There are a variety of resources and advice available to help hospitals prepare for and respond to COVID-19. We suggest familiarizing yourself with the below resources.
- COVID Vaccine
- Infection Prevention
- PPE
- Clinician Support and Training
- COVID-19 Testing
- Capacity and Resource Management
- Tracking, Planning and Response
- WSHA COVID-19 Calls and Webinars
- Legal and Regulatory
- Billing
- Behavioral Health
- Opioid Use Disorder and Opioid Stewardship
- Health Equity
- Obstetric Care
- Pharmacy
- Governance
- Hospital Learnings
- Advocacy
- Partner Websites and Resources
COVID Vaccine
- Strategies for Equity in COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
- FEMA Vaccine Information & Resource Guide: A guide providing language, disability rights, cultural, and other information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for state, tribal, local and interagency partners (3/18/21)
- Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Patient Acknowledgment Template (3/23/21) and CDC prevaccination checklist (3/1/21) — please use these documents together
- Declaración del paciente receptor de la vacuna contra la COVID-19 (Spanish)
- Форма согласия на получение вакцины от COVID-19 (Russian)
- Форма згоди на отримання вакцини від COVID-19 (Ukrainian)
- Giấy Xác Nhận Của Bệnh Nhân Tiêm Vắc-xin COVID-19 (Vietnamese)
- Pagpapatunay ng Pasyente para sa Bakuna Laban sa COVID-19 (Tagalog)
- Prevaccination Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccines (from the CDC)
- Vaccine Information for Health Care Providers (from Washington State Department of Health)
- List of Providers Authorized to Administer and Order Vaccines (from Washington State Department of Health) (Dec 2020)
Infection Prevention
- Isolation Precaution Signage: Aerosol Precautions
- DOH Interim COVID-19 Outbreak Definition for Healthcare Settings
- DOH COVID-19 Infection Prevention in Healthcare Settings
- Interim guidance for long-term care: transferring between long-term care and other healthcare settings.
- CDC Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions
- CDC Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel
- Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines on Infection Prevention in Patients with Suspected or Known COVID-19.
- Infection Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Self-Assessment Tool for COVID-19 from DNV GL Healthcare. (Please note that this self-assessment tool may not cover all NIAHO and ISO requirements and any allowable changes due to CMS waivers). (4/28/20)
- Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures and Temporal Associations with COVID-19–National Poison Data System. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review. (4/24/20)
- STERIS Decontamination Solutions for compatible N95 or N95-equivalent respirators.
- Transmission of COVID-19 to Health Care Personnel. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review. (4/14/20)
- Characteristics of Health Care Personnel with COVID-19. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review. (4/14/20)
- Virtual Training
- The road to the new normal: COVID-19’s effect on infection prevention. May 14, 2020. Infection Control Today.
- Risks and best practices for bronchoscope use on COVID-19 patients | April 13, 2020 | Bedside Bronchoscopy
- What are you bringing home…COVID-19? | April 16, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- Best Practices to Service Facilities for COVID-19 | April 21, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- N95 Respirator Use, Disinfection and Reuse | On demand, recorded April 1, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- Managing Cleaning and Disinfection in the Healthcare Environment: Prioritizing Disinfectants during SARS-CoV-2. | On demand, recorded April 10, 2020 | Diversey.
- Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients during this COVID-19 Pandemic | On demand | ANA
- EPA list of disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-19
- HP whitepaper on sanitizing IT devices. (4/3/20)
- Aerosol box. Protects healthcare providers during endotracheal intubation
- CMS Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 in nursing homes (3/4/20)
- The DOH infection prevention and travel screening webpage
- The CDC interim laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens
- CDC Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel
- CDC modified guidance relating to exposed workers
PPE
- Personal Protective Equipment Use Crosswalk: CDC and PREVIOUS WADOH (9/2/20)
- CDC – Estimated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Needed for Healthcare Facilities
- CDC – PPE burn rate calculator
- Batelle PPE Decontamination for Reuse (4/5/20)
- DOH PPE Prioritization Guidelines (4/13/20)
- DOH PPE Conservation Strategies (6/8/20)
- World Health Organization Personal Protective Equipment guidance
- CDC Strategies for optimizing the supply of PPE
- Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response – PPE Planning Tool (4/23/20)
- WHS COVID-19 Respirator Fit Testing Guidance (4/1/20)
- CDC – Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when Caring for Patients with Confirmed for Suspected COVID-19 (3/30/20).
