Tune in tonight, Thursday, Dec. 10 at 5:15 p.m.

As the COVID-19 pandemic remains a prominent topic in our daily lives, hope is on the horizon as we prepare to distribute a safe and effective vaccine that will help us return to our normal day-to-day activities.

Tonight's town hall is specifically designed for UT Health Physicians' providers and staff and can be accessed by clicking here.

The virtual town hall will provide updates on the current COVID-19 surge as well as UT Health Physicians' plans for administering the COVID-19 vaccine to employees, providers and patients. We will also take your questions during the town hall.

All providers and staff are encouraged to attend.

Thank you for your efforts and dedication as we continue to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19.

UT Health Physicians COVID-19 Vaccination Town Hall hosts:

Dr. Carlos Rosende, Executive Director

Dr. Bob Leverence, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Jan Patterson, Specialist, Infectious Diseases

Dr. Ramon Cancino, Medical Director, Primary Care

Casey Peterson, Sr. Director of Practice Operations

Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Town Halls and Webinars:

• San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is hosting a virtual public town hall tonight at 7 p.m. Details on tuning in >
  
  
• Tomorrow afternoon, President Henrich along with UT Health San Antonio's leaders and experts will share valuable information on COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans for UT Health San Antonio that will begin the week of Dec. 14. A recorded webinar with details on these topics will be distributed to all faculty, staff, employees, residents and students.

If you or an employee on your team have pending EPIC courses that need to be completed, please take action to complete them now.

On Dec. 14, all EPIC online courses are scheduled to move from Knowledge Center to UT Health Learns, the university's new learning management system which launched on Nov. 23.  

Important dates during the transition to the new system 

• EPIC learners who need to complete Instructor-Led Training must register in Knowledge Center by Wednesday, Dec. 9. 
• Please complete any EPIC training in progress as soon as possible to avoid delays while EPIC courses are being transferred to the new system.  
• On Monday, Dec. 14, all EPIC online courses will be assigned and completed in the new UT Health Learns system.

Contact UT Learns with any questions.

Like most things in 2020, our holiday celebrations will need to be different this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu. The safest way to celebrate the winter holidays is at home with the people you live with. Remember to stay home if you are sick.

Here are more tips for celebrating safely this year along with some low-risk alternatives you can try.

Rules for holiday safety at work:

• Don't bring home-prepared food items for sharing.
  
  
• No group gatherings are permitted, including potluck-style gatherings.
  
  
• Employees must limit themselves to single-serving food, drinks, condiments and utensils. Do not share your items with others.
  
  
• Use careful precautions during meals and breaks. Maintain at least 6 feet of separation from others while in meal or break areas before removing your mask for food and drink (stay behind the physical barriers when they are provided due to reduced physical distance). 
  
  
• Remember to disinfect your meal area before and after use.
  
  
• Wear a face mask at work.
  
  
• Practice physical distancing (routinely stay 6 feet away from others). 
  
  
• Perform hand hygiene after touching potentially contaminated items, including your mask.

Tips for safe holiday celebrations at home:

• Minimize close contact.
  
  
• Avoid indoor gatherings.
  
  
• Limit the people who will handle food.
  
  
• When possible, sit outside at tables spaced at least 6 feet apart from other people.
  
  
• Minimize gestures that promote close contact. For example, don’t shake hands, elbow bump or give hugs. Instead, wave and verbally greet others.
  
  
• Host outdoor, rather than indoor, gatherings. Even outdoors, wear masks when not eating or drinking.
  
  
• Avoid holding gatherings in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces. If you must gather indoors, increase ventilation by opening windows and doors if possible or place central air and heating on continuous circulation.
  
  
• Avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors. Keep music levels down so people don’t have to shout or speak loudly to be heard.
  
  
• Limit people going in and out of the areas where food is being prepared or handled, such as in the kitchen or by the grill.
  
  
• When possible, choose food and drink options that are not self-serve to limit the use of shared serving utensils.
  
  
• Use single-use options or identify one person to serve sharable items, like salad dressings, food containers and condiments, so that multiple people are not handling the items.
  
  
• Consider bringing your own food, drinks, plates, cups and utensils; do not share with others.
  
  
• Use touch-less garbage cans or pails.
  
  
• Use gloves when removing garbage bags or handling and disposing of trash. Wash your hands after removing gloves.
  
  
• Use single-use towels for drying hands.
  
