Physicians who provide telehealth services to Medicare patients should be aware that if Congress is not able to pass legislation before Oct. 1, 2025, that extends government funding, then the current Medicare telehealth flexibilities will lapse. This means that telehealth services would be limited to rural areas as they were before the COVID public health emergency and that patients would not be able to receive telehealth services in their homes. In addition, the ability to provide audio-only services to Medicare patients would lapse, as would the Acute Hospital Care at Home program.

In past government shutdowns, whenever Congress passed legislation to reopen the government, it made the funding and policies retroactive to the effective date of the shutdown. Physician practices may want to consider adjusting their patient schedules for telehealth services, however, as neither the likelihood nor the duration of a shutdown are known.

Phishing is an example of social engineering that attempts to trick you or someone else in your workplace into giving out sensitive information. Email phishing attacks are still a common occurrence, but we are hearing about more fraudulent fax requests being sent out to medical practices by bad actors.

CMS emphasized that it does not initiate audits by requesting medical records via fax. We urge physicians and practices to take steps to protect their data. If physicians receive a suspicious request, do not respond. CMS encourages you to work with your Medical Review Contractor if you receive a questionable or suspected fraudulent request to confirm if it is real.

Starting July 1, 2025, Florida law will require all licensed health care practitioners to complete a background screening when applying for a new license or renewing an existing one.

This includes physicians and advanced practice providers.
Exceptions: EMTs, paramedics, pharmacy interns, techs, and radiologic technologists—unless applying through the military spouse licensure pathway.

Here’s what you need to know:

Renewing your license?
Complete your background screening before your renewal window opens (90–120 days prior to your license expiration date).

Been screened before?
You can retain your fingerprints for $43.25 every five years. The retention window opens 75 days before your license expires and closes 15 days before.
Miss it, and you’ll need a new screening—at nearly twice the cost

Applying for a new license?
The background screening is required as part of the application process.

Learn more at www.FLHealthSource.gov. Click “Florida Boards” and select your licensing board for profession-specific guidance.

We’re sharing this now so you can plan ahead and avoid delays or added costs.

In an emergency, such as an evacuation for a hurricane, you may need to go to a special needs shelter. If you know or care for an individual with a disability or a special need, such as a medical condition that requires assistance but not hospitalization, it is important that you pre-register with the Florida Special Needs Shelter Registry. You will need to log in with an existing account or create a new account.

Registering through the Florida Special Needs Registry allows local emergency management officials to provide important information and quickly assist you during an emergency. For more information, contact your county’s emergency management office or visit the Florida Special Needs Registry. 

If you are eligible for a special needs shelter, your kit should include:

• List of medications and dosage
• A 30-day supply of medications
• Vital medical equipment for those who may be electrically or oxygen dependent,
• Backup energy sources for essential medical equipment
• Any special dietary needs or food
• Personal information including:
• Photo ID
• Insurance card
• List of emergency contacts
• Your primary care provider’s contact information

After completing the Florida Special Needs Registry, additional information will be provided to you by your local emergency management agency regarding evacuation and sheltering options available.

For more information on your local shelter status, please visit FloridaDisaster.org.

Health Care Providers

If you are a health care provider, please contact SNR@flhealth.gov to obtain a login for the special needs registry to ensure you are able to use all health care provider functions.

Source: FDOH

Florida Medicaid recipients maintaining access to critical Medicaid services (e.g., durable medical equipment and supplies, home health services, hospital services, nursing facility services, chemotherapy, dialysis services, etc.) is imperative during the State of Emergency related to Hurricane Storm Milton. To this end, the Agency will ensure reimbursement for critical Medicaid services provided in good faith to eligible recipients who reside in the counties impacted by the storm.

Please continue providing services:

• The Agency will waive all prior authorization requirements for critical Medicaid services beginning October 7, 2024, until further notice.
• Early prescription refill edits have been lifted for all maintenance medications (Note: This does not apply to controlled substances).
• If a recipient requires critical Medicaid services beyond the limits stated in policy to maintain safety and health, providers can furnish the service.
• Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) processes are postponed until further notice by the Agency.
• Retroactively performed screenings or resident reviews must document the reason for delay in the completion of PASRR requirements.
• The Agency is waiving the PASRR process for recipients who evacuated due to an evacuation order or power outage and are admitted and discharged during the storm.
• Transportation vendors should continue providing services to all Medicaid enrollees as long as they are able.

To read Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive orders related to Hurricane Milton, please visit here. 

