Thursday, March 12, 2020 5:14 pm

Patrice A. Harris M.D., M.A., president of the American Medical Association said, "We are pleased that Congress quickly approved this critical bipartisan supplemental appropriations package in response to COVID-19. It is particularly important that it will lift Medicare restrictions on the use of telehealth during this public health emergency - something that will limit further exposure and help stop the spread of the virus in the health care setting. Funding for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and medical supplies is necessary to bolster the health care response to COVID-19. In addition, we were pleased to see funding for health departments as they are a critical partner in helping us understand the scope of the outbreak through surveillance and laboratory testing, as well as implementing mitigation strategies to prevent additional cases."

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the AMA has been providing physicians with the latest clinical guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help them evaluate, test and care for patients under investigation for COVID-19, as well as guidance to help protect physicians and other health care clinicians from illness. The AMA will continue to keep physicians informed of the CDC's resources and updates, including on the AMA's COVID-19 online resource center, via social media, and through direct communications to physicians. Additionally, the AMA's JAMA Network has a comprehensive overview of the coronavirus - including epidemiology, infection control and prevention recommendations - available for free on its JN Learning website.