  
• Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and any shared items between use.

More virtual alternatives for celebrating safely

• Instead of a physical gathering, host a virtual family event or office lunch (so people can attend from the safety of their home or desks).
  
  
• Share your favorite holiday recipes as a virtual way to share home-prepared meals.
  
  
• Instead of sharing prepared meals, consider donating food items to those in need this holiday season.

We hope these tips help you and your loved ones stay healthy while still filling your holidays with fun, relaxation and cheer. Please talk with your practice manager if you have any questions about the guidelines for celebrating safely at work.

As a reminder, eligible employees will receive the following seasonal holidays:

Thursday, Dec. 24

Friday, Dec. 25

Monday, Dec. 28

Tuesday, Dec. 29

Friday, Jan. 1

View the complete list of UT Health San Antonio holidays this year.

Download the flyer & rules.

Deck the Halls With Joy - 2020 Holiday Door Decorating Contest

Decorate a door (or a few) at your location (or your home) and enter to win. All UT Health San Antonio employees, practices and locations are encouraged to participate.

Here's how to win

Step 1: Write a Letter

Send a message to the UT Health Physicians Facebook page and include:

• A photo of your door decor
• The title/name of your door
• The name of your practice/department

Here is the link for sending us a message:Facebook.com/UTHealthSAphysicians

Step 2: The World Sees the Magic

Doors will be posted on the UT Health Physicians Facebook page as soon as you submit them. The earlier you send your entry - the more time you'll have to gather likes.

Step 3: Spread the Joy

Like and share your door! The doors that collect the most “likes” before Wed., Dec. 23 wins!

The Rules:

• Doors facing lobbies and non-patient care areas can be decorated and on display the entire month of December.
• All decorations must be taken down by the end of the business day, Thurs., Dec. 31, 2020.
• Do not obstruct any exits or immediate access to them
• Do not cover a door so that it is not recognizable as an EXIT
• Do not cover both sides of any one door (only the public – hallway side may be decorated)
• Do not cover the door’s viewing window if it has one
• Make sure decorations do not hamper the operation of the door
• Do not create trip hazards with cords or any other decorations
• All decorations must be made of fire-resistant material
• No glitter may be used
• No candles may be used
• No items obstructing walk-ways or hanging from the ceiling or doorway
• No obscene or inappropriate symbols, drawings, words, phrases, etc.
• Must be small-child-friendly décor

The Patient-Centered Medical Home is the best current model of primary care, where a team of medical assistants, nurses, behavioral health specialists, and physicians collaborate to address the specific needs of each patient. Everyone stays informed sharing an electronic health records system. That model is not good enough, says Carlos Roberto Jaén, M.D., Ph.D., one of the initial... Read the full article.

The 2020 issue of Future magazine is now available online.
Future is the official magazine of the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Read and share inspiring stories highlighting our medical alumni, faculty and students who are revolutionizing education, research, patient care and critical services in the communities they serve. Read the 2020 issue >

With permission from your medical director, UT Health Physicians staff are invited to have some fun with fashion every Friday this October.

Friday, Oct. 16: Spirit & Scrubs

Show your UT Health San Antonio spirit on Orange Out Friday. Wear a spirit week t-shirt with your blue scrub bottoms. Post your pride on social using #UTHealthSAPerformance.

Friday, Oct. 23: Fashion for a Cause

October is breast cancer awareness month. Wear a pink top or breast cancer support shirt with your blue scrub bottoms.

Friday, Oct. 30: Halloween Eve

Wear a pink/breast cancer awareness shirt. Or, wear your work-ready Halloween costume.

Keep these rules in mind:

- Employee ID must be worn

- Employee must be easily identifiable

- Wear approved masks only. Patient-facing staff must wear surgical masks.

- No scary or inappropriate costumes. It must be young-child friendly.

If you have any questions, please speak to your manager. Or, contact Casey Peterson.

Join in the Halloween fun and decorate your door, either at the office or at home.

Here are the rules and ways to win!

Download the flyer

With permission from your medical director, UT Health Physicians staff are invited to have some fun with fashion every Friday this October.

Friday, Oct. 16: Spirit & Scrubs

Show your UT Health San Antonio spirit on Orange Out Friday. Wear a spirit week t-shirt with your blue scrub bottoms. Post your pride on social using #UTHealthSAPerformance.

