HIPA COVID-19 Updates
General Membership
Below is a compilation of resources important for all private practices during COVID-19. For Payment Transformation specific information and updates, please visit our Payment Transformation page. If you do not have the password, please outreach your physician liaison
Please note: information is rapidly changing. Where possible, we have included links to working documents that will be updated as needed. Each will have an “last updated” date. Please check
back to these links for future updates.
Masks, Sanitizers, Gloves
- KN95 masks available through HIPA (limited supply)
Price: $195 for 50 masks
To order: email Julie@hawaiiipa.com
Certification: FDA, CE, GB/2606-2006 - Supplies available via PAC/RIM, discounted if identify yourself as a HIPA member when you place the order; free on island deliveries. $0 minimum for Oahu, $150 minimum for NI
To order: email info@prmedhawaii.com or call (808) 845-6644- Gel hand sanitizer (to order, may have shipping delays)
- HIPA members: $57/gallon; $12.50/16 oz
- Other supplies: liquid sanitizer, gloves, surface disinfectants etc. via price list and recently updated flyer
- Newly added item: face shields, one pack of 5 for $37.50. Click here to view the manual
- Gel hand sanitizer (to order, may have shipping delays)
‘Iolani Face Shield Project
Head of School, Dr. Timothy Cottrell, and his team have become one of Hawaii’s largest independent producers of face shields, donating thousands locally and across seas. If you would like to order face shields you can contact them via phone at (808) 949-5355 or email info@iolani.org. To learn more, visit their website.
HIPA and Pacific Rim Basin Collaborative Telemedicine Webinars
6/17 12-1 p.m.: Upcoming Webinar on Cost Share, Technology and Reopening
5/27: Telehealth Coding Webinar Recording and slides
5/13: Telehealth 101 for Independent Physicians Webinar Recording and Slides
NEW: COVID Cost Share Grid
IMPORTANT CHANGE in the 4/30/2020 CMS Guidance: Per CMS’s most recent press release , Medicare is increasing their reimbursement rates for phone visits. “CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by audio-only telephone between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. Now, CMS is broadening that list to include many behavioral health and patient education services. CMS is also increasing payments for these telephone visits to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This would increase payments for these services from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020.”
IMPORTANT CHANGE in the 3/30 CMS Guidance: Use POS 11 for Medicare & Medicare Advantage for Telehealth. If you use POS 02, you will receive 30% less in reimbursement. POS 02 should only be used for non-medicare plans.
HIPA created a quick reference coding and reimbursement guide on each of the visit types, displaying description, consent, reimbursement rates, and codes. We will be updating this document as new policies from CMS and local payers comes out. HIPA also created a telemedicine EMR documentation guide to ensure you capture everything you need in your note to keep you covered.
*These are all working documents. Feel free to bookmark these pages and check back frequently for updates. Check the “last updated” date to ensure you are referencing the most recent version.
Updated Guidance on Coding for Coronavirus
Use of CS modifiers for COVID-19 related services to access cost- sharing waiver
The following is from the American Academy of Family Physicians’ website:
Service | Place of Service | Modifier(s) |
Office visit related to COVID-19 testing | 11 – Office | -CS |
Telehealth visit related to COVID-19 testing | 11 – Office | -95 -CS |
Office visit not related to COVID-19 | 11 – Office | None |
Telehealth visit not related to COVID-19 | 11 – Office | -95 |
Virtual Check-In (HCPCS G2012, G2010) | 11 – Office | None |
E-Visit (CPT 99421-99423) | 11 – Office | None |
Telephone Evaluation and Management (CPT 99441-99443) | 11 – Office | None |
Commercial payers are generally following Medicare’s lead in terms of coverage and policy. However, coding guidance varies from payer to payer. The AAFP is tracking payer policies closely. A table of private payer policies and list of frequently asked questions are available on the Academy’s COVID-19: Practice Management Page.
We have updated the below as of 6/10/2020 to include only active websites being updated by payers instead of stagnant documents. To see more on per payer guidance and updates please see the reference section of our Coding and Reimbursement Telemedicine Guide, being regularly updated.
CARES Act Loans, Grants & Other CMS Opportunities
We have changed our Fact Sheet on the CARES act loans and opportunities into a working document. Please check back here for updates.
Please also see financial resource guide for more detailed information.
Risk Adjustment for Medicare & Medicare Advantage Patients:
CMS just released guidance on risk adjustment for telemedicine visits. Providers and organizations that submit diagnoses for risk adjusted payment are now able to submit diagnoses for risk adjustment that are from telehealth visits.
