COVID-19 Updates for Physicians & Providers
COVID-19 update
As stay-at-home orders are lifted and healthcare facilities begin to expand and adjust to the “new normal,” Children’s Mercy is here to partner with you by sharing best practices, equipping you with resources and seeing your patients who require care.
Importantly, we want to help you reassure your patients and families it is safe to come to Children’s Mercy.
Pediatric care (e.g., surgical and diagnostic procedures, admissions and ambulatory visits) is rarely “elective.” While some pediatric care may be deferrable for a limited time, delays in care for children may result in lifelong health consequences.
As of May 18, all Children’s Mercy clinics and the surgery department have begun a phased-in approach to reschedule postponed appointments and schedule new appointments.
Email updates
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Recording: COVID-19 LIVE Event
A video recording of the Sept. 29 COVID-19 LIVE Virtual Event is now available. Watch the recording for the most recent updates and responses to questions regarding:
- COVID response at Children’s Mercy
- New data
- Guidance for testing and flu/RSV season
- Vaccine updates
- And more
Future COVID-19 LIVE Virtual Events will be scheduled as needed and communicated to providers via email. Stay tuned for details regarding upcoming events.
CME Available for Recorded COVID-19 LIVE Event
In addition to providing CME for the live event, we are offering credit for watching the recordings of our COVID-19 LIVE events on our Grand Rounds Online website. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one. After you complete the session and evaluation, you can view, print, or save your certificate for your records.
Please note:
- You must view the recording on the Grand Rounds Online website to receive credit (attendance or CME).
- Recordings will only be available for one week, as information related to COVID-19 is changing rapidly.
Toolkit for community providers
Access templates, graphics and resources for communicating your practice's capabilities and safety measures. Stay tuned for resources.
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We have already begun to increase the number of surgeries we are performing, with a focus on medically urgent procedures. New referrals are evaluated and scheduled, as needed, along with cases that were postponed. We are expanding the number of surgeries each specialty can perform per day. Surgical capacity is evaluated on a weekly basis and allows for add-on emergent cases as well as the backlog of postponed or previously cancelled cases. We are looking at several factors when rescheduling patients focusing on medical urgency by specialty.
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Emergency Department
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Urgent Care
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In conjunction with outpatient clinic activity ramping up, Children's Mercy Urgent Care Center will return to regular hours of operation effective June 1 with a combination of telehealth and in-person appointments available. Hours will be: Weekdays
Weekends
All patients are encouraged to utilize Save My Spot at childrensmercy.org/savemyspot or on the Children's Mercy app to request an in-person or telehealth visit. If requesting telehealth, a nurse will make a triage call to ensure the appointment needed will work via telehealth. If it is determined telehealth will work, the patient/family will be transferred to an admissions rep for registration and consent. Once this step has been completed, the patient/family will receive a link from the provider at the time designated for their appointment. This link will be sent by text or email based on preference when registering with Save My Spot. If the patient selects telehealth and during the nurse triage it is determined a telehealth will not meet their needs, the admissions rep schedule the patient for an in-person visit. In addition to utilizing telehealth, to ensure the health and safety of our patients and families, we have implemented other changes in our urgent care centers. These include screenings for all patients and staff upon entrance, universal masking and practicing social distancing. |
Children’s Mercy has been at the forefront of telemedicine by providing services for regional areas throughout Kansas and Missouri for more than eight years, and we are expanding the telemedicine services we offer in light of this pandemic. Whenever possible, we are offering patients the option of a telemedicine visit.
Telemedicine is an effective way to provide your patients with high-quality and accessible care, especially in an environment where it is important to limit community spread and exposure.