Friday, Oct. 23: Fashion for a Cause

October is breast cancer awareness month. Wear a pink top or breast cancer support shirt with your blue scrub bottoms.

Friday, Oct. 30: Halloween Eve

Wear a pink/breast cancer awareness shirt. Or, wear your work-ready Halloween costume.

Keep these rules in mind:

- Employee ID must be worn

- Employee must be easily identifiable

- Wear approved masks only. Patient-facing staff must wear surgical masks.

- No scary or inappropriate costumes. It must be young-child friendly.

If you have any questions, please speak to your manager. Or, contact Casey Peterson.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

It’s been a little while since my last update.  That’s good news for it means we’ve had no new crises.  Let me start with a big THANK YOU as we continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder on the challenges imposed by this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s certainly not over, yet we are beginning to see glimmers of hope on the horizon.  This is all due to your continued dedication to the mission of caring for our patients during these most trying times.  So again, thank you.

As we prepare for this next phase of this pandemic, school/university re-openings and high-volume rapid turnaround COVID tests are taking center stage.  Here are a few important updates:

A Note on Predicting the Next COVID Surge

Sg2 was quite helpful in predicting the last surge.  However, there are two new variables which impact this model (or any model for that matter) – uncertainties related to seroprevalence and the impact of school openings.

Nevertheless, Sg2 predicts if current mitigation levels of masking, distancing, and testing are maintained we can anticipate a steady rate of COVID hospitalizations during and after schools reopen this Fall.  However, during this time frame the citywide COVID census is not predicted to pose high stress levels on our health care system compared to the last surge.  This projection will be closely monitored and modified as more information becomes available.

What About the Flu?

The impact of influenza this winter is not clear, so we will be watching it closely.  We do anticipate some individuals will get co-infected with both COVID and influenza, in which case they will be at high risk for poor outcomes including death.  We strongly encourage everyone get a flu shot this Fall.  Information on vaccine administration at UTHP sites and Wellness 360 will be made available soon.  In the event you become ill, you should immediately contact your supervisor, stay home, call your PCP, and promptly obtain flu and COVID testing.  Again, we encourage everyone to maintain masking, distancing, and handwashing since these measures also reduce the likelihood of getting the flu (although they are not a substitute for getting the flu shot).

A Few Important Notes on COVID Testing

1. Reporting of Ambulatory Results

a. For tests ordered from UT Epic.  In order to improve turnaround times, COVID test results are now auto-released through MyChart at 24 hours (rather than manual release).  Likewise, UT lab personal are no longer calling positive results to ordering providers.  This will give the lab more time to focus on test throughput and turnaround times.

b. For tests ordered from UHS Epic or through the Standing Delegated Nursing Order at the Pavilion.  Results are routed to your UHS Epic in-basket.  Pre-procedure + COVID results will continue to be called to the ordering proceduralists.  If you are experiencing something different, please let me know.

2. If you work in the PCC, Geriatrics Clinic, or Mays Cancer Center (locations where frequent COVID testing is performed), COVID tests not only populate the ordering provider’s in-basket, but now also a clinic-specific COVID in-basket.  This gives on-call providers easy access to results afterhours.

3. Repeat COVID Testing is not indicated for Follow Up of Positive Pre-Procedure Tests.  Instead, we endorse a symptom-based strategy for moving forward with rescheduling the procedure (see first attachment for updated UT Health guidance).  This is consistent with the CDC guidelines and UHS Policy (see attachments two and three which have also recently been updated, OR click this link to access UHS COVID Clearinghouse).  Also, if a patient had a + COVID test done at an outside facility, it would be helpful for the patient to bring the official copy of the result so it can be uploaded into our EMR.  If we have such documentation, we will not require re-testing which the patient will appreciate.  One can only stand having a swab stuck up his or her nose so many times.

A Note on Clinic Costs and Scanning Notes 

Remember, clinics are charged a few cents for every page sent for scanning.  One way to keep clinic costs down is by minimizing scans.  Instead of sending the full hospitalization record for scanning (which may include blank pages, demographics, etc), consider just scanning the most relevant reports.  That’s not just good for business during these hard times, but it also prevents chart bloat which thereby allows important information to be found more readily.  Another option is for the clinic to do its own scanning.  Please speak to your Practice Manager for more details.  Sorry to end with something so mundane.

Please contact me for any questions.

Thank you for all you do.

B

Bob Leverence, MD, FACP

Chief Medical Officer