- Sourcing Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic — JAMA Article. (3/28/20)
- WSHA Optimizing Supply of PPE Checklists (based on CDC)
- Facemasks (3/23/20)
- Eye protection (3/23/20)
- Isolation gowns (3/23/20)
- L&I temporary enforcement guidelines for N95 fit testing (3/17/20)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance on N-95 masks (3/14/20)
- DOH Personal Protective Equipment Letter (3/6/20)
- DOH optimizing the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (2/29/20)
- Providence PPE resources including donning and doffing videos.
- ANA on-demand training webinar – “Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients during this COVID-19 Pandemic”
- What Clinicians Need to Know to Prepare for COVID-19 in the United States. CDC webinar from March 5, 2020.
Clinician Support and Training
- Clinician Support Webinars
- OpenWHO. World Health Organization online courses in infection prevention, epidemics, COVID-19 and other topics.
- TeamSTEPPS for COVID-19 Crisis: training videos from AHA. (5/15/20)
- The Journey of Medicine with Virtual Care – from CHPSO. Webinar on May 29th, 12pm.
- Remdesvir background and fact sheet (5/15/20).
- Preparing to Resume Elective Surgeries – Patient Safety without Compromising Quality. Webinar from Diversey. May 12.
- Elsevier COVID-19 Healthcare Hub provides toolkits for healthcare professionals such as frontline clinical tools and resources to deliver care and information to patients.
- Behavioral health resources for health care workers (4/8/20)
- “How healthcare workers will respond to Coronavirus depends on us” from Becker’s Hospital Review (4/2/20).
- Free course: mechanical ventilation for COVID-19.
- ANA on-demand training webinar – “Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients during this COVID-19 Pandemic”
- Society for Critical Care Medicine, Just-in-time Acute Care training for non-ICU clinicians.
- Cross training information from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
- Infection prevention virtual training:
- Risks and best practices for bronchoscope use on COVID-19 patients | April 13, 2020 | Bedside Bronchoscopy
- What are you bringing home…COVID-19? | April 16, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- Best Practices to Service Facilities for COVID-19 | April 21, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- N95 Respirator Use, Disinfection and Reuse | On demand, recorded April 1, 2020 | The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS)
- Managing Cleaning and Disinfection in the Healthcare Environment: Prioritizing Disinfectants during SARS-CoV-2. | On demand, recorded April 10, 2020 | Diversey.
- Critical care training videos (from Nicole Kupchik, critical care CNS and educator)
- Emory Healthcare Telehealth Resources (3/31/20)
- Telehealth training overview
- Early telemedicine experience
- Facetime mobile provider guide
- Policy on graduate medical education telehealth
- Post-training telehealth provider assessment
- Webcam recommendation
- Zoom patient guides
- Zoom scheduling
- Zoom settings, tips and tricks
- Zoom web startup guide
- Centralized telehealth scheduling workflow
- Request a Zoom license from the Washington State Health Care Authority to connect with patients using teleconferencing (during the COVID-19 pandemic)
- VitalTalk’s COVID-ready communication advice for health care professionals
COVID-19 Testing
- Self-swab mid turbinate collection instructions (3/31/20)
- Self-swab nasal collection instructions (3/31/20)
- Nasal swab self collection animation (3/31/20)
- WSHA’s drive-through testing guidance (3/19/20)
- WSHA Sign for COVID testing (InDesign editable file) (3/8/20)
- UW Medicine’s COVID-19 resource site contains multiple screening and testing resources, including testing criteria, sample collection for COVID-19 testing and more.
- Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 testing guidance and resources page
- Providence has created a virtual screening tool in concert with Microsoft that has served 32,000 unique individuals since March 5th.
