COVID-19

Visit the Board's COVID-19 Vaccination Information page for more details about vaccine distribution in Oregon.

FSMB: COVID Public Health Emergency to Expire in May

On January 30, the Office of Management and Budget announced in a letter to Congress that the Biden Administration plans to end the COVID-19 [public health emergency] on May 11. Ending the PHE will necessitate states reassessing individuals' Medicaid eligibility, which will see millions more uninsured; the cost of COVID-19 vaccines will increase without government subsidy; and the controversial Title 42 immigration rules will be rescinded.

Since then, HHS has released a Fact Sheet on the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap, available here, which details some of the changes that will come post-PHE.

Many aspects do not change, including Medicare telehealth flexibilities like expanding providers that can render telehealth services to include occupational therapists and physical therapists; allowing federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to reimburse for telehealth, including the home as an eligible originating site, using audio-only modalities, and increasing the number services that can be rendered via telemedicine; all of which are extended through 2024.

Outside of Medicare, access to buprenorphine (permanently) and methadone (for one year) for opioid use disorder treatment via telehealth without requiring an in-person physical examination first will continue.

FSMB Advocacy Network News, February 14, 2023

OHA Offers Telehealth Visits to Improve Access to COVID-19 Therapy

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) now offers free telehealth visits statewide for those at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness. This provides easier access to potentially life-saving treatment.

Through this program, any person in Oregon, regardless of health insurance status, can make a no-cost telehealth appointment with a clinician. During the appointment, they can find out if they are eligible for COVID-19 oral antiviral medicine.

People at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness whose symptoms started in the prior five days are eligible for treatment. If a clinician confirms the patient is eligible for treatment, the clinician can prescribe the medication.

OHA recommends people with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive COVID test first call or visit a health care provider. If they don't have a provider or are unable to quickly get an appointment, they can find a federal Test to Treat site.

If there is no Test to Treat site nearby or they can't get to one, they can make a telehealth appointment through the following process:

1. Visit Color.com/COVID-19-treatment-OR and take the survey, or call 833-273-6330 and describe your symptoms.
2. Join the video or phone call.
3. Those given a prescription can pick it up at their local pharmacy or get home delivery.

Telehealth visit hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Consultation is offered in 17 languages. You can visit OHA's COVID-19 treatments page, or call Color at 833-273-6330 for more information.

For people who can't use the service or who need additional assistance or accessibility accommodations, there is another option. They can find participating federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) on the Test to Treat site. They should look for sites that say “HRSA supported health center" or read OHA's monthly COVID-19 Therapeutics Newsletter, found on OHA's COVID-19 Treatments page, for a list.

U.S. Deptartment of Health and Human Services: Paxlovid Eligibility and Effectiveness Information Sheet

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released an information sheet that includes detailed information about Paxlovid's eligibility and effectiveness. This information is intended to help medical professionals address questions they or their patients may have about Paxlovid and its effectiveness.

Click here to read the information sheet. 

Vaccination Requirements for Health Care Providers and Health Care Staff

• OHA's Disease Reporting website
• Governor Brown's Press Release, August 19, 2021
• Oregon Health Care Workforce COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Data
• Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries: COVID Vaccinations and the Workplace

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Hospital Requirements When Making Decisions About Allocation of Care During Constrained Periods

To address the surging rates of hospitalization, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued temporary administrative rule OAR 333-505-0035, which requires that when a hospital is experiencing a resource constrained period and has to make triage decisions for patient care, it must do the following:

• Provide notice to OHA that it is making triage decisions.
• Inform the public by, at a minimum, posting information on its website and at the hospital in conspicuous locations that triage decisions are being made.
• Make available upon request the triage decision-making tool, protocol, or standard that the hospital is using to make triage decisions.
• Communicate a triage decision to a patient, their support person, or the individual legally authorized to act on behalf of the patient in a language they understand and in a culturally responsive manner to the extent possible given the emergency, including how the triage decision was made.
• Document specific information for each patient undergoing consideration and triage for scarce resource allocation.
  
• Provide patients information about how to contact the hospital's Americans with Disability Act coordinator or patient advocate.
• Provide the documentation of triage decision to OHA upon request. 

This temporary rule is effective January 17, 2022 through July 15, 2022.

For more details, please see the Temporary Administrative Order, including the Statement of Need and Justification and the full text of the temporary rule. This information can also be found at healthoregon.org/hcrqirules or healthoregon.org/hflc. 

The OHA has created an interim crisis care tool to help hospitals prioritize treatment if they reach a point when critical care beds and specialized equipment, such as ventilators and other resources, become scarce due to surging COVID-19 admissions.

Oregon hospitals may activate crisis standards of care if their critical care resources are severely limited, the number of patients presenting for critical care exceeds capacity, and there is no option to transfer patients to other critical care facilities.

Hospitals may implement OHA's interim crisis care tool – or one of their own that is consistent with Oregon's Principles in Promoting Health Equity in Resource Constrained Events – if they have taken specific steps to extend their capacity to deliver care. Those steps include stockpiling supplies, delaying non-urgent care, and repurposing existing beds and staff that are not typically used to provide critical care.

Click here to access the interim crisis care tool.

Guidance During COVID-19

Please review the Oregon Health Authority's guidance for details and updated information on the OHA's COVID-19 Healthcare Partner Resources webpage.