From APTA
APTA Resource for Telehealth Coding and Billing
Billing physical therapist services that have been provided through telehealth is an emerging challenge, partly because there are few precedents on which to base claims review. This snapshot of the current trends in billing and coding for physical therapist services provided via telehealth and provides basic recommendations.
From CDC
U.S. COVID-19 Cases Surpass 12 Million, More than 255,000 Deaths
Total coronavirus cases have reached more than 12 million as of Nov. 23, adding 1.18 million new cases in seven days, according the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker. Over 255,000 people have died from the virus so far.
CDC Advises Staying Home for the Holidays
If you want to protect yourself and others from contracting COVID-19 over the holidays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention message is: Stay home. If you are considering gathering, CDC has a list of detailed considerations and precautions.
From Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Model Predicts Nearly Half a Million COVID-19 Deaths by March
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is projecting over 470,000 COVID-related deaths by March 1, with infections peaking between late December and mid-January.
In the Media
COVID-19 Cases at Long-Term Care Facilities Reach Six-Month High
From The COVID Tracking Project: "Last week, states reported 29,606 new COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care facilities. This represents a 17 percent increase, the highest weekly rise since we started tracking this data in late May."
Number of Survivors With Long-Term Symptoms Is Growing
From ABC News: "The alarming phenomenon has prompted a slew of post-COVID-19 care centers to open across the U.S. Dr. Zijian Chen, director of the Mount Sinai Center for Post-COVID Care in New York City, says long-hauler symptoms can affect a person physically and cognitively."
Hospitals Across U.S. at Full Capacity
From ABC News: "As more than 73,000 people across the country are hospitalized for the virus, health care professionals are saying they've reached the brink, with no beds or equipment left to treat the overwhelming influx of patients."
Half of States Face Hospital Staffing Shortages
From STAT News: "Hospitals in at least 25 states are critically short of nurses, doctors, and other staff as coronavirus cases surge across the United States, according to the industry’s trade association and a tally conducted by STAT. The situation has gotten so bad that in some places, severely ill patients have been transferred hundreds of miles for an available bed — from Texas to Arizona, and from central Missouri to Iowa."
New in Research
Delirium in Older Adults May Be "Primary or Sole Symptom" of COVID-19
Researchers in JAMA found that 28% of 817 older patients presented to the emergency department with delirium, and 37% of delirious patients had no other typical COVID-19 symptoms.
HIV Rehab Offers Lessons for COVID-19 Rehab
Authors of a November PTJ Point of View offer six lessons learned from HIV rehabilitation that can be applied to rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients.
"Long-Term Persistence" of Infected Lung Cells, Structural Damage, May Be Behind "Long COVID"
Authors write: "Long-term persistence of infected cells and the major structural changes detectable in the lungs after several weeks from first diagnosis could represent the anatomical substrate for long-term complications in infected patients who survive the acute phase."