COVID-19 Updates for Thursday, April 23, 2020

Reopening and Recovery Tips: Pre-Encounter Patient Communication Improves Safety and Efficiency
Use these key strategies to facilitate patient check-in prior to the encounter:
1. Conduct a screening for possible exposure to COVID-19 or symptoms of illness.
2. Set expectations for the office visit.
3. Identify patient safety precautions and office protocols.
4. Review patient demographic information and history.
For detailed steps on implementing each strategy, read this article from the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives.

Contribute to Registry of Patients With COVID-19 The American College of Surgeons has launched a new registry to help hospitals capture data about patients they treat who have COVID-19. According to the organization, the goal is "to collect important clinical patient data for a disease about which little is known." All hospitals can contribute to the ACS COVID-19 Registry, and participation is free. More information.

New Articles from Ophthalmology
A Rashomon Moment? Ocular Involvement and COVID-19
OcularFindings and Proportion with Conjunctival SARS-COV-2 in COVID-19 Patients
Academic Ophthalmology during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

WEBINARS AND PODCASTS
Recorded Webinar: COVID-19 relief grants and advance payments
Michael X. Repka, MD, Academy medical director for governmental affairs; David B. Glasser, MD, Academy secretary for federal affairs; and Cherie McNett, Academy director of health policy cover COVID-19 relief funds and accelerated payments from Medicare.

Webinar recordings coming soon:
Ophthalmology 2.0: Rebooting the Ophthalmology Marketplace
Q&A with Solos and Small Group Practices on the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
More webinar and podcast recordings

MOST-VIEWED RESOURCES April 16-22
Clinical updates from the experts
Updates on telemedicine coding to use in your practice based on guidelines from CMS
Returning to Ophthalmology Practice
New recommendations for urgent and nonurgent patient care
List of urgent and emergent ophthalmic procedures

OTHER ACADEMY COVID-19 RESOURCES
Practice management information to safely run your practice during this pandemic. Now open to all Academy members through July 31.
For patients/public: Downloadable PDF patient handout (print, email, or post to your practice website) and EyeSmart content that you can share on your website or on social media. Also available in Spanish.
Ophthalmology journal's COVID-19 articles.