ACHE is beginning the election process for new Regents to serve on its Council of Regents, the legislative body that represents ACHE’s more than 48,000 members. Serving as an elected official is a unique opportunity that allows you to exercise your leadership ability, share innovative ideas and act on behalf of ACHE members.

All Fellows who wish to run for election must submit a letter of intent to elections@ache.org by Aug. 21. The letter of intent must include a current business title, business address, email address and telephone number. If you submit your letter of intent and have not received confirmation of its receipt by Aug. 28, contact Caitlin E. Stine at (312) 424-9324 or cstine@ache.org.

Elections will be held in the following jurisdictions:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Hawaii/Pacific
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• New Hampshire
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Texas—Northern
• Utah
• Wisconsin

The ACHE Board of Governors is calling for applications to serve as Regent-at-Large in Districts 2, 3 and 4, beginning in March 2021. ACHE Fellows are eligible for Regent-at-Large vacancies within their district.

• District 2 consists of District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia.
• District 3 consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
• District 4 consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas.

The goal of the Board of Governors in appointing Regents-at-Large is to diversify the Council of Regents. The purpose of the Regent-at-Large is to promote diversity in the governance of ACHE with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. For further details, please refer to ACHE’s Statement on Diversity. The responsibilities of the Regent-at-Large—including suggested knowledge, skills and experience for the role—are included in the position description. Appointments will be made by the Board of Governors in November 2020. Candidates should not directly contact members of the Board of Governors to request letters of support.

Fellows from Districts 2, 3 and 4 may apply to serve by sending a letter and resume (see specifications below) to Caitlin E. Stine, content marketing specialist, Department of Marketing, at cstine@ache.org, and they must be received by Aug. 21. All candidates will be listed on ache.org in the Membership section under the heading “Regent-at-Large Declared Candidates.” Any candidate not listed by Aug. 28 should contact Stine immediately. If prospective candidates have any questions about the application process, they should contact Stine.

To be considered, applications must include:

• A statement, in the form of a letter, by the candidate that addresses his or her qualifications for the position, including the demographic characteristics, knowledge, skills and experience.
• A professional resume of education and work experience.

Candidates may include up to two letters of support for their candidacy. Letters of support may not be solicited from current members of the ACHE Board of Governors.

Take the next important step for your career by advancing to Fellow status which benefits your professional goals and strengthens the healthcare management profession. The Wisconsin Chapter encourages you to submit your Fellow application with the Board of Governors Exam fee waiver offer (a savings of $225), which has been extended through July 31. Fellow applicants must submit their completed Fellow application, $250 application fee and all required documents, such as their references and organization chart, by July 31.

Visit ache.org/FACHE to learn more and apply online.

Governor Evers today announced Wisconsin’s “Badger Bounce Back” plan which outlines important criteria for Wisconsin to be able to reopen its economy in phases and includes steps to make sure workers and businesses are prepared to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. In coordination with this announcement, at the direction of the governor, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm issued Emergency Order #31 establishing the process and outlining the phases of the plan. The emergency order is available here.

The Badger Bounce Back plan is informed in part by the President’s Guidelines for Opening Up America Again that was issued by the White House on April 16, 2020. Currently, Wisconsin does not meet the criteria the White House established to start reopening our state. The Badger Bounce Back plan takes important steps to get the state of Wisconsin there.

The goal of the Badger Bounce Back plan is to decrease cases and deaths to a low level, and increase capacity in our healthcare system so the phased reopening of businesses is possible. As part of that plan the state will be working to increase access to more testing and expand lab capacity. Under the Badger Bounce Back plan, everyone who needs a test should get a test. The state is setting a goal of 85,000 tests per week, averaging about 12,000 tests per day. More information on the state’s testing efforts was released earlier today, and is available for review here.