Please take note of the following resources provide to FSN from the FMA to help you mitigate the storm’s potential effects.

• Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM)
  
• Florida Department of Health emergency information
• Emergency preparedness resources  from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
• FloridaDisaster.biz  , a partnership between DEM and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
• Disaster preparedness and relief guidance  from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
• Disaster preparedness for medical practices  (The Doctors Company)
• Post-disaster checklist  (AAFP)

RPA is calling on RPA membership to contact their elected representatives in Washington and urge them to cosponsor S. 1384/H.R. 2923, the Living Donor Protection Act.  The bill would promote living organ donation by addressing concerns related to insurance coverage and premiums and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Please contact your members of Congress today and urge them to co-sponsor S.1384/H.R.2923.  

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/WOZtWqG0xuy7tXCvEMwpbA 

Scammers are posing as the Department and offering to provide licensees with “important information” concerning a temporary change to your license status.

This email did not originate from the Department.

Health care practitioners will never receive unsolicited calls or emails from the Department where personal information is requested, payments are demanded, or threats against your license are made. We want to protect our health care practitioners from fraud schemes. If you receive an email that looks suspicious, do not click on any links or attachments, or provide any personal information. 

Report the scam email by using your favorite internet browser to search for “Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)” and use the FBI webpage to provide information regarding the fraudulent email.

If you have any questions, please contact the Florida Department of Health at (850) 488-0595

Provider Type(s): ALL

Tropical Storm Nicole - Key Medicaid Information for Fee-for-Service and Managed Care Providers

Florida Medicaid recipients maintaining access to critical Medicaid services (e.g., durable medical equipment and supplies, home health services,hospital services, nursing facility services, chemotherapy, dialysis services, etc.) is imperative during the disaster period. To this end, the Agency will ensurereimbursement for critical Medicaid services provided in good faith to eligible recipients whoreside in the counties impacted by Tropical StormNicole.

Please continue providing services:

• The Agency will waive all prior authorization requirements for critical Medicaid servicesbeginning November 9,2022, untilfurther notice.
  • Early prescription refill edits have been lifted for all maintenance medications (Note: This does not apply to controlled substances).
• If a recipient requires critical Medicaid services beyond limits stated in policy to maintain safety and health, providers can furnish the service.
• The Agency is postponing all Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) processes until further notice.
  • Retroactively performed screenings or resident reviews must document the reason for delay in the completion of PASRR requirements.
  • The Agency is waiving the PASRR process for recipients who evacuated due to an evacuation order or power outage and are admitted and discharged during the storm.

Additional information for providers is located on the Agency’s website, http://www.ahca.myflorida.com/.Click the Storm Informationbanner at the top of the page for more information.

Governor Ron DeSantis’ emergency executive orders that identify impacted counties are available onlineat https://www.flgov.com/2022-executive-orders.

https://www.floridasocietyofnephrology.com/HurricaneRecovery

If you are in a hard-hit area & need assistance, please share your need by emailing FSN so we can help you identify recovery resources.

RPA is calling on RPA membership to contact their elected representatives in Washington and urge them to cosponsor S. 377/H.R. 1255, the Living Donor Protection Act. The bill would promote living organ donation by addressing concerns related to insurance coverage and premiums and the Family Medical Leave Act. Please contact your member of Congress today and urge them to co-sponsor S. 377/H.R. 1255.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/45FVBaICRqhmaYR_jPc02g

RPA is calling on RPA membership to contact their elected representatives in Washington and urge them to cosponsor S. 511/H.R. 1224, the Living Organ Donor Protection Act.

http://www.flhealthsource.gov/pdf/DOH-EO-20-015.pdf 

• Patch operating systems, software, and firmware as soon as manufacturers release updates.
• Regularly change passwords to network systems and accounts and avoid reusing passwords for different accounts.
• Use multi-factor authentication where possible.
  • Disallow use of personal email accounts
• Disable unused remote access/Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) ports and monitor remote access/RDP logs.
• Identify critical assets; create backups of these systems and house the backups offline from the network.
• Set antivirus and anti-malware solutions to automatically update; conduct regular scans.

The AMA and the American Hospital Association (AHA) have created two resources to help physicians and hospitals guard against cyber threats. Those resources and additional cyber security information can be found at the AMA’s cybersecurity webpage.

March 11, 2020

Christine Sexton

TALLAHASSEE --- In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the Florida Legislature on Wednesday passed bills that would expand the roles that advanced nurses and pharmacists play in the state’s health-care system, including allowing pharmacists to test and treat patients for the flu and strep throat and treat people with chronic medical conditions.

