July 30, 2021 – As the current wave of the coronavirus continues to spread across Southwest Florida, Lee Health is making its Lee Telehealth service free until further notice. The normal cost of a visit is $49. Lee Telehealth connects patients directly with a physician or advanced provider and is available 24/7.

If you have COVID-like symptoms, the provider will be able to evaluate the severity of your symptoms and make recommendations for testing, isolation and symptom management. They are also able to write prescriptions and make additional referrals as necessary.

Lee Telehealth serves as a convenient alternative to an urgent care clinic or emergency department if you are not facing a life-threatening situation. Anyone experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms, including difficulty breathing, should seek emergency care immediately.

“Southwest Florida is currently a hotspot for COVID-19, and we are seeing the ramifications of this current wave of the coronavirus throughout our entire health system,” said Kris Fay, chief officer of population health and physician services at Lee Health. “Lee Telehealth is a great first option for someone concerned about COVID symptoms or exposure who doesn’t need emergency care. We hope that by making it free that our community will utilize this resource, which will help preserve our resources in the emergency departments for those experiencing a medical emergency.”

Patients using the telehealth service can seek treatment and receive a prescription for a variety of conditions, including:

  • Cold and flu
  • Sinus infections
  • Rashes
  • Pink eye
  • Headaches
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Allergies
  • Cough
  • Sprains and strains

Every visit is encrypted to protect private information, and patients can expect the same level of care they would receive in a traditional doctor’s office. For current Lee Health patients, telehealth visits are added to their health record to ensure continuity of care.

Lee TeleHealth can be accessed in the following convenient ways:

  • From the Lee Health Mobile App
  • Downloading the “Lee TeleHealth” app on your smartphone or tablet
  • Visiting https://leetelehealth.org from a computer

About Lee Health

Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.



How to Protect Yourself and Others

Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated: 

  • 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be protected even if you are fully vaccinated. You should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people until advised otherwise by your healthcare provider.

What You Can Do

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
  • To reduce the risk of being infected with the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
  • You might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.
  • If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
  • You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.
    • You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.
    • You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.
    • You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.
    • You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive.

Click Here for a PDF of the Guidelines Issue by the CDC on July 27 2021



• SNF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule
• Hospice Payment Rate Update: FY 2022 Final Rule
• IRF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule
• IPF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule

SNF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule

On July 29, CMS issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) under the SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.  In addition, the final rule includes several policies that update the SNF Quality Reporting Program and the SNF Value-Based Program (VBP) for FY 2022.

CMS estimates that the aggregate impact of the payment policies in this final rule would result in an increase of approximately $410 million in Medicare Part A payments to SNFs in FY 2022. This estimate reflects a $411 million increase from the update to the payment rates of 1.2%, which is based on a 2.7% SNF market basket update, less a 0.8 percentage point forecast error adjustment and a 0.7 percentage point productivity adjustment, and a $1.2 million decrease due to the proposed reduction to the SNF PPS rates to account for the recent blood-clotting factors exclusion. These impact figures do not incorporate the SNF VBP reductions that are estimated to be $184.25 million in FY 2022.

The final rule also includes:

  • Methodology for recalibrating the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) parity adjustment
  • Section 134 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 – New Blood Clotting Factor Exclusion from SNF Consolidated Billing
  • Changes in PDPM ICD-10 code mappings

More Information:

Hospice Payment Rate Update: FY 2022 Final Rule

On July 29, CMS issued a final rule that updates Medicare hospice payments and the aggregate cap amount for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory requirements. This rule rebases the hospice labor shares and clarifies certain aspects of the hospice election statement addendum requirements. In addition, this rule finalizes changes to the Hospice conditions of participation and Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). The final rule also finalizes a Home Health Quality Reporting Program policy that becomes effective on October 1, 2021, to prepare for public reporting beginning in January 2022.

Under the final rule, the hospices would see a 2.0 percent increase ($480 million) in their payments for FY 2022 relative to FY 2021. This is a result of the 2.7 percent market basket percentage increase reduced by a 0.7 percentage point productivity adjustment. Hospices that fail to meet quality reporting requirements receive a 2 percentage point reduction to the annual hospice payment update percentage increase for the year.

The FY 2022 hospice payment updates also include an update to the statutory aggregate cap amount, which limits the overall payments per patient that are made to a hospice annually. The cap amount for FY 2022 is $31,297.61 (FY 2021 cap amount of $30,683.93 increased by 2.0 percent). As a result of the changes mandated by Division CC, section 404 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA 2021), this rule finalizes conforming regulation text changes at § 418.309 to reflect the new language added to section 1814(i)(2)(B) of the Act, which extends the years that the cap amount is updated by the hospice payment update percentage rather than the consumer price index.

The final rule also includes:

  • Other Medicare hospice payment policies
  • Closing the Health Equity Gap in the HQRP – Request for Information (RFI)
  • Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources in Support of the HQRP – RFI

More Information:

IRF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule

On July 29, CMS issued a final rule that updates Medicare payment policies and rates for facilities under the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) and finalize policies under the IRF Quality Reporting Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. FY 2022 IRF PPS payment rates and policies will be effective on October 1, 2021.

