The declaration comes on Friday the 13th long considered a harbinger of bad luck.
Responding to the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump declared a national state of emergency today, as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc throughout America, disrupting daily life for people, places, and commerce.
The declaration came at the end of a week featuring a cascade of news about closings of schools and courts, and postponements of sports and entertainment events. Notably, the U.S. Supreme Court will be closed to the public until further notice, “out of concern for the health and safety of the public and Supreme Court employees,” the Court said Thursday, adding that the building will remain open for official business.
Earlier today, the Louisiana Secretary of State ordered the postponement of the state’s presidential primary election, originally scheduled for April 4, but now to be held on June 20.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 1,629 cases of the virus in the U.S. at this writing, with a total of 41 deaths.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch, who monitored a CDC conference call last week, said the overall pattern of contagion does suggest that younger, healthy people have a very low mortality rate, and older patients and those with chronic illnesses have a significantly higher rate.
“Clinically, COVID-19 appears to present like a typical respiratory illness, with fever and cough most common,” Hirsch said in his report to RACmonitor. “Patients may also have myalgia, fatigue, and sore throat, and some patients have reported nausea and diarrhea prior to the onset of respiratory symptoms. Rarely there is hemoptysis.”
Physicians leading the discussion during the call reported that lab testing tends to show leukopenia in two-thirds of patients, often profound lymphopenia. One-third of patients have elevated liver function tests, and it appears that procalcitonin is of no value. Imaging is best done with chest X-ray, and although there are typical findings on CT scan, there have been reports of false-negative studies in patients with confirmed COVID-19, so they do not recommend it as a diagnostic test, instead continuing to recommend swab testing for RT-PCR.
Hirsch learned during the call that treatment remains supportive, with many trials in the U.S. and around the world yielding a particularly promising antiviral from Gilead. Hirsch said the speakers made it clear that there is no role for corticosteroids, unless there is another compelling indication for them, as steroids can increase viral replication.
“On the prevention front,” Hirsch said, “the speakers all emphasized what we have been hearing: avoidance of exposure is key. Patients must be screened carefully and immediately placed in contact and droplet precautions to prevent transmission to healthcare workers.”
Hirsch said one speaker also offered what he described as “alternative methods of patient contact, such as telehealth,” that should be used. The speakers also noted that they are regularly updating their guidance on monitoring of healthcare workers for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, both to protect patients and to ensure that healthcare workers get proper care.
“Because of the growing number of cases, the recent change was to recommend (that) healthcare workers self-report symptoms and not work if ill,” Hirsch said. “The potential shortage of N95 masks to protect healthcare workers is being addressed, with waivers being drafted at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow certain ‘industrial’ respirators, as used in construction and manufacturing, to be used in hospitals.”
Earlier this week, Dr. Edward Hu with the UNC Health Care System, wrote to members of the RACRelief listserv “this is the real deal, folks.”
“Stay sensible and safe, but don’t panic,” Dr. Hu added. “Preserve protective equipment for front-line healthcare workers; otherwise, there will be no one to care for us when we get sick.”
Responding to Hu, Dr. Michael Salvatore wrote, “we need to be cautious, not fearful. Caution keeps our rational brains online, but fear takes reason offline, which is why horror movies are popular and movies about caution are not.”
Salvatore added that fear is also exciting, so we enjoy it when we can control it – as when closing your eyes during one of those movies. But it is also mentally radioactive. Too much fear, too fast, kills our reason. We become, as rat researchers like to say, “fear conditioned.”
“Our job, as physicians, is to keep our wits when diseases threaten,” Salvatore said, adding that “you need your wits to be cautious. Fear makes us witless, and without wits, we cannot be rationally cautious.”
“Wits are precious things, so don’t throw away the few we all have,” Salvatore advised. “Be cautious.”
Editors Note: This article was originally published on ICD10monitor, April 15, 2025 In a sweeping policy shift, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
In just days, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may begin eliminating regulations it deems unlawful or beyond its authority – that
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Struggling with ICD-10-CM coding for diabetes and complications? This expert-led webcast clarifies complex combination codes, documentation gaps, and sequencing rules to reduce denials and ensure compliance. Dr. Angela Comfort will provide actionable strategies to accurately link diabetes to complications, improve provider documentation, and optimize reimbursement—helping coders, CDI specialists, and HIM leaders minimize audit risks and strengthen revenue integrity. Don’t miss this chance to master diabetes coding with real-world case studies, key takeaways, and live Q&A!
Uncover critical guidance. Kay Piper provides an interactive review on coding guidelines and more in the AHA’s fourth quarter 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Uncover critical guidance. Kay Piper provides an interactive review on coding guidelines and more in the AHA’s third quarter 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Uncover critical guidance. Kay Piper provides an interactive review on coding guidelines and more in the AHA’s second quarter 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Struggling with CMS’s 3-Day Payment Window? Join compliance expert Michael G. Calahan, PA, MBA, CCO, to master billing restrictions for pre-admission and inter-facility services. Learn how to avoid audit risks, optimize revenue cycle workflows, and ensure compliance across departments. Critical for C-suite leaders, providers, coders, revenue cycle teams, and compliance teams—this webcast delivers actionable strategies to protect reimbursements and meet federal regulations.
Providers face increasing Medicare audits when using skin substitute grafts, leaving many unprepared for claim denials and financial liabilities. Join veteran healthcare attorney Andrew B. Wachler, Esq., in this essential webcast and master the Medicare audit process, learn best practices for compliant billing and documentation, and mitigate fraud and abuse risks. With actionable insights and a live Q&A session, you’ll gain the tools to defend your practice and ensure compliance in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch dives into the basics of Medicare for clinicians to be successful as utilization review professionals. He’ll break down what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, what services it provides and how hospitals get paid for providing those services – including both inpatient and outpatient. Learn how claims are prepared and how much patients must pay for their care. By attending our webcast, you will gain a new understanding of these issues and be better equipped to talk to patients, to their medical staff, and to their administrative team.
Hospitals face growing challenges in measuring observation metrics due to inconsistencies in classification, payer policies, and benchmarking practices. Join Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM, and Anuja Mohla, DO, FACP, MBA, ACPA-C, CHCQM-PHYADV as they provide critical insights into refining observation metrics. This webcast will address key issues affecting observation data integrity and offer strategies for improving consistency in reporting. You will learn how to define meaningful metrics, clarify commonly misinterpreted terms, and apply best practices for benchmarking, and gain actionable strategies to enhance observation data reliability, mitigate financial risk, and drive better decision-making.
Copyright © 2025 ICD10monitor. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Happy National Doctor’s Day! Learn how to get a complimentary webcast on ‘Decoding Social Admissions’ as a token of our heartfelt appreciation! Click here to learn more →
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
