The COVID-19 pandemic poses the greatest public health threat in the United States since the Spanish flu outbreak a century ago. As of Aug. 4, more than 4.8 million Americans had been infected with the novel coronavirus and 159,000 had died, according to worldometer.

CMS said it will use existing evaluation and management payment codes to reimburse providers who are eligible to bill CMS for counseling services regardless of the testing venue, including doctors’ offices, urgent care clinics, hospitals and community drive-thru or pharmacy testing sites.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients have been reluctant to visit healthcare facilities due to concerns over coronavirus infection. In April, a Medical Group Management Association survey found that physician practices had experienced a 60% average decrease in patient volume.

Joseph P. Iannotti, MD, PhD, interim CEO & president, and chief of staff of Cleveland Clinic Florida, talked to HealthLeaders about the role of this type of virus research and why therapeutic innovations are essential to improve the future of healthcare.

The LocumTenens.com survey was conducted in June and highlights information collected from 940 healthcare professionals in 35 medical specialties.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made patients hesitant about visiting doctor offices due to fear of infection. In April, a Medical Group Management Association survey found that physician practices had experienced 60% average decrease in patient volume.

UCLA researchers wrote that a small study of 34 patients, with a median age of 43, found that the antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes the disease — decreased by roughly half every 73 days, and would disappear entirely within a year at such a rate.

The new research, which was published by JAMA Internal Medicine, is based on data collected from more than 2,000 adults diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted to ICUs at 65 hospitals across the United States from March 4 to April 4.