analysis, with a recommendation to consider deferring initiation for patients 60 and older and those with comorbidities that may portend a worse course in the event of coronavirus infection. Biologics should be discontinued for patients who test positive for COVID-19.

Dr. Hruza outlined some of the federal measures taken that may affect the business side of dermatology practices. These include a $20 million transfer to the Small Business Administration to offset administrative expenses associated with increased loan volumes related to the coronavirus outbreak. Eligible expenses for loans may include new devices and environmental adjustments to accommodate telehealth services.

Additionally, it is anticipated that as employers are required to provide paid sick and family leave, a payroll tax credit will be issued to employers. Some self-employed individuals will also be able to claim a tax credit for sick and family leave.

A recent news release from the AAD encourages the public to use high-emollient moisturizers after handwashing. The release also provides other tips, such as using petrolatum at bedtime for hands that are particularly dry and focusing on the fingertips when moisturizing, as these areas are prone to cracking. The release also reaffirms that the most effective way to clean hands is soap and water, and that moisturizing after handwashing does not negate the antiviral effects of cleansing, contrary to some social media reports.
koakes@mdedge.com