- Providence St. Joseph Health COVID screening tool
- For “pop-up” sites of care Resource from CMS – EMTALA requirements in effect
Capacity and Resource Management
- Washington Medical Coordination Center. (10/1/20)
- Interim guidance for long term care: transferring between long-term care and other healthcare settings. DOH. (12/21/20)
- Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response – PPE Planning Tool (4/23/20)
- CDC – Estimated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Needed for Healthcare Facilities
- CDC – PPE burn rate calculator
- NWHRN COVID-19 Resource Request Process
- HealthCatalyst Capacity Planning Tool
- CARES Act Financial Resources to Assist Hospitals and Health Systems during COVID-19 Crisis (3/30/20)
- DOH FAQs Regarding Surge Capacity
- CDC Strategies for optimizing the supply of PPE
- WSHA Optimizing Supply of PPE Checklists (based on CDC)
- Facemasks (Updated 3/23/20)
- Eye protection (Updated 3/23/20)
- Isolation gowns (Updated 3/23/20)
- WSHA memo on interim CDC guidance for HCP exposed to COVID (3/10/20)
- The FDA and CDC take action to increase access to respirators, including N95s, for health care personnel (3/2/20)
- For “pop-up” sites of care Resource from CMS – EMTALA requirements in effect
- Request a Zoom license from the Washington State Health Care Authority to connect with patients using teleconferencing (during the COVID-19 pandemic)
Tracking, Planning and Response
- WSHA Coronavirus tracker in Washington State
- WA Department of Health COVID-19 current status
- IHME COVID-19 Projections
- Washington Medical Coordination Center. (10/1/20)
- State leader bi-monthly (Monday) calls
- CDC Interim Guidance for Healthcare Facilities
- Secretary of health order on hospital reporting. (4/2/20)
- DOH Statewide COVID health care response plan (3/22/20)
- NHRN Regional COVID-19 Planning Strategies presentation (3/22/20)
WSHA COVID-19 Calls and Webinars
Legal and Regulatory
- State waiver tracker (01/18/21)
- Guidance related to the provision of support persons for patients with disabilities in hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic – DOH/WSHA (7/22/20)
- CMS coronavirus waivers and flexibilities (3/30/20)
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- WSHA’s waiver approval letter (3/26/20)
- L&I temporary enforcement guidelines for N95 fit testing (3/17/20)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance on N-95 masks (3/14/20)
- Expedited licensing pathways available for health care workers in response to COVID-19 (3/13/20)
- COVID-19 emergency declaration health care providers: fact sheet on CMS Waivers (3/13/20)
- CMS notice of suspension of survey activities (3/4/20)
- CDC ICD-10-CM Official Coding Guidelines (2/20/20)
- Guidance from the Nursing Commission
- For “pop-up” sites of care resource from CMS – EMTALA requirements in effect
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) bulletin on HIPAA Privacy and Novel Coronavirus (Feb. 2020)
- HHS guidance on HIPAA privacy in emergency situations
- HHS guidance and flow sheet on disclosures for emergency preparedness
- The Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that COVID-related treatment will not count in Public Charge determinations
- Washington State Attorney General’s Guidance on using funds during a pandemic
Billing
- Answers to provider billing questions related to COVID-19
- The Washington Healthcare Forum COVID-19 Work Group is compiling provider questions along with answers from commercial plans and Medicaid, including Medicaid managed care. They are posted in a Frequently Asked Questions format on the OneHealthPort website. WSHA is coordinating with the Group and has agreed to gather additional hospital questions as new situations or questions arise. The website includes telemedicine policies and billing requirements, COVID-19 testing codes and requirements, and links to the COVID-19 webpage for most major carriers. The page also includes Medicare information compiled by WSHA. WSHA and the Forum will work together to ensure information is as comprehensive, current, accurate and accessible as possible. If you have a COVID-19 billing or payment question for which you have not yet found an answer, please send it to Andrew Busz, WSHA Policy Director, Finance at andrewb@wsha.org.
- CMS Billing for telemedicine services during the COVID-19 outbreak
Behavioral Health
- Behavioral health services COVID-19 agency impact list from HCA (4/17/20).
- Washington Department of Health behavioral health agency COVID-19 related waiver regarding face-to-face requirement
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) COVID-19 webpage
- Telehealth and Telepsych
- HCA purchased a limited number of Zoom licenses. Request a Zoom license to connect with patients.
- Behavioral Health Training, Workforce, and Policy Center: A statewide effort to support building and growing the behavioral health telehealth infrastructure and training the behavioral health workforce.
