Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020 DiDomenico and Senate colleagues pass Patients First Act S tate Senator Sal DiDomenico announced that on June 25 the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Patients First Act, the third piece of healthcare legislation advanced by the Senate during this session to increase access to health care, protect patients and enhance quality care. This legislation builds on vital lessons learned during the COVID-19 public health crisis, as unprecedented demands on the healthcare system have prompted innovation and the expedited adoption of policy changes. This session the Senate also passed the Pharmaceutical Access, Costs and Transparency (PACT) Act and the Mental Health Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC) Act. “This session, my colleagues and I fully committed to making our healthcare system more aff ordable and equitable, and this legislation is the latest step taken by the Senate to ensure healthcare is more accessible for all Massachusetts residents,” said DiDomenico. “This bill refl ects key lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and takes important steps to improve patient outcomes. I was proud to support this bill, and I would like to thank all of my colleagues who worked tirelessly on this vital legislation.” The Patients First Act ensures that telehealth services are available across the Commonwealth – services that have experienced a dramatic expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic – enabling patients across the state to continue receiving vital medical care through phone or videoconference without risking exposure to COVID-19. Experience from the last few months has shown that telehealth can improve effi ciency and expand Sal DiDomenico State Senator access to care. Telehealth was not widely utilized before COVID-19. The bill does the following to put patients fi rst: • Requires insurance carriers, including MassHealth, to cover telehealth services in any case where the same in-person service would be A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 Same Location * Same Service for 48 Years! covered. It also ensures that telehealth services include care through audio-only telephone calls, and it requires reimbursement rates to match in-person services over the next two years. • Eliminates “surprise billing,” the unfair practice of charging patients who are unaware they received health care services outside of their insurance network for costs that insurance carriers refuse to pay. The situation is common, especially prior to a planned procedure, and it can be impossible to avoid uncovered services, particularly in emergency situations. • Expands the scope of practice for several health care professionals, increasing patient access to critical care. The bill would allow registered nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric nurse mental health specialists to practice independently if they meet certain education and training standards. • Recognizes pharmacists as health care providers, enabling them to integrate more fully into coordinated care teams. • Creates a new professional license for “dental therapists,” who will be authorized to provide dental hygiene and other oral health services, which will help expand access to dental care in underserved communities. • Tasks state health care oversight agencies to analyze and report on the effects COVID-19 has had on the Commonwealth’s health care delivery system as it relates to accessibility, quality and fi scal sustainability. The analysis will include an inventory of all health care services and resources serving Massachusetts residents from birth to death, as well as an analysis of existing health care disparities due to economic, geographic, racial or other factors. The Patients First Act now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. The Coronavirus Count Everett continues with 4th highest rating in state for COVID-19 O Chris Dan Steve We Welcome You Back & Wish You Well! * Desktop Humidors * Travel Humidors * Vapes * Juice * Cigar Accessories * Bongs * Lighters & Ash Trays * Glass Pipes * Gift Cards * Rewards Program * Juuls * CBD Infused Products Cigar of the Month! Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Magnum Box of 20 - Only $149.95 Buy your Cigars by the Box & Save! Plus our “Golfers’ Special” 15 Handmade Cigars - Churchill Size including a Cohiba! Only $43.95 STORE HOURS 8 AM - 7 PM Mon. - Sat., Sun. 8 AM - 6 PM ver the past week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Everett increased from 1,747 to 1,765 cases – a 1 percent increase, according to the latest weekly city/town cases available Wednesday. Everett has the 4th highest rate in the state, with an average of 3,636.45 per 100,000. Of the 7,104 people who were tested for COVID-19, 24.85 percent tested positive for the virus. People can compare the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in Everett to those in neighboring cities and towns as well as communities of similar size by going to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) website at https://www.mass. gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting – click on COVID-19 cases by city/town. Chelsea (7,816.28 per 100,000), Brockton (4,300.33 per 100,000) and Lawrence (4,029.45 per 100,000) have the highest rates in the state for people testing positive for COVID-19. Here’s how nine other area communities compare to Everett: Lynn: 3,635 cases, 3,602.46 per 100,000 (5th highest in state). Revere: 1,782 cases, 2,925.32 per 100,000 (6th highest in state). Everett: 1,765 cases, 3,636.45 per 100,000 (4th highest in state). Malden: 1,237 cases, 1,825.73 per 100,000 (29th highest in state). Peabody: 984 cases, 1,764.52 per 100,000. Saugus: 556 cases, 1,956.00 per 100,000 (21st highest in state). Wakefield: 314 cases, 1,162.76 per 100,000. Melrose: 245 cases, 847.10 per 100,000. Reading: 296 cases, 1,076.99 per 100,000. Lynnfi eld: 95 cases, 815.52 per 100,000. Statewide totals: 103,858 cases, 1,490.76 per 100,000. (Data compiled by DPH and made public as of July 1, 2020 count and rate [per 100,000] of confi rmed COVID-10 cases in Massachusetts by city/town, January 1, 2020–July 1, 2020.) On its website, the DPH noted that the rate specifying the number of cases per 100,000 “provides a standardized way to compare the burden of disease in cities and towns regardless of the size of their population.” The DPH stressed “these are reported cases only.”
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