HHS Secretary Calls for Governors to Ease Onboarding Protocol as Part of COVID-19 Response

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, recently requested that governors modify their states’ onboarding protocol to enable more practitioners to meet the current and upcoming patient demand related to COVID-19.

The Secretary’s letter asks governors to take the following eight actions:

1. Relax state-licensure requirements and enable practitioners with out-of-state licenses to provide services in person and remotely.
2. Waive certain regulatory requirements so practitioners can more readily establish patients, diagnose, and delivery treatment options via telemedicine services.
3. Ease scope-of-practice parameters so more practitioners can provide services in all applicable care settings.
4. Enable physicians to supervise more practitioners, remotely and via telephone.
5. Expedite certification and licensure processes for certain practitioners.
6. Compile state liability protections for in-state and out-of-state practitioners, paid and volunteer. Modify or temporarily withdraw medical malpractice policies that do not cover practitioners that facilities onboard in response to the COVID-19 emergency.
7. Enable medical students to triage, diagnose, and treat patients with supervision from a licensed medical staff member.
8. Amend laws or regulations that require signatures for pharmaceutical deliveries.

The Secretary also asks governors to invoke existing state-compact agreements that enable states to modify normal protocol to expand healthcare services and increase access to healthcare practitioners. Look for more information and guidance from the HHS COVID-19 Page.

Visit the NAMSS COVID-19 Page for more MSP resources.