- HCA COVID-19 guidance for Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) video evaluations (Jun 2020)
- Behavior health resources for health care workers (4/8/20)
- HCA integrated managed care behavioral health provider support during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3/31/20)
Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Stewardship
- Department of Health Guidance Document for healthcare workers and patients with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy. The document includes information pertaining to telemedicine, filing prescriptions, and medication refill schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic. This document can also be accessed at the following DOH resource website. (6/12/20)
- COVID-19 and chronic pain management (4/22/20)
- FAQs: Provision of methadone and buprenorphine for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the COVID-19 emergency from SAMHSA (4/21/20)
- Information on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) from the Health Care Authority.
- COVID and Prescriber FAQ for office-based opioid treatment settings.
- Health Care Authority information on opioid treatment programs
Health Equity
- People with intellectual and developmental disabilities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. (8/28/20).
- Social Vulnerability Linked to COVID-19 Diagnosis, Death. (7/2/20)
- RADx-UP funding opportunities: The National Institutes of Health’s RADx-UP initiative encourages research into the implementation of COVID-19 diagnostic testing in underserved or vulnerable communities. Four RADx-UP funding opportunities have recently been published. Learn more about these funding opportunities during pre-application webinars on Friday, June 26, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET and on Wednesday, July 1, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Register.
- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s pandemic preparedness in accordance with the American’s with Disabilities Act
Obstetric Care
- Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
- ACOG COVID-19 Resource Page
- WA DOH COVID-19 Pregnancy birth and caring for your baby guidance documents
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ COVID-19 patient resource
- California Perinatal Programs COVID-19 Resources
- CDC Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Guidance
- CDC FAQ: Are pregnant healthcare personnel at increased risk for adverse outcomes if they care for patients with COVID-19?
- Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine COVID-19 Labor and Delivery Considerations.
Pharmacy
- WA State Pharmacy Commission: Emergency refill rule in effect for prescriptions: WAC 246-869-105
Governance
Hospital Learnings
- EvergreenHealth: Lessons Learned: COVID-19 (3/26/20)
- The Hospitalist: At Ground Zero for coronavirus, a hospital is transformed (3/26/20)
- EvergreenHealth in Kirkland was the first hospital in the nation to care for COVID-19 patients. Their dedicated physicians and staff continue to react with urgency and expert professionalism through continually evolving circumstances. They shared their learnings in a PowerPoint deck. (3/12/20)
- UW Medicine’s COVID-19 resource
- Providence St. Joseph Health COVID screening tool
- Providence PPE resources including donning and doffing videos.
Advocacy
- WSHA letter to Health and Human Services. (6/30/20)
- WSHA to distribute PPE to area hospitals (4/10/20)
- WSHA, WSMA, AWHP letter to the governor requesting to modify elective procedures order. (4/10/20)
- Letter from WSHA and DOH asking health care leaders to publicly support the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. (4/6/20)
- Congressional delegation letter to HHS on hospital funding. (4/3/20)
- WSHA letter to Washington Supreme Court on proposed Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) court order. (3/31/20)
- CARES Act Financial Resources to Assist Hospitals (3/30/20)
- AHA letter requesting waivers from Stark and Anti-Kickback laws (3/19/20)
- Letter from WSHA and OAHHS regarding support needed from our congressional delegation (3/10/20)
- WSHA letter to health officers regarding impact of school closures (3/9/20)
- WSHA media releases
Other Websites and Resources
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) response webpage
- CDC Situation Summary
- HHS/ASPR TRACIE Novel Coronavirus Resources
- The DOH public response webpage
- L&I safety and health information for coronavirus
- Washington State Medical Association
- American Society for Healthcare Engineering COVID-19 resources
- NAHQ COVID-19 Resource Center provides on-demand, short-format, quality-driven resources to help deal with the daily challenges of COVID-19. These resources use quality tools like SBAR and PDSA to solve challenges related to today’s crisis.
- American College of Chest Physicians COVID-19 Resources
- Washington State Healthcare Coalitions
- Eastern WA: REDI Coalition
- Western WA: Northwest Healthcare Response Network
- Southwest WA: Southwest Healthcare Preparedness Coalition
- DNV GL healthcare COVID-19 Resource Page.