Next, the state will be expanding contact tracing and more aggressively tracking the spread with the goal of every Wisconsinite who tests positive being interviewed within 24 hours of receiving their test results and their contacts being interviewed within 48 hours of test results.

Additionally, the state will continue to pursue every avenue to grow Wisconsin’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare and public safety entities to conduct COVID-19 testing, patient care, and public safety work. Finally, the plan works to bolster healthcare system capacity where patients can be treated without crisis care and there are more robust testing programs in place for at-risk healthcare workers.

The state will be looking for a downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-19 symptoms reported within a 14-day period, and a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period. When the state has seen these efforts be successful, Wisconsin can begin to turn the dial, re-open the state, and get businesses and workers back on their feet.

The Badger Bounce Back plan is available here. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s portion of the Badger Bounce Back plan aimed at helping to ensure workers and businesses are prepared and ready to bounce back is available here. The Badger Bounce Back plan in brief is also available here.

Governor Evers today directed Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend the Safer at Home order from April 24, 2020 to 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued. The order implements some new measures to ensure safety and support the progress we’ve made in containing COVID-19, but also allows certain activities to start up again.

The extension of the Safer at Home order includes a few changes. Some changes allow more businesses and activities to open back up, while other changes help make businesses safer for employees and customers.

The changes in this order go into effect on April 24, 2020. The order will remain in effect until 8 a.m. on May 26, 2020.

The order is available online (link).  The Governor’s full press release is also available online (link).

COVID-19 cases are increasing faster in southeastern Wisconsin than any other part of the state. At a Wisconsin Health News Newsmaker live webinar on Wednesday, April 15, Froedtert Health CEO Cathy Jacobson will provide an update on how her system is responding, and the role it’s playing in building out a field hospital at State Fair Park in case area hospital capacity is overwhelmed. This virtual event is free. Register now (link).

Event Details:

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

11:30 a.m. to noon

Governor Evers announced that the state is seeking volunteers to support Wisconsin’s healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Active and retired healthcare professionals and those who wish to help in non-clinical support positions are encouraged to sign up to volunteer through the Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry (WEAVR).

The number of patients in Wisconsin who need to be treated for COVID-19 is expected to surge in the coming weeks. Building a network of available volunteers now will greatly reduce the hardships on hospitals and clinics that would not normally have the capacity to care for the increase in patients.

Both active and retired healthcare professionals can volunteer for critical clinical roles by entering their information into the WEAVR, a secure, password-protected, web-based volunteer registration system for healthcare and behavioral health professionals. Individuals who are not licensed professionals are also encouraged to sign up to volunteer for non-clinical support positions.

Volunteers will be assigned to locations across Wisconsin to support ongoing efforts related to the COVID-19 national emergency. Those who are willing to travel should note that when they sign up. All volunteers should also be aware that they will be required to complete a background check.

The full copy of the Governor’s press release is available online (link).

Governor Evers announced that Wisconsin has been granted a major disaster declaration for the entire state of Wisconsin, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration provides access to Public Assistance programs for all 72 Wisconsin counties and the state’s federally recognized tribes.

Gov. Evers earlier this week requested that the federal government provide the following programs to support the state’s response: Public Assistance, Direct Assistance, Hazard Mitigation (statewide), and certain Individual Assistance programs; Crisis Counseling, Community Disaster Loans and the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) notified the state today that it is granting the request for Public Assistance to help provide reimbursement for emergency protective measures taken by state and local governments in their response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The declaration also authorizes direct Federal Assistance which means when the State and local governments lack the capability to perform or to contract for eligible emergency work and/or debris removal, the State may request that the work be accomplished by a federal agency. The governor’s additional requests for assistance remain under review.

The major disaster declaration covers assistance to public entities, and will cover eligible projects submitted by counties, cities, townships, tribes, and certain private, not-for-profit organizations. Local governments in the declared counties are now eligible for federal assistance and should contact county emergency management directors for further information. Under the program, FEMA provides 75 percent of eligible costs, while the remaining 25 percent is the responsibility of state and local agencies.

