Latest News From SDCMS | San Diego County Medical Society COVID-1

San Diego County Medical Society COVID-19 Resource Page

March 11, 2020 Infectious Disease, Public Health, Risk Management, Treatment Protocols 0

UPDATED 08/05/2020

CORONAVIRUS – COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE (PLEASE ALSO VIST LINKS BELOW TO AMBULATORY PHYSICIAN RESOURCE PAGE, RESOURCE AND FAQs FOR CLINICIANS IN POST-ACUTE AND LONG TERM CARE PAGE, AND OUR PHYSICIAN WELLNESS RESOURCE PAGE.)

The San Diego County Medical Society is offering this resource page to San Diego physicians to keep them fully informed and updated.

We also encourage those who are ambulatory physicians and/or in private practive to visit our AMBULATORY PHYSICIAN PRACTICAL COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE for additional information on patient screening, management and best practices during this unfolding crisis. We also have created a COVID-19 RESOURCES AND FAQs for CLINICIANS in POST-ACUTE & LONG-TERM CARE web page. Physician Wellness is always a challenge, but it's a particular concern during COVID-19.. We encourage you to review our PHYSICIAN WELLNESS RESOURCES DURING COVID-19 EMERGENCY web page to help you stay healthy physically and mentally as well.

On this page you will see links to information from a wide variety of sources including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, the California Department of Public Health, the San Diego Public Health Department, the New England Journal of Medicine and others. There is guidance for medical professionals, what you should know and how you should deal with patients, access to updates, information on mitigation, medical resources and communication resources, and much else. As we become aware of other resources and sources of relevant information we will add them here. We will be updating this page along with all our other Resource Pages regularly.

We are asking that physicians and all health care workers to implement "social distancing" from others (except patients) effective immediately. Our community needs us to be ready and able to respond. We will be exposed to the COVID-19 virus in the course of our work and do not want to become vectors of the virus to the general public and our loved ones any more than necessary. In addition, we cannot afford to lose physicians and other health care workers to disease or to isolation/quarantine restrictions.

We are therefore urging all physicians and health care workers to immediately implement social distancing.

This means whenever possible to:

1. Stay away from public places and gatherings.

2. Attend all meetings electronically unless physical presence is absolutley necessary. Replace non-essential meeting with email or other asynchronous communications.

3. Eliminate all non-essential travel.

4. Protect yourself at work using rigorous technique when donning and doffing PPE. (https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/ppe/ppe-sequence.pdf)

Our patients, our communities and our families depend on us to be able to be there when the need is most acute. Let’s do what we can to ensure that we can answer those needs and support each other!

MOST RECENT UPDATED INFORMATION

Order of the Health Officer and Emergency Regulations

The updated Public Health Order has new guidelines that describe the process for employers to take if they become aware that an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Click here to read the Public Health Order

Automated Message Line - July 29 NEW!

The latest Public Health Order requires employers to notify the County Department of Public Health if an employee tests positive for COVID-19. As a result, the County has created an automated message line for employers to report positive cases to Public Health. The hotline number is 888-950-9905.

Employers will be asked to leave a message and include the following information:
• The caller's name and contact number
• Name of Business or entity
• Employee’s name, date of birth, and contact number

Please be advised that this line is not answered by a live person, although all reports are reviewed for follow up, as needed.

Updated Positive Employees Flowcharts - August 3 NEW!

The County of San Diego updated two flowcharts that describe the steps for employers to take if a healthcare employee or non-healthcare employee tests positive for COVID-19.

Click here to view the updated Healthcare Personnel Flowchart

Click here to view the updated Non-Healthcare Personnel Flowchart

COVID-19 Counseling Reimbursement

The CDC and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Medicare and Medicaid will now reimburse healthcare providers for counseling patients on COVID-19 prevention strategies. For more information, visit the CDC and CMS resources below: