Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

Operations and Clinical Update: February 2, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

COVID-19 Cases:

BMC Total Inpatients

55

BMC Inpatients Requiring ICU Care

11

Cumulative Staff Who Have Tested Positive

 2,829 (as of 1/31)

Massachusetts Cases

 1,493,224

Click to see the most up-to-date city, state, and national numbers: Boston | Massachusetts  | United States

UPDATED: Prescribing Guidance for COVID-19 Treatments as of Feb. 2

Oral antiviral and intravenous monoclonal antibody treatments can help patients avoid developing severe COVID infections or being hospitalized. Therefore, we want to ensure that BMC is prescribing the treatments to all eligible patients with COVID-19.

All providers are able to prescribe ambulatory treatments for COVID-19. Full prescribing guidance, including a simplified decision tree, can be found in the Ambulatory Treatment for COVID-19 document on the COVID-19 clinical resources page of the Hub. Please continue to refer to the links to these documents on the Hub for the latest version of these guidelines.

Please note the following recent changes:

  • The criteria for oral antivirals has been expanded to include all unvaccinated patients, in addition to patients who meet criteria outlined on the Hub.
  • As of February 2, Paxlovid or Sotrovimab are recommended if the patient is one to five days after symptom onset. If Paxlovid is not available or there is a preference for an oral antiviral over Sotrovimab, please use Molnupiravir.
  • If the patient is 5-10 days after symptom onset, use Sotrovimab.

To prescribe:

  • Oral antivirals (Paxlovid and Molnupiravir): Prescribe in Epic. For assistance, a tipsheet (Ambulatory COVID-19 Treatments Epic Tipsheet) on the workflow can be found on the Hub.
  • Monoclonal antibodies (Sotrovimab): Email covidinfusion@bmc.org with patient name, date of birth, contact phone number, and patient criteria for treatment.

Talking points to use when informing patients about the availability of therapeutics can also be found on the Hub on the COVID-19 clinical resources page.

UPDATED: At-Home COVID-19 Tests Available – How to Get Reimbursed and Access Free Tests from the Federal Government

As of January 15, 2022 at-home COVID antigen test kits are fully covered through health insurance:

  • Each covered family member will have access to eight diagnostic tests per month.
  • The reimbursement amount is up to $12 per test. Most kits contain two tests, so reimbursement would be up to $24 a box.

If you are in a BMC employee medical plan (BMC Select, BMC Tiered HMO, HPHC PPO), coverage for these tests is through our pharmacy manager, Express Scripts Inc. (ESI). Currently you must purchase the test out of pocket and submit a receipt to ESI for reimbursement.

As a reminder, if you are planning on submitting for reimbursement, do not use your flexible spending account card to purchase a test kit, as that would make your purchase ineligible for reimbursement.

In addition to insurance coverage for at-home tests, four free at-home COVID-19 tests are available for each residential address in the U.S. Tests can be requested by visiting COVIDTests.gov.

NEW: Webinar – What if the Kids Are Not All Right? Ask a Pediatrician

BMC and BUMG are co-hosting a live 60-minute anonymous Q+A session with a panel of the following BMC clinicians:

  • Dr. Marilyn Augustyn, Chief Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
  • Dr. Jack Maypole, Vice Chair and Director of the Comprehensive Care Program
  • Dr. Andrea Spencer, Director of Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health

This webinar has been organized in an effort to provide space and support for employees who have children and may be concerned about the pandemic's impact on their wellbeing. Topics we plan to cover may include how to spot signs of anxiety and depression in your children, manage school refusal, social anxiety, grief and sadness, or behavioral issues related to pandemic related stress.  

Participants may submit questions in advance by clicking here or ask live during the session. The webinar will be recorded and made available to everyone at BMCHS and BUMG. The Zoom information can be found on the Hub calendar. 

BMCHS employees can click here for a listing of behavioral health, educational, and childcare support resources. BUMG employees can click here for a similar resource sheet. 

REMINDER: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Workplace Requirement

Boston Medical Center is following CDC guidance and requiring all employees and LIPs receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes individuals working off-site (at-home, out-of-state, and off-campus), residents, students, interns, vendors, volunteers, and on-site contracted personnel.

In order to meet the compliance requirement and maintain employment at BMC, you must receive the COVID-19 booster or an approved exemption by March 28, 2022. In the event that March 28 is sooner than five months after your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or two months after your J&J vaccine, your due date will be the Monday after the date when you become eligible for the booster.

Full compliance includes ensuring that your booster vaccination status is recorded in the Employee Health Portal. You can find detailed information about recording your booster status on the COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance page on the Hub.

NEW: Moderna Vaccine Receives Full Approval from the FDA

On January 31, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years old and older. This means it is no longer being given under emergency use authorization. While millions of people have already safely received the Moderna vaccine, we know this full approval from the FDA may increase confidence in the vaccine. Vaccination with any of the COVID-19 vaccines is the best protection from severe illness and hospitalization, and we must continue to talk to our patients about the vaccine and ensure they are aware of the benefits of vaccination.