The June 9^th issue of the newsletter, Bulletin Brief, is available. Key highlights below:

• American College of Surgeons Issues Call to Action on Racism as a Public Health Crisis

• The ACS Board of Regents Held Its June Meeting Virtually Last Week—Mention of Clinical Congress is below

Planning for Clinical Congress 2020 to be presented remotely and consideration of a smaller live meeting in Chicago, IL, is under way. Issues to be addressed, based on the results of a member survey, include surgeons’ willingness to attend, the ability to realistically maintain social distancing with large crowds, and the impact of travel restraints some institutions have imposed. The concerns about a second surge in COVID-19 cases and the subsequent effect on the surgical workforce are real and are under consideration. A final decision will be made over the next two weeks.

• Annual Dues Will Not Increase Next Year

New Legislation Provides Greater Flexibility for Small Business Loans

As hospitals resume operations paused due to COVID-19, a new survey shows a majority of people are reluctant to undergo procedures and may not reschedule necessary surgical care while COVID-19 continues to circulate in communities.* To help surgeons and hospitals address patient concerns, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has released a new resource, Preparing to Have Surgery during the Time of COVID-19.  

A new toolkit from the ACS accompanies the release of a patient discussion guide to help you communicate with your patients about the steps your hospitals are taking to reduce the risk of COVID-19, and stresses that, when it comes to talking about COVID-19, surgeon-patient communication is a shared responsibility. 

The survey also found surgeons are the most influential voices for patients wondering whether their care will be safe. Personalized outreach, including phone calls, can ease fears and allow patients to ask you questions about what they can expect when they arrive at the hospital, ambulatory center, or your office. They want to hear directly from you, and no level of detail is too much in our current environment. 

Included in this toolkit are templates and resources to help you reach out to patients directly who may also have wanted to reach out to you but are not comfortable making that first phone call. Also included are resources for traditional and social media, and your hospital or practice website, including:

• The aforementioned discussion guide, with sample questions that your patients may ask. This guide will help you gather the information you will need to have detailed conversations and answer potential patient questions.
• A companion document to help you prepare answers to anticipated patient questions and enlist members of the care team and administration as part of the preparation process. 
• A template press release that you can distribute to your local media.
• Sample social media posts, images, and tips for posting.
• A sample video script that can be used for recording on your phone or tablet, which you can post on social media or on your hospital or practice website. You can also work with your hospital’s media relations officer to record a video if your facility has its own studio or videographer. 
• A draft newsletter article that you can post on your hospital or practice website.
  

The June 2 issue of the newsletter, Bulletin Brief, is available below.

Highlights include:

• American College of Surgeons Condemns Recent Violence
• Don’t Miss It: ACS Practice Protection Committee Hosts Webinar on Economic Survival Strategies
• College News and Announcements
• Many Patients Fear Returning to Surgery in COVID-19 Era. New ACS Patient & Surgeon Resources Can Guide Communication to Help Restore Confidence

Recent events across the country have significantly impacted us all, particularly Fellows who are members of Black and Brown communities.  

The ACS stands in solidarity against racism, violence, and intolerance. Our mission is to serve all with skill and fidelity, and that extends beyond the operating room.  

Racism, brutal attacks, and subsequent violence must end. We will help any injured, and we will use our voice in support of the health and safety of every person.

The May 26 issue of the newsletter, Bulletin Brief, is available below. Highlights include: 

• Economic Survival Strategies in the COVID World: A Guide from the ACS Practice Protection Committee
• Newly Introduced Legislation May Provide Financial Relief to Physician Practices
• New Approaches to Educating Surgeons of the Present and Future: Determine the Decision-Making Skills of New Residents with ACS ERRA
• ACS Resources Can Help Lessen Lasting Impact of COVID-19
• Apply for 2020 ACS Committee Openings by May 31
• ICYMI: 2020 ACS Quality and Safety Conference to Be Held Virtually

Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the CARES Act, loans may be forgiven if borrowers use the proceeds to maintain their payrolls and pay other specified expenses.

The Treasury Department and Small Business Administration recently released the application form and instructions for loan forgiveness. The forgiveness forms, instructions, and worksheets can be downloaded here.

PPP borrowers must apply for loan forgiveness with the lender that processed the loan.

This Guidance is directed at Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) Office Based Surgery practices (OBS), and Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (DTC) that are located in counties without a significant risk of COVID-19 surge and are deemed eligible to perform Deferred Procedures, (i.e., elective surgeries and non-urgent procedures).

These centers and practices are required to meet the same provisions  required of hospitals in these eligible counties that are also resuming deferred procedures.

Any ASC, OBS, or DTC that fails to comply with this Guidance may be subject to civil penalties.

Guidance for Elective Surgery and Non-Urgent Procedures in Ambulatory Settings.pdf

In late April, Congress approved an additional $310 billion dollars for the Paycheck Protection forgivable loan Program (PPP) to assist small businesses, including physician practices. To date, the program has approved assistance to nearly 250,000 New York businesses in two different rounds of application periods.

The Congressional package also provided $75 billion more for the CARES Act Health Provider Relief Pool, to assist hospitals and physicians. This is in addition to $30 billion dedicated to physicians and hospitals, in early April, based on 2019 Medicare payments, and $20 billion was just made available to physicians and hospitals based on 2018 total patient revenue.

As with its first survey, MSSNY wants to gather data to determine how much New York physicians are benefiting from these new resources, to better guide our advocacy for further stimulus bills.

Please help us evaluate this by taking a few minutes to fill out and submit the following Survey Monkey questionnaire.

Please take the survey here

The purpose of this weekly publication is to provide healthcare providers in New York State with a consolidated update of guidance released by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) related to the COVID-19 pandemic response.

This will show only current guidance for any given topic and will be updated to reflect new guidance.

As a reminder, all advisories and informational messages (including webinar invitations) are distributed through the Integrated Health Alerting Network System (IHANS), an application housed on the Health Commerce System (HCS). If you are not receiving IHANS notifications, please work with your site’s HCS coordinator.

Additional COVID-19 resources may be found on the NYSDOH webpage under Information for Healthcare Providers. Recordings of COVID-19 Weekly Healthcare Provider Updates are also available on the NYSDOH webpage.

Access the publication here

In this pre-recorded webinar, the Joint Commission provides an overview of COVID-19 routes of transmission and focuses on prevention strategies for freestanding surgical centers to consider prior to resuming elective procedures: Preventing Coronavirus Transmission in Ambulatory Surgery Centers