Kansas City, Kan. –The number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System continues to climb. Although the count this morning is 23 patients down from 24 yesterday being treated, however, there were several discharges and several people admitted yesterday. Seven patients remain in the ICU with six on ventilators, same as yesterday. Overall, the number of patients is growing and has more than doubled in the last couple of weeks when there were 9-10 patients.
Colette Lasack, VP of Revenue Cycle and Jason Grundstrom, Exec.Dir. of Continuum of Care joined the Update to speak to COVID-19 related healthcare costs and what patients should know.
Lasack explained that revenue cycle is a department that helps patients navigate their health care costs by working with insurance companies and assisting with guidance and payments options when there is no insurance. “What is really important to us is that we take great financial care of our patients,” Lasack said. She explained that the health system is hearing more from patients now than ever before as a good number of people have lost insurance along with their jobs during this pandemic. Lasack explained what is covered by COVID-19, what codes are and how they affect billing. She also encouraged the public to reach out to their insurance representatives and financial counselors at their hospitals for help in understanding coverage and why knowing now which metro hospitals are in-network can be helpful when emergency care She also talked about opportunities available on the insurance exchange for people who have lost their health coverage due to COVID-19. Lasack also said questions continue to come in around COVID-19 testing and coverage and while insurance companies will by and large cover initial testing … questions are mounting around multiple testing of a single patient.
Grundstrom explained how COVID-19 has led to 135 new codes for telehealth alone including codes for phone calls with providers as well as virtual visits. Grundstrom says 85 of the new codes are specifically for people who do not have broadband or worry about cell phone data being reimbursed. He said these codes should give the public confidence that telehealth visits are covered by insurance. He also praised Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for extending the payment for Medicaid to January of 2021, which he called a ‘true blessing’ for patients and health care. Grundstrom answered how telehealth is a win-win for patients who need healthcare and can do it remotely as well as those who need to see their doctor in the office.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, joined the morning briefing live from his vacation in the western Rockies of Colorado. He continues to see a good culture of wearing masks which is said is fundamental in stopping the spread of the SARS- CoV-2 virus. He explained more of the demographics related to the people who are testing positive for Covid-19 and if ‘more testing’ is why the numbers are climbing or if it reflects a true spread in the virus? He talked about when to get your flu shot this year and if current infection/prevention tactics in fighting COVID-19 will impact the flu season? He reminded all us the virus is out there … in KC and across the nation and to not let down your guard.
Jessica Lovell, a multi-media journalist with The University of Kansas Health System, donated blood live during the broadcast to show how the Community Blood Center is making blood donation safe. The CBC serves people in the Kansas City area, St. Joseph and Topeka, and need 600 donors a day. COVID-19 has limited the number of blood drives, which usually account for 70 percent of their donations, and now are asking people to come to the blood center to donate. Go to their web site, savealifenow.org, to donate. There is also a blood drive Wednesday through Friday at the KU Medical Center’s Health Education Building at 39th and Rainbow.
Thursday, June 25 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Dr. Dawood Sayed, President of the American Society of Pain and Neurosciences joins to talk about a survey regarding opioid use during this pandemic and answer if postponing surgeries and procedures has had a negative impact? Chair of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine. Dr. Bruce Toby will answer questions around getting patients back to surgery to help with their pain and alternatives to opioids.
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants:
For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.