Today’s NewStand

Today’s NewStand

By Iowa Hospital Association|
|February 26, 2021

Iowa news

Cedar Rapids free clinic opens COVID vaccine waitlist to anyone 65 and older via phone, mail

Cedar Rapids’ free medical clinic has established a waitlist for older Iowans struggling to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment online. Iowans 65 and older can call the Community Health Free Clinic at 319-200-2550 to add their name to a list of people interested in obtaining a vaccine from the clinic’s providers. People do not have to be patients at the clinic to receive a shot. As the clinic receives its weekly allocations of COVID-19 vaccines, officials there will call people on the waitlist and schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. (The Gazette)

How monoclonal antibodies are changing Iowa’s COVID-19 pandemic response

Thousands of Iowans potentially escaped being hospitalized with COVID-19, or worse, after being treated by experimental monoclonal antibodies. The treatment arrived in Iowa in mid-November, shortly after it received emergency approval by federal regulators, and it has shown promising results in keeping Iowans sick with COVID-19 from the direst of outcomes. (Des Moines Register)

UI Health Care warns of scam calls seeking personal data

University of Iowa Health Care has been made aware of a scam in which the caller pretends to be calling on behalf of UI Health Care to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination and then asks for a Social Security number and credit card number to cover administrative fees. (Business Record)

 

National news

Hospital groups make new press to Senate to add more money to provider relief fund

A collection of hospital groups is imploring the Senate to add more money to a provider relief fund to help facilities deal with lingering financial shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nine groups sent a letter to Senate leadership Thursday as the House is expected to consider a $1.9 trillion relief package within the next week. The groups say that a $178 billion provider relief fund passed under the CARES Act is not enough to help providers. (FierceHealthcare)

HHS secretary nominee pledges support for permanent telemedicine expansion

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead HHS, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, signaled his support for permanent telehealth expansions this week during his Senate confirmation hearing. Becerra said he is committed to permanently expanding the payment policies that have been passed during the pandemic to increase telemedicine access. Telehealth will be a key component of Mr. Becerra’s strategy for decreasing health inequities, particularly in remote areas where it’s difficult for people to get in-person access to care. (Becker’s Hospital Review)

Patient office/hospital visits down, telemedicine visits up for non-COVID-19 health issues based on claims analysis by Health Transformation Alliance

The Health Transformation Alliance has released results based on the paid claims data of 1.8 million US employees of the alliance’s member owners and their family members. The analysis is of the indirect impact of COVID-19 on non-COVID-19-related medical and pharmaceutical use and costs from January-October 2020 compared to January-October 2019. (PRNewswire)

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