COVID-19 Resources

Health and Medical Services

The Ascension Online Care app offers 24/7 on-demand virtual urgent care for patients in all 50 states.  Providers follow the latest Cocid-19 screenings and protocols and have access to Ascension’s sites of care for escalations and follow up.   Visit https://choose.ascension.org/onlinecare for more information.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas will waive member copays and deductibles for COVID-19 tests.  For more information, visit their webpage here.

Children’s Health ^SM Virtual Care is offering free screenings 24/7 with code: COVID19.  Here’s how it works:

• Visit the Virtual Visit web portal and create an account or download the app shown at the right.
• When you need care, you can videoconference with a health care provider right from your smartphone, tablet, video-equipped computer or at one of our kiosks.

• You can use Virtual Visit to address common conditions such as coughs, respiratory infections, colds, sinus infections, fever, flu, headaches, diarrhea, strep throat and pink eye. Virtual Visit is not for serious or life-threatening conditions. If you have an emergency, go to the emergency room or call 911.  Visit childrens.com/virtualvisit for more information.

Cigna has updated their coronavirus page with new information on Cigna’s on how to submit claim forms for over the counter testing here.

Doctor on Demand has created a COVID-10 Center to provide assessments and more information to patients here:

As a virtual care practice with doctors licensed to deliver care in all fifty states, Doctor On Demand serves a vital public health role in the case of infectious disease spread.  With the evolving COVID-19 situation, Doctor on Demand has mobilized to support the healthcare system and patients in preparing for potential widespread illness and are directly engaged with the CDC and other federal, state and local officials on both preparation as well as surveillance, triage and treatment.  As part of this effort, they are developing algorithms for patients to assess their risk to the coronavirus, offered on our website and in our mobile app.  In cases where we have reported patients to public health officials, they are coordinating closely with the public health officials, local providers and–where necessary–emergency medical services to ensure they are getting patients to appropriate care in their community while avoiding transmission of the virus.

GuruMD provides on-demand virtual urgent care for patients on most major insurance plans including Aetna, Ambetter, Amerigroup, BCBS-TX, Cigna, Humana, MultiPlan, Oscar, Superior Healthplan, and UnitedHealthcare as well as Medicaid and Medicare. They also accept non-insurance patients. GuruMD is currently serving patients throughout Texas, Florida, Iowa and New Mexico. Their COVID-19 screenings and protocols follow the latest CDC guidelines, ensuring patients receive the most up-to-date information to help reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. To connect with a doctor, patients can:

1. Register online at www.GuruMD.net or on the GuruMD mobile app, available at Google Play and the App Store. Or call 888-348-7863.
2. Once registered, patients can connect directly with a healthcare provider via video or phone to receive medical treatment including prescriptions sent to a local pharmacy, lab work and imaging orders.

Hazel Health provides in-school, on-demand telehealth screenings for any students feeling ill during the school day, or those feeling anxious about coronavirus, at partner school districts. They created a list of resources for school districts to use as a reference as they prepare and respond to COVID-19 within their local context. Hazel is a telemedicine service designed specifically for schools & students, following FERPA and HIPAA. If you would like to learn more about Hazel send an email to hello@hazel.co or visit hazel.co.

HMA has made their recent webinar on “Telemedicine and Telehealth in Texas During the COVID-19 Response: Policy Changes and Implementation Strategies for Providers” available to the public here.

Karis is offering a telehealth, telebehavioral health and second opinion service to provide your members navigating the coronavirus pandemic with access to providers via telehealth.   Karis recognizes that during this heightened health crisis of COVID-19, telehealth is a valuable resource providing access to providers 24/7. Telehealth is available to answer questions, evaluate risk, and advise members on next steps; minimizing the risk to others and combating the spread of this highly contagious disease.   Please submit a request here for more information on providing this valuable service to your organization.

Magellan is providing one of its digital cognitive behavioral therapy (DCBT) apps, RESTORE®, at no cost for individuals experiencing sleep difficulty and insomnia related to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The six-session module uses proven cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to teach users new skills, techniques and practices that can improve mood and promote better sleep.  Magellan Healthcare is also offering insights on topics like crisis communication.    To see the full list, check out their website here.

MyDirectives offers a free digital advance care planning tool that is now connected to the eHealth Exchange.   For more information, go to their website.

Ro has created a free telehealth triage service and resource hub for people seeking guidance and information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). If an individual thinks they may be experiencing signs or symptoms of the novel coronavirus, they can complete Ro’s online assessment and, if appropriate, Ro will connect them with a doctor for a free video consultation.

Superior Health Plan has waived copays for COVID-19 visits.   Members do not have to leave their home to visit with a doctor. They can have a video visit using their phone or computer with a Superior provider that offers telehealth services.  Telehealth visits with a doctor in Superior’s network are available at no cost to members.  To schedule a telehealth visit, members can:

1. Call their primary care provider’s (PCP) office to find out if they can schedule a telehealth visit. Make sure the provider is in Superior’s network.
2. Contact Teladoc for 24-hour access to health-care providers in Superior’s network. Members can get medical advice, a diagnosis or a prescription by video or phone for non-emergency medical issues. Call 1-800-835-2362 (TTY: 711) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

UnitedHealthcare has waived all member cost sharing, including copays, coinsurance and deductibles, for COVID-19 diagnostic testing provided at approved locations in accordance with CDC guidelines for all commercial insured, Medicaid and Medicare members. UnitedHealthcare is also supporting self-insured customers choosing to implement similar actions.

Additionally, UnitedHealth Group has set up a microsite for our members with more information at www.uhc.com. There they can find out more about our support and a FAQ section.