Learn more about telemedicineChildren's Mercy has taken numerous safety measures to protect patients, families and staff. These include:
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Universal health screenings (with temperature check)
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Universal masking
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Visitor restrictions
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Social distancing
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Separation between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients
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Deep and frequent cleaning
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If a child’s appointment was cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19, parents will receive a call from Children’s Mercy when we are ready to reschedule. |
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If a child was referred to Children's Mercy, but not previously scheduled, you will be notified by Children’s Mercy via call or text to schedule an appointment. |
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If a parent wants to schedule a new appointment for your child, please call our Contact Center at (816) 234-3700. |
Patient with suspected COVID-19:
Children who are dehydrated or are having difficulty breathing can be referred to Children’s Mercy. If you need to speak with a physician because your patient has severe enough symptoms that warrant them to be seen in the ED or Urgent Care, call the COVID-19 Patient Testing Hotline at (913) 696-TEST (8378) for admission or consultation prior to their arrival.
For all other patients (urgent):
For urgent requests to speak to a specialist, please call and ask to speak with the on-call pediatric subspecialist at 1 (800) GO-MERCY / 1 (800) 466-3729.
Non-urgent patients:
For consults, admissions or transport call 1 (800) GO MERCY / 1 (800) 466-3729.
COVID-19 Testing Results
As of 4 p.m. on January 15, 2021
Patients tested: 45,726
Patients confirmed positive: 3,585 (13 currently inpatient)
Employees tested: 4,836
Employees confirmed positive: 923 (836 currently back at work; 87 under home isolation)
CARES Act
The CARES Act aims to provide relief to individuals and businesses that have been negatively impacted by the outbreak. See how this stimulus bill may apply to your practice.
FAQ & resources for physicians and providers
Access answers to provider questions, categorized by topic and updated on an ongoing basis. All questions received during COVID-19 LIVE events and otherwise are published here.
Additionally, locate resources including webinars, podcasts, published articles and more.
Recent topics from The Link newsletter
Amid COVID Surges, Influenza Activity 2020-2021 Season Begins
Mary Anne Jackson, MD | Dean and Professor of Pediatrics - UMKC School of Medicine
Angela Myers, MD, MPH | Director, Division of Infectious Diseases | Professor of Pediatrics, UMKC School of Medicine
As of November 11, 2020, we are seeing hospital systems overwhelmed by the surge in COVID cases across the U.S. The Midwest continues to be the epicenter for surges and the entire state of Missouri has seen full ICUs, including in our local hospitals. The challenges we are seeing include insufficient ICU beds and PPE supplies, but most importantly, we are facing a shortage in nurses. The result will be that hospitals will be forced to shut down non-emergent surgeries again. On top of that, the influenza season is upon us.
Influenza is predictable in that disease occurs every year without fail. What is less predictable is the onset, duration and severity of infections. The effectiveness of a vaccine also varies year to year depending on whether the vaccine formulation has matched up well against the circulating viruses.
How to order a drive-up COVID test
ONLINE ORDER PROCESS
We have streamlined our order process for COVID drive-up testing so that community physicians can complete and submit the order online. Access the web form here. This new process replaces the need to print and fax the order.
As the ordering physician, you will need to check on test results (available within 24-48 hours of test) within MyPatientConnections. If you are not already registered for MyPatientConnections, instructions are below. The ordering physician is responsible for notifying the family of test results.
COVID DRIVE-UP TESTING HOURS
Children's Mercy Urgent Care locations are offering drive-up COVID testing Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
REGISTER FOR MYPATIENTCONNECTIONS
MyPatientConnections gives you access to view your Children's Mercy referrals; patient lab, pathology and diagnostic reports; inpatient progress notes; clinic notes; provider notes and discharge summaries. If your practice isn't already registered, we encourage you to register today.
Step 1: Visit MyPatientConnections
Step 2: Click "To Register/Training Questions Click Here"
Step 3: Follow the prompts to either complete the Practice/Facility Setup Form or access Quick Reference Guides for more training
For any additional needs or if you have questions, contact the MyPatientConnections team at mpc@cmh.edu.
QUESTIONS?
If you have a general question about COVID-19 that is not answered on our FAQ page, please email us at physicianservices@cmh.edu. We are working with our Infectious Diseases team to provide answers and will return your email within one business day.