Submission for these visits are allowed when they meet all criteria for risk adjustment:
-The visit is outpatient/professional service/inpatient
-A face to face encounter (this requirement is also met when using interactive audio/video that permits real-time interactive communication)
This is a huge step forward in allowing providers to utilize technology to reach patients and continue to see revenue for services provided remotely.
To view the CMS announcement, click here. Additional questions can be sent to RiskAdjustment@cms.hhs.gov by listing “Applicability of telehealth services for risk adjustment” in the subject line.
This is the most recent DOH compiled testing site list. Hawaii IPA has turned this into a working document and is updating it with pop- up sites as they arise. Please feel free to comment on this document if you have additional information so we can keep everyone up-to- date.
- Temporary Public Assistance: Childcare, MedQuest, & Snap Support
- Free Clinic for Unemployed/Uninsured due to COVID-19
- Lt. Governor Josh Green and Dr. James Ireland, a Big Island
community physician, are partnering to open a FREE medical clinic
on Oahu. Its purpose is to help those who do not qualify for
Medicaid and are low-income residents. The clinic will primarily focus on patients with chronic health conditions such as; hypertension, diabetes, nephrology problems, asthma, and COPD.
Open June 1st through August 31st
Hours of Operation: 9AM-4PM (Closed 12-1PM)
Location: Kalihi Medical Building, 2055 North King Street, Suite 101,Honolulu
To view Hawaii News Now Story: click here.
If you are a health care provider and would like to volunteer, or a
patient who needs to set up an appointment, please email:
alohafreeclinic@gmail.com
- Lt. Governor Josh Green and Dr. James Ireland, a Big Island
- Hawaii’s only statewide hotline partnering with the Department of Health. Provides community assistance finding food, shelter, elderly care, etc. Aloha United Way’s 211 Website
- CALL 211 for Aloha United Ways COVID-19 Hotline
- Queen’s Online Mental Health Wellness Group
- Virtual educational sessions for patients to help them manage stress; Monday evenings and Wednesday Afternoons
- Kokua Maui’s COVID-19 resource page
- Planning Steps for Patients & Families During the COVID-19 Crisis
- HMSA information sheet for patients who have lost insurance
- Maui COVID-19 Resource Page
- McKenna Recovery Center, an intensive outpatient addiction treatment program, in light of covid-19 restrictions, is continuing evaluation and treatment services — virtually — with drug testing in person (for Oahu and Kauai; coordinated through an on island lab for all other islands).
- For appointment, please call 808-246-0663 or email lani@mckennarecoverycenter.com. See our website for more details about our services: https://mckennarecoverycenter.com/ . Eventual return to office services include locations in Honolulu, Oahu and Lihue, Kauai locations. Consent to telemedicine services and registration packet must be provided, with current insurance coverage or self-pay. Virtual services require stable internet connection and a smart phone/tablet/computer with functioning camera and audio.
- Insurances accepted: UHA, KAISER Preferred, HMSA, & HMAA. On Kauai, also accepted are HMSA Quest & AlohaCare Quest. Others potentially on a case-by-case basis.
Re-opening Your Practice
- AMA’s Guide on how to re-open practices post-COVID
- 2020 Practice Comeback Plan-SolutionReach with companion webinar recording
- MGMA Webinar on Re-Opening a Practice
- SomarHealth’s “Planning for post COVID19 Practice Startup”
- CDC Tips
Other Resources
- PMAG’s video on: 10 Self-care Tips for Physician Wellness During COVID-19
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and the stay-at-home order, physicians are still in the trenches taking care of patients, learning how to use telehealth, and applying for various business loans to keep their practices afloat, etc. The impact of these challenges can add tremendous stress to our bodies and minds.
Please remember to take care of yourself.From Dr. Donna Mah, PMAG’s President of the Board, and Haylin Dennison, LCSW, PMAG’s Director of Integrated Behavioral Health. - Nebraska Medicine: Protocols, checklists and Provider Guidance
- Navigating difficult conversations during a Global Pandemic: A guide
- COVID-19 Office Prep Checklist-AAFP
- COVID-19 Non-Urgent Care Guidance-AAFP
- COVID-19 Physicians Guide- AMA
- Entry to Office Signage
- COVID-19 Adapting Workflow, Triage, Scheduling- AAFP
- COVID-19 Clinic Readiness
- NEJM PPE and COVID-19
| Stephanie Martinez- Maui Physician Liasion Stephanie@hawaiiipa.com |
Kyleigh Arakaki-Oahu Physician Liaison kyleigh@hawaiiipa.com |
| Ashley Graham- Consultant, Value Based Programs ashley@hawaiiipa.com |
Julie Warech- Administrator julie@hawaiiipa.com |