The Governor’s full press release is available online (link).

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

The Department of Safety and Professional Services (Department) has received numerous inquiries regarding Emergency Order 16 and also the status of telemedicine/telehealth practice as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The emergency covers a wide range of issues across many health care professions. The order took action that will make it easier to quickly expand the health care workforce by readmitted those with expired licenses and by welcoming providers from other states. It will also enhance flexibility so providers can more effectively respond to areas of greatest need. Please read the order, linked above, and also reference this Frequently Asked Questions document for clarifications. Both address individuals who have expired licenses and wish to return to practice.

Also, the order addresses telemedicine specifically, but we have also received questions about telehealth practice for other providers. The practice of telehealth is generally allowed under existing Wisconsin law unless there is some profession-specific requirement or restriction. Credential holders must use their professional judgment to determine if telehealth is appropriate for the patient or client being treated, to abide by all other applicable rules of practice and professional conduct, and to be properly credentialed or authorized to practice in the state of Wisconsin. If someone can practice in Wisconsin via an Emergency Order, a compact, or a temporary or permanent license, that individual can practice telehealth in Wisconsin and provide services to Wisconsin residents to the same extent as similarly licensed Wisconsin practitioners.

The Wisconsin Medical Examining Board has the only telemedicine rule currently in effect in Wisconsin. This rule may be found at Wis. Admin. Code Med chapter 24. While this rule applies only to the Medical Examining Board, many of the concepts in this rule may be informative to credential holders in other professions. Here is a link to this rule. Note that portions of this rule were suspended when Governor Evers issued Emergency Order 16. Please review both Med chapter 24 as well as the statutory and rule provisions governing your profession when evaluating telemedicine/telehealth practice options during the COVID-10 public health emergency.

The Department is not able to answer legal questions regarding what the standard of care requires for any specific profession or any specific situation a credential holder may encounter. If practice-related questions arise, the Department encourages credential holders to consult with a supervisor, with their own private or institutional legal counsel, with their colleagues within the profession, or other sources familiar with their profession’s standards of practice. Profession-related statutes and rules can be found by clicking on a profession under the Rule/Statutes column here.

Also, there have been recent changes to Medicaid reimbursement of telehealth services. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services issued guidance on telehealth reimbursement changes and status during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The guidance is available here. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has also sent this letter regarding related insurance (malpractice) issues to insurers.

This information will be posted to our website. Please visit often, as we are updating it daily as decisions are made and new information is available.

Sincerely,

Dawn B. Crim

Secretary-designee

EMERGENCY ORDER #16 RENEWAL FORM

INTERSTATE RECIPROCITY TEMPORARY LICENSE APPLICATION

HEALTH CARE FACILITY NOTIFICATION OF TEMPORARY PROVIDER PRACTICE

The Department of Health Services announced the creation of the Resilient Wisconsin Initiative (website) on Friday, which provides Wisconsinites with resources to cope with stress and mental health challenges from COVID-19.

DHS recommends that Wisconsinites do the following:

• Get the three goods. That’s good-for-you foods, a good night’s sleep, and a good amount of exercise every day.
• Stay connected to your support system. Reach out to family and friends, colleagues, and community groups in whatever way you can—calls, texts, video chats, and more.
• Spend time away from focusing on COVID-19. Don’t let the pandemic take over what you read, watch, or talk about. And don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to talk about something else.
• Reduce anxiety by reducing your risk. Stay safer at home. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Stay at least 6 feet apart while running essential errands at the store, pharmacy, or gas station. Knowing you’re doing everything you can to stay healthy can help you worry less.
• Check in with yourself. Everyone’s reaction to stress is different. Difficulty concentrating or sleeping, irritability, fatigue, and even stomachaches can be normal. But if you find you are overwhelmed or having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, reach out for help right away. Text HOPELINE to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.