In addition, CMS is finalizing a Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) payment provision adopted in an interim final rule with comment period issued on May 11, 2018, as well as a provision that was included in a DMEPOS proposed rule published in the Federal Register on November 4, 2020.

For FY 2022, CMS is updating the IRF PPS payment rates by 1.9% based on the IRF specific market basket estimate of 2.6%, less a 0.7 percentage point productivity adjustment. In addition, the final rule contains an adjustment to the outlier threshold to maintain outlier payments at 3.0% of total payments. This adjustment will result in a 0.4 percentage point decrease in outlier payments. We estimate that the overall IRF payments for FY 2022 would increase 1.5% (or $130 million), relative to payments in FY 2021. 

More Information:

IPF Prospective Payment System: FY 2022 Final Rule

On July 29, CMS issued a final rule that updates Medicare payment policies and rates for the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and finalizes changes to the IPF Quality Reporting Program. The final rule also includes updates to the IPF teaching policy.

For FY 2022, CMS is updating the IPF PPS payment rates by 2.0% based on the final IPF market basket estimate of 2.7%, less a 0.7 percentage point productivity adjustment. In addition, the final rule updates the outlier threshold to maintain outlier payments at 2.0% of total payments. This adjustment will result in a 0.1% overall increase to aggregate payments. Total payments to IPFs are estimated to increase by 2.1% or $80 million in FY 2022 relative to IPF payments in FY 2021. 

More Information:



July 30, 2021 — Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic will be making stops around Southwest Florida next week to vaccinate children 12 years-old and older for COVID-19.

The Mobile Pediatric Vaccination Clinic is walk-up only, and there is no cost for the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be Pfizer. 

The mobile clinic will be at the following locations next week:

  • Monday, August 2, 5-8 p.m., Dunbar High School, 3800 Edison Ave., Fort Myers
  • Wednesday, August 4, 8:30-11:30 a.m., Fort Myers High School, 2635 Cortez Blvd, Fort Myers *This stop is primarily for 2nd doses, however, 1st doses will be provided to those who would like them. Anyone who receives a 1st dose at this location may have to attend another site for their 2nd dose.
  • Wednesday, August 4, 3-7 p.m., Old Winn-Dixie plaza, 1500 Lake Trafford Rd., Immokalee *This stop is primarily for 2nd doses, however, 1st doses will be provided to those who would like them. Anyone who receives a 1st dose at this location may have to attend another site for their 2nd dose.
  • Thursday, August 5, 4-6 p.m., Holiday Inn, 2431 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers
  • Friday, August 6, 4-7 p.m., East Lee County High School, 715 Thomas Sherwin Ave., Lehigh Acres
  • Saturday, August 7, 9 a.m.-noon, QLC (Quality Life Center), 3210 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Fort Myers *This stop is primarily for 2nd doses, however, 1st doses will be provided to those who would like them. Anyone who receives a 1st dose at this location may have to attend another site for their 2nd dose.                                              

A parent or authorized guardian must accompany a minor for vaccination. The second dose will be set for the same location or one nearby.

Anyone 12 years old and older can also receive their COVID-19 vaccine at no cost at Lee Health’s Community Vaccination Clinic, located at Gulf Coast Medical Center. For more information, visit www.leehealth.org.

About Lee Health

Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a health care leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated health care services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Staffed by caring people, inspiring health, services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org. 



July 29 2021 – The American Medical Association (AMA) and 102 other organizations are asking the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to jettison the development of standards that threaten to undermine confidence in the health care provided to our nation’s veterans by upending state-based licensure and oversight of health care professionals.

“These back-of-the-envelope standards will have the unintended consequence of reducing the quality of health care for veterans, many of whom suffer from complex symptoms that require expertise from trained medical professionals,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D. “These new standards of practice are unlikely to encompass the complexity of modern medicine. They will supersede longstanding state regulations and laws and create confusion. This is a solution in search of a problem.”

Initiated by the Trump Administration through an interim final rule, the standards could lead to patient safety issues and lower quality of veteran care by allowing health care providers to practice above their license and perform procedures for which they are not properly trained. The proposal would result in a national standard of practice for 48 categories of health professionals. The VA standards for each category will be independent of one another rather than emphasizing the role of each health care professional in a team-based approach. The VA is developing the standards without transparency and adequate stakeholder input.

More importantly, these new federal standards will supersede existing state laws. Such a move would prevent state boards from properly supervising the practitioners they license, making it all but impossible to discipline health care professionals who deliver inadequate or substandard care.

Health care professionals working for the VA would be exempt from state laws that are the result of years of legislative and stakeholder involvement.

“Had we been asked, we would have told the VA to pause and consider the breadth of what it is doing. This is a monumental undertaking, not one to rush through between administrations,” said Harmon, a former major general in the Air Force. “Physicians want to deliver superior care to veterans. These standards are likely to compromise care. That isn’t what the VA intends, but that’s the probable result.”

The AMA has long supported improved access for veterans, including changes that promoted community-based care. The AMA backed the Community Care Program that allows veterans to choose their preferred community provider or a VA staff member.