Vivify is working actively with all their customers in Texas as well as across the US to screen and monitor patients for COVID-19.  They have implemented a free screening here.

Telemedicine Services for Providers

AZOVA’s telehealth technology enables each provider to self onboard in a matter of minutes and begin seeing their patients online. Each provider can set their own cash rate or accept insurance. There is no monthly fee for providers to set up their practices on the marketplace.  Providers can sign up here.

Care Convene offers both virtual visit chats (like texting) and video visit options. Providers set up a “clinic” within Care Convene and invite patients to join through a basic invite link. Providers can assign patient assessments that communicate directly back to the provider, enabling patients to learn more about important symptoms and enabling providers to monitor important changes.  More information is available on their website.

Cerner has set up this link addresses their response to Coronavirus.  Cerner is actively involved to support their clients and the healthcare field in the response to fight this pandemic. The flexibility of their EHR platform combined with their large client base has allowed them to quickly scale up. This includes update to their infection control module as well as Telehealth COVID- 19 response module with Amwell to expand access to their telehealth network.

Cisco offers a specific WebEx product for Telemedicine.

Genoa Telepsychiatry’s product helps traditional settings convert to a telemedicine practice.    You can receive more information by contacting them through their website.

GuruMD offers SaaS solutions for healthcare organizations including hospital groups and physician practices that are interested in providing Telemedicine services. GuruMD offers asynchronous audio and video as well as store-and-forward technologies.

Seremedi is a Texas based company offering CareScriptions, a  remote monitoring platform.  This enables clinical teams to conduct virtual visits and seamless remote monitoring of patients 24/7 delivering the best possible care in the comfort of their home.   For more, check out their website.

NextGen has a virtual visit telehealth product/offering that can be deployed for providers who are existing clients of their electronic medical record or electronic practice management system.   Find more information on their website here.

Remedy is helping convert physician practices to virtual settings.    You can learn more on their website here.

Wheel is the infrastructure powering virtual care, helping both clinicians and healthcare companies improve the experience and quality of telemedicine. Wheel is serving in response to COVID-19 by delivering a workforce of board-certified clinicians who are “remote-and-ready,” trained specifically in telehealth best practices as well as CDC-guided COVID-19 protocols for screening, triage and care strategy. If you’re a physician or NP interested in working with Wheel, view our database of emergency licensure updates, and email info@wheel.com. If you’re a telehealth company in need of expanding your clinical network, email sales@wheel.com.

Client Services

Cisco has 2 versions of their offers for customers in need.  Both options turn on and activate quickly, but Option 1 does require Cisco or Cisco Partner for activation.  Option 2 is a pure online activation.

1)      Free Webex Enterprise 90-Day Trial: For organizations and businesses looking to provide host meeting accounts to employees and require centralized administrative management and reporting capabilities. No obligation to purchase after the 90 days. Features:

1. Full featured HD video meetings, content sharing, recording
2. Unlimited meeting and webinars with up to 200 participants
3. Toll-Dial and VoIP Audio
4. Desktop and Mobile app experience
5. Webex Teams unlimited messaging
6. Microsoft Exchange Calendar, Directory Sync, SSO
7. Analytics and Troubleshooting dashboard
8. Device Registration
9. 90 day duration

2)      Free Webex for Individuals with Expanded Features: This is an option people can use to create an individual account and host meetings. They can sign up for free here: https://www.webex.com/. Typically the free version has limited capabilities, but Cisco is offering these expanded features right now:

1. Unlimited usage (no time restrictions)
2. Supports up to 100 participants per meeting
3. Offers toll dial-in for free (in addition to existing VoIP capabilities).

Deloitte has developed an accelerator which can quickly connect an organizations current telehealth/virtual platforms into a quick response telehealth platform for COVID-19 screening. Deloitte’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Solution is secure, and helps to fortify the organizational imperative to protect patient privacy related to sensitive diagnoses such as COVID-19.  Please contact mglaser@deloitte.com or srangappa@deloitte.com for more information.

Gartner Research and Advisory Services is providing many of our COVID-19 Resource Center assets to the State of Texas public servants to use as needed. Our analysts are producing helpful content as quickly as possible in an effort to help you achieve and maintain business continuity.   To access this critical content, simply go to www.gartner.com and find the resources listed below. No Gartner membership is required for the information contained on this page. This content is current as of 3/16/20 but check back frequently as new content will be added as it becomes available.  Access the landing page through the below pictured link on www.gartner.com or https://www.gartner.com/en/insights/coronavirus

 

Other Resources

World Health Organization has been providing global updates on COVID-19 as well as surveillance of the outbreak, found here.

American Health Insurance Plan response to COVID-19.

American Nurses Association response to COVID-19. More information can be found here regarding recommended topics to know.

National Association of School Nurses has provided talking points for School Nurses.

American Academy of Family Physicians: The AAFP has published the new telehealth rules and procedure codes for testing.

Pfizer  has a coronavirus webpage with updated information and also offers PfizerRxPathways (https://www.pfizerrxpathways.com/) which is a patient assistance program.

PhRMA has a Medication Assistance Tool for people to find help with their prescriptions (https://medicineassistancetool.org/en).

 

Clinical Trials

Pfizer announced that they have dosed their first cohort in the US in a Phase I/II trial, following an announcement that they are dosing the first cohort in Germany.

The press release can be found here and they have posted a FAQ.

 

Support Resources

• Consider donating blood with the American Red Cross if you are healthy! It’s a safe process and a great way to donate to your community to prevent shortages.
• Reach out to your local chapter of United Way if you are in need of resources or want to find out how to give. United Way of Texas fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community.