Dear Colleagues:

I will be moderating the AAPI webinar on “PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE PRACTICING PHYSICIANS“ tomorrow SATURDAY APRIL 25 AT 4 PM CST/ 5 PM EST.  We have an excellent panel who will cover all aspects of this evolving and ever changing topic and try and answer all your questions.  Details in the flyer  below.  Please try and attend.

As per your suggestions and encouragement I am sending you this month’s Practical Tips email.  The AAPI seminar tomorrow at 4 pm will feature esteemed and knowledgeable panelist who will discuss this topic and try to answer all your questions regarding the dynamic and ever changing topics.

Let me address some important updates first.

Paycheck Protection Plan Updates:
 
As I had predicted in my last email, funds from the first Paycheck Protection Plan of $349 billion ran out in record time (just 13 days), leaving a lot of our members in private practice frustrated.

Small businesses are getting a second shot at receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans after the House passed an additional $310 billion in funds for the program yesterday, April 23, 2020.  At the time of this going to press, President Trump has yet to sign it.

The big thing they’re all waiting on is the SBA’s processing system, E-Tran, to reopen and allow them to send applications through for approval but there is no word on the date it would open again. To keep everything streamlined this time around many banks are getting their clients prefill their application online so that it gets submitted as soon as the portal opens.

For more information regarding this please visit
https://fortune.com/2020/04/23/ppp-sba-paycheck-protection-program-loans-applying-round-2-what-to-know-small-business-application-congress-funding/

Please call your local bank and get this application done as soon as possible, as it Is on a first come first served basis.  Smaller banks have a separate quota of the loans and may not have as many applications ahead of you so it might be a better idea to apply to there.  I have spoken with the managers of some banks that I deal with who might help in processing your loans faster. 

Georgia residents please email Brian Cohen of Quantum Bank (bcohen@quantumbank.com).
Alabama residents email Kasey Golden of Servis First Bank (khelms@servisfirstbank.com)
Missouri residents please call William Hirtz of Southern Bank (whirtz@bankwithsouthern.com)
For others please email me at amitcmd@yahoo.com and I will try to locate a small bank for you in other states. 

FCC Announces $200 Million for Telehealth Funding:

In the last email, I had reported a hot-off-the-press news that the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau will begin accepting applications for $200 million in funding through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program beginning on Monday, April 13, 2020.  After reviewing that furrhter, I want to give you the update that this program is limited to nonprofit and public eligible health care providers.

Please click the link and see if you can take advantage of this funding.

https://www.fcc.gov/covid-19-telehealth-program 

The Latest in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing Methods and Availability 

There have been a lot of enquiries re covid 19 testing and availability of tests. 
The key points are

• We now have two main types of tests for coronavirus (COVID-19): molecular and serological.
• The fastest test to be authorized by the FDA, created by Abbott, can return results in as little as 5 minutes.
• The FDA has just issued the first authorization of an at-home collection molecular test kit by LabCorp.
• Estimates of testing in the U.S. suggest that only 320 out of every 100,000 people have been tested for COVID-19.

Here is a link to a nice article that gives a brief , comprehensive and up-to-date overview

https://www.goodrx.com/blog/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-updates-methods-cost-availability/

I am working with a couple of companies for obtaining these tests.  Here are some salient points.

1. MOLECULAR TESTING FOR SARS-CoV-2

Features:
1. Specimen: Nasopharyngeal swab/aspirate, Sputum, Broncho-albveolar aspirate
2. PCR with high sensitivity and specificity
3. Results within 1 hour and 50 minutes after extraction
4. Detection and identification of target genes (E gene, RdRP gene, N gene) specific for COVID-19 in a single tube
5. Convenient workflow using the comapny’s automated one platform
6. Recently received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

MINIMUM ORDER 5000 KITS.  COST AROUND $ 27 PER KIT PLUS SHIPPING AND INSURANCE

2. ANTIBODY TESTING FOR FOR SARS-CoV-2

IgG/IgM Antibody Test is an in vitro, rapid, qualitative immunoassay for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of IgG and IgM antibodies of COVID-19 in human serum, plasma or whole blood.  

This test is only provided for use in laboratories or by healthcare workers at the point-of-care.
This test has not been reviewed by the FDA (Applied for, not yet been granted),
Results in 3-7 minutes, Made in USA.
MINIMUM ORDER 5000 KITS.  COST PER KIT TBA

Please email me at amitcmd@yahoo.com for more information if interested in availing the kits

At this time, the FDA has not authorized any COVID-19 test to be completely used and processed at home. However, on April 20, 2020, the FDA authorized the first COVID-19 test for home collection of specimens to be sent to a laboratory for processing and test reporting. Please note that this authorization is specific only to the home collection test that has been issued the authorized EUA (LabCorp’s COVID-19 RT-PCR Test).

For more FAQs please click this link
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/emergency-situations-medical-devices/faqs-diagnostic-testing-sars-cov-2

For further information on COVID-19 including Accelerated & Advance Payment from Medicare, please visit 
https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/EPRO/Current-Emergencies/Current-Emergencies-page

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PS: I want you to know is email list that I have is what I have collected over years and certainly not all-inclusive. Please let me know if you want any of your friends to be included in the email list to get these updates.  You can unsubscribe anytime.