Eyeworld

46 | EYEWORLD | APRIL 2020 COVID-19 NEWS YOU CAN USE ASCRS NEWS This could include the use of telemedicine, leveraging of social media, and offering incen- tives for scheduling future appointments now. Take any opportunity to educate your patients during this time, he said, noting that this educa- tion could be about anything. With colleagues, communicating in a time of crisis can be comforting. Maintaining discus- sions with strategic partners now might open doors if and when you need them later. Mr. Maller chooses to see potential in this albeit tragic situation—the potential to ignite opportunity. That opportunity could be align- ments, mergers, cost sharing, etc. He said to take time each day to think about what a pos- itive future could be like on the other side of this pandemic. "We're going to come back out of this on the other side, and we're going to be better for this experience," Mr. Maller said. services, and occupancy-related expenses. The interest rate is set at a maximum of 4%, with requirements including good faith certification. The program, according to Mr. Maller, forgives the amount of the loan you use to keep people employed. He encouraged those applying with qualified local lenders to bring printed pages of the bill with them to the bank, in case the lender isn't aware of the nuances. It might be a frus- trating process, but Mr. Maller said "you have got to be vigilant to get through this process." Responsibly manage your team When Mr. Maller looks at this "horrific" time, he said he knows we are going to get to the oth- er side, and when we do, we'll need our people, which requires responsible team management now. Some of this includes a combination of layoffs and furloughs. Furloughs, Mr. Maller said, are generally for non-exempt employees and are temporary with no impact on medical benefits, assuming benefits are currently of- fered. Furloughs allow you to reduce or entire- ly cut hours. Furloughs of exempt (salaried) employees would need to include a "no-work" requirement, Mr. Maller said. Salary reductions could be on the table as well, but one needs to make sure to follow the proper rules as it relates to salary reductions for exempt employees. Mr. Maller said the staffing plan in this type of situation will be fluid and could change from day to day. In the end though, "your mantra needs to be 'Do no harm as best as possible,' meaning show compassion," Mr. Maller said. Stay connected with patients, colleagues, and strategic partners "Make sure your patients continue to feel connected to you at a very personal level," Mr. Maller said. Contact Maller: bmaller@BSMCONSULTING.com References 1. Hall MJ, et al. Ambulatory surgery data from hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers: United States, 2010. Natl Health Stat Report. 2017:1–15. 2. Ni W, et al. Impact of cataract surgery on vision-related life performance: the usefulness of Real-Life Vision Test for cataract surgery outcomes evaluation. Eye (Lond). 2015;29:1545–1554. continued from page 44 CMS relief In light of the financial hardships hit- ting medical practices, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded its accelerated and advance payment program for Medicare partici- pating providers and suppliers. Payments can be requested by hospitals, doctors, durable medical equipment suppliers, and other Medicare Part A and Part B provid- ers and suppliers, under certain qualifying conditions. CMS has said it is accepting and processing these requests immedi- ately, and it anticipates payments being issued within days of request.

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