Provider Guidance

Actions Requested of Providers

When you suspect a patient has COVID-19…

• Assess patient and prioritize testing
  • Assess patient and provide clinical consultation.
  • Prioritize COVID-19 testing in persons meeting updated testing priority criteria, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Department of Public Health (CDPH), regardless of which laboratory is performing testing.
• Provide guidance and patient education materials
  • CDPH Self-Isolation Instructions for Individuals Who Have or Likely Have COVID-19, Spanish
  • CDPH Self-Quarantine Instructions for Individuals Exposed to COVID-19, Spanish
• Report COVID-19 cases to Public Health
  • Submit COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR) for the following situations:
    • Hospitalizations (for hospitals, please include suspected nosocomial COVID infections)
    • Deaths
    • Residents/staff of SNF's and all other residential care facilities
    • Residents/staff of shelters
    • Inmates/staff of jails
    • Inmates/staff of Juvenile Hall
    Phone call notification is NOT required, unless the patient meets a Vulnerable Population
  • Two options to report to Public Health:
    • Electronic Reporting (CalREDIE) – Preferred
      Submit COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR) and supplemental documents directly into CalREDIE via the Provider Portal.
      To request access, follow the directions in this link: CalREDIE Provider Portal
    • Fax or Email
      Complete the COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR)
      Send via Email HSACD@santacruzcounty.us or Fax (831) 454-5049

Questions? Call the Communicable Disease Unit on weekdays 8am–5pm at (831) 454-4114. Outside of these hours, leave a voicemail for later response.

Process for Requesting COVID-19 Therapeutics

The County of Santa Cruz receives limited allocations of COVID-19 antivirals and therapeutic medication which include: Evusheld, Paxlovid, Molnupiravir, Sotrovimab, and other medication(s) which may be identified. To make it easier for high-risk patients to be treated, we would like to expand the number of providers who are authorized to receive these medications throughout the County.

Healthcare providers wanting to receive COVID-19 therapeutics must:

• Fill out the Health Partner Ordering Portal (HPoP) Request Form.
• Once a healthcare provider has a HPoP account, they are then authorized to use the COVID-19 Therapeutics/Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb) Request Form to request COVID-19 therapeutics.

For questions please contact HSADOCTherapeutics@santacruzcounty.us.

Resources

Providers interested in participating in COVID-19 Vaccination can enroll in the California’s centralized system myCAvax.

• Reasons to Become a myCAvax Provider
• Guidance on Quarantine and Isolation for Health Care Personnel (HCP) Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and Return to Work for HCP with COVID-19
• Fit Testing Guide
• CDPH
• CDC guidance on quarantine link
• CDC COVID-19 Information
• CDC COVID-19 Information for Health Professionals
• CDC Fact Sheets - for posting and sharing
• Cleaning and Disinfecting
• Infection Prevention and Control Guidance in Healthcare Settings
• Clinical Guidance for Management of Confirmed Cases
• Home Care Guidance
• Guidance on Quarantine for Health Care Personnel (HCP) Exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and Return to Work for HCP with COVID-19
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
  • CDC Testing site
  • COVID-19 General Information
  • COVID-19 Information for Health Professionals
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
  • Counseling Check List for Providers: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-provider-patient-counseling-checklist.pdf
  • Health care provider Q&A about reimbursement for counseling: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-provider-counseling-qa.pdf
  • COVID-19 Partner Toolkit: https://www.cms.gov/outreach-education/partner-resources/coronavirus-covid-19-partner-toolkit
• California Department of Public Health
  • All Facility Letters: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/LNCAFL21.aspx
  • COVID-19 General Guidance: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Guidance.aspx
  • Isolation and Quarantine for COVID-19 Contact Tracing: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Guidance-on-Isolation-and-Quarantine-for-COVID-19-Contact-Tracing.aspx
• Department of Health Care Services,
  • COVID-19 Response: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/DHCS-COVID%E2%80%9119-Response.aspx
  • COVID-19 Information for Providers & Partners: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/Pages/COVID-19-Pro-Part.aspx
• CDSS: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/#covid19
• Central California Alliance for Health: https://www.ccah-alliance.org/COVID-19_member_info.html
• CalOSHA
  • Interim Guidance for Protecting Workers at Skilled Nursing and Long-term Care Facilities from Exposure to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Coronavirus/Skilled-Nursing.html
  • File a Workplace Safety Compliant: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Complaint.htm
    • To file a complaint, call (510) 794-2521

PPE Requests

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Utilization and Distribution Guidance for Medical and Health Personnel
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Request Application and Resource Request Form

Behavioral Health (Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment) Providers