The bills, which now go to Gov. Ron DeSantis, were a top priority of House Speaker Jose Oliva and passed after an intense lobbying tug-of-war between health care groups. Physician groups, including the Florida Medical Association, have long fought proposals such as allowing advanced practice registered nurses to practice independently of doctors.

One of the bills passed Wednesday would expand the role of pharmacists, allowing them to enter agreements with physicians to treat patients for chronic illnesses, including arthritis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, Type 2 diabetes, HIV, AIDS, obesity or “any other chronic condition” adopted in rules. The measure also would allow pharmacists to treat for influenza, streptococcus, lice, skin conditions and minor, uncomplicated infections.

The Senate passed the pharmacy bill (HB 389) in a 28-12 vote, with the measure then getting final approval in a 98-17 vote in the House.

Senate sponsor Travis Hutson, R- St. Augustine, said the bill would provide additional options for people who require health care.

“All I want to be able to do in this bill, is allow individuals if they don’t want to go to an urgent care clinic and wait, to (instead) go to a simple pharmacy, have them do a simple test and then order up a treatment,” Hutson said.

But Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, noted physicians and pharmacists receive different training and that the training reflects in how they deliver care.

“I have a great deal of concern with the educational level (of pharmacists) and the ability to diagnose, the ability to recognize what you don’t know when you see a patient,” said Harrell, whose late husband was a physician.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Audrey Gibson said she understands that increasing access to health care is a priority for Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, but said the pharmacy bill wasn’t the best way to accomplish that.

“We don’t give more access to sick people, people with chronic diseases or the indigent in any community, if they don’t have access to a doctor,” said Gibson, D-Jacksonville. “I just don’t think this is going in the right direction.”

Health care attorney and lobbyist Chris Nuland said the pharmacy bill caught people off guard. Nuland’s clients include the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Florida Chapter, American College of Surgeons, among others. Nuland said physicians were expecting a push by Oliva to allow advanced practice registered nurses to practice independently but not the push for more authority for pharmacists.

The pharmacist bill, Nuland said, “has kind of been the surprise of the session.”

Shortly after passing the pharmacist bill, the Senate and House backed a bill (HB 607) that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to provide primary care independently of physicians and for certified nurse midwives to work autonomously.

The bill also includes $5 million for a loan repayment program for advanced practice registered nurses who work in primary-care health professional shortage areas or county health departments, community health centers, migrant health centers or any other publicly funded health care programs designated by the state.  

The advanced nurse bill cleared the Senate in a 30-10 vote and was approved by the House in a 107-8 vote..

Independent practice for advanced nurses has been a longstanding priority for Oliva, and the bill had overwhelming support in the House. The Senate has traditionally had strong relationships with physician groups and was more hesitant to move ahead with the changes.

But Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, said the state needs to expand the roles that advanced practice registered nurses play.

“Doctors can’t be everywhere all the time. So, members, we are going to allow Floridians better access and increased access to getting treatment,” he told senators.

But Harrell said the expansion of authority for advanced practice registered nurses would violate the No. 1 rule for physicians.

“This presents a real danger to patients,” she said. “The first rule in medicine, members, is to do no harm. And I am very concerned that we are really doing harm to patients.”

The lobbying battles over the bill spilled over from the Capitol to social media, winding up with Oliva on Wednesday demanding the top executive of the Florida Medical Association issue an apology to Rep. Cary Pigman, an Avon Park Republican who spearheaded the advanced practice registered nurse bill. The speaker’s demand came after FMA Chief Executive Officer Tim Stapleton tweeted a reminder that Pigman had once been charged with driving under the influence.

The final version of the advanced nurses bill was something of a compromise between the House and Senate. For instance, the bill doesn’t include independent practice for physician assistants or certified registered nurse anesthetists, which Oliva had sought.

The Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists released a statement after the bill’s passage calling it a good first step.

“Although we are disappointed that the legislation did not include certified registered nurse anesthetists … we are pleased that some of Florida’s (advanced practice nurses) will be able to practice autonomously,” the group said in a prepared statement. “Passage of this bill demonstrates Florida’s commitment to modernizing the way health care is being delivered in our state by ensuring that Floridians have full access to health care, particularly in rural areas that are often underserved.”

 Nevertheless, Nuland said his physician clients don’t support the measure.

 “We’re asking for a veto,” Nuland said.