Knowledge Center
COVID-19 Resources & Information
Updated May 18, 2020
WEDI is providing the following links to resources related to COVID-19 (aka “coronavirus”). We recognize that the information on COVID-19 is changing rapidly and hope these links can provide you with up-to-date information on privacy and security, telehealth, and other data exchange topics. Please remember to check with local and national authorities for the latest information.
BULLETIN: Ensuring the Rights of Persons with Limited English Proficiency in Health Care During COVID-19
Health Plan Markets report on markets and strategy including hospital cost tradeoffs, pricing a virtual health plan and more.
Announcements and FAQs by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Information about COVID-19 and resources are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Webinar Recording Available: OCR Update on HIPAA and COVID-19 and the slide deck is available here
DHS and HHS Civil Rights Stakeholder Teleconference on COVID-19 to be held Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 2:00-3:30PM ET. Teleconference information: 888-378-4398 Participant Passcode: 201636#. When you enter the Passcode, you will be asked to state your name; to skip this step, press #.
NIST and the White House OSTP launched a joint effort to support the development of search engines for research that will help in the fight against COVID-19. The project was developed in response to the March 16 White House Call to Action to the Tech Community on New Machine Readable COVID-19 Dataset.
Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID–19: click here
COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit to Accelerate State Use of Telehealth in Medicaid and CHIP
The National Governor’s Association webpage with updates related to each of the states
The National Governor’s Association members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the political spectrum, and the organization is bipartisan. The NGA has worked quickly to provide a centralized resource of actions taken related to COVID-19 by the various states, including declarations of emergency, national guard activations, and various other topics (including telemedicine) being addressed by the state governors.
The National Council of State Legislatures
For questions about ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding, see the CDC’s guidance
The American Medical Association has a wide range of information and resources for patients and physicians and CPT COVID-19 coding and guidance including:
- Quick reference flow chart for CPT reporting for COVID-19 testing
- Coding scenarios and how to apply best coding practices
AHIMA and AHA FAQ on ICD-10-CM Coding for COVID-19
OCR Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency: click here
OCR Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Community-Based Testing Sites During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency: click here
Notification of Enforcement Discretion under HIPAA to Allow Uses and Disclosures of Protected Health Information by Business Associates for Public Health and Health Oversight Activities in Response to COVID-19: click here
COVID-19 & HIPAA Bulletin
Limited Waiver of HIPAA Sanctions and Penalties During a Nationwide Public Health Emergency
Civil Rights and the Coronavirus
A reminder from HHS/OCR regarding ensuring access for the disabled, limited-English speaking indiviudals and others during emergencies.
BULLETIN: Civil Rights, HIPAA, and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
NIST Guidance for Telework: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a Bulletin for Telework and Bring Your Own Device to Work Guide that provides information on securing enterprise telework, remote access, and bring your own device (BYOD) solutions.
The National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) has announced billing guidance for COVID-19 related institutional claims. https://www.nubc.org/nubc-announcement-covid-19-claims
The National Uniform Claim Committee has announced the use of Condition Code DR on the professional claim and a new Health Care Provider Characteristics code to identify providers offering testing for COVID-19. https://www.nucc.org/
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released an article addressing video-teleconferencing (VTC) hijacking (i.e., commonly referred to as “Zoom-bombing” when using the Zoom VTC platform). The FBI has released this guidance in response to increased reports and heightened use because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following resources may be helpful:
- HHS Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) White Paper on COVID-19 VTC Exploitation
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Alert: Cyber Actors Take Advantage of COVID-19 Pandemic to Exploit Increased Use of Virtual Environments
- Zoom blog on recent cybersecurity measures
- Microsoft Teams security guide
- Understanding Patches and Software Updates
DHS/CISA and United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an alert titled, COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors. This joint alert seeks to address the growing use of COVID-19-related themes by malicious cyber actors. The link is: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-099a.