April Bulletin: COVID-19 Consent Form
OMIC continues to monitor the fast changing environment with regard to the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting governmental actions that are affecting ophthalmologists and their patients. On April 19, CMS issued recommendations to reopen healthcare systems for elective procedures. Many states have announced plans to reopen businesses and allow elective and non-emergent medical and surgical procedures.
We now have a COVID-19 consent form for those insureds who practice in states requiring consent. Please consult your state health department, local medical society, or governor’s office to find out whether this is recommended protocol in your state.
Contact OMIC’s Risk Management department if you have questions by calling 1-800-562-6642 and enter “4” for Risk Management, or email us at riskmanagement@omic.com
We are committed to supporting you, our insureds, through this challenging time. Please remain safe.
OMIC Announces COVID-19 Premium Credit for Policyholders
April 10, 2020
We understand the COVID-19 pandemic is severely impacting you both emotionally and financially. Like you, OMIC’s Board of practicing ophthalmologists has been forced to cease or severely limit practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects on all of us will be felt for some time. Ultimately, we know that the resiliency of the ophthalmic community will help us pull through these challenging times.
While it is too early to fully understand the impact the COVID-19 outbreak will have on OMIC with regard to claims activity or financial strain, it is clear we must act now in support of our members. Some of you have reached out to request policy changes or payment deferrals as you try to cope with the financial burden caused by this unprecedented situation. We recognize this has added another administrative task for you at a time of incredible stress and frustration.
Therefore, in lieu of making individual changes to policies in response to COVID-19, OMIC has decided to apply a credit equal to 50% of your quarterly premium (i.e., a 12.5% credit based on your current annual premium) for all OMIC insureds. This across-the-board adjustment will automatically be applied to your policy in May 2020; you do not need to do anything to qualify. If the adjustment results in a credit balance on your account, the credit will either be carried forward to your renewal premium (depending upon your renewal date), or OMIC will issue you a refund.
After considerable discussion, we feel this is the best way to support you since premium relief in the form of policy credits avoids the hassle and tax implications of other types of distributions.
As you are aware, OMIC had already declared a 15% dividend in 2019 that is applied to physician-insureds’ 2020 policy renewals. The special credit for COVID-19 will be in addition to that dividend (as well as any other discounts you may qualify for including loss free and risk management credits).
OMIC requests that those insureds able to pay by their original due date do so, but will extend due dates up to 90 days from the invoice due date, through September 30, 2020, for those who need extra time to make payments. (Please note that, depending upon your billing cycle, this may mean that two quarterly installments become payable at or around the same time.)
Please continue to monitor OMIC.com for news, information, and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. From all of us at OMIC, thank you for your continued support.
Dan Briceland, OMIC, Chair
Tim Padovese, OMIC President and CEO
>> Continue to the OMIC COVID-19 Information and Resource Page
COVID-19 Page
OMIC has been monitoring the fast changing environment with regard to the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting governmental actions which are affecting ophthalmologists and their patients.
We are committed to supporting you, our insureds, through this challenging time. Thank you for your service to our communities through this crisis.
New >>COVID-19 FAQs_Sept2021_FINAL
OMIC COVID-19 Risk Management Advice
OMIC COVID-19 Sample Consent Form
OMIC COVID-19 Coverage Information
New >> OMIC Coverage for COVID Vaccinations
NEW >> Risk management considerations and sample patient consent form for administering COVID vaccines
OMIC News and COVID-19 Premium Credit
AAO and ASRS COVID-19 Resource Pages
Telemedicine (eRisk) Resources
CDC Website and e-Bulletins
COVID Test Risk Management Recommendations
ROP and COVID-19
OMIC has received a number of calls about how to manage ROP screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the recommendations from the OMIC ROP Task Force. As always, use your professional judgment to determine the best way to proceed with any particular patient or situation.
- Consider ROP care as urgent and continue to provide it.
- Follow the usual guidelines in the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Ophthalmology Policy Statement (1) on who should be screened, timing and frequency of follow-up exams, and criteria for ending ROP screening.
- Provide care in your office, with as little exposure as possible from other patients, for infants already discharged from the NICU.
- Implement CDC recommendations and those of your local health department on social distancing and personal protective equipment.
Here is a link to the AAO’s ophthalmic-specific guidance on this: https://www.aao.org/headline/alert-important-coronavirus-context.
You may access the ROP Safety Net at http://www.omic.com/rop-safety-net/.
OMIC policyholders are encouraged to use our confidential Hotline. The fastest way to reach us is to contact our confidential Risk Management Hotline by mailing riskmanagement@omic.com or calling 800-562-6642, option 4.
(1) “Screening Examination of Premature Infants for Retinopathy of Prematurity.” Policy Statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Ophthalmology, the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Originally issued in 1997 and updated in 2001, 2005, and 2006; current version published in Pediatrics (Volume 131, Number 1, 2013, at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/189.
COVID-19 Information and Resources
OMIC’s Risk Management Department is monitoring the fast changing environment with regard to the COVID-19 outbreak and has created the following resources for our insureds.
Should I stop performing elective procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak?
Safe Practices in the Office: COVID-19
OMIC Telephone screening of ophthalmic problems toolkit
ROP and COVID-19
>> OMIC COVID-19 Page.
Insureds please contact the Risk Management Hotline with questions involving HIPAA requirements, documentation, etc. Please contact your Underwriting Representative with any coverage questions.
