NYSDOH Statewide Public Health Preparedness Volunteer Program

Licensed professionals who would be willing to volunteer their services in the event of a public health emergency. The purpose of this Volunteer Practitioner Program is to assure that the entire State has adequate resources to prepare for and respond to any public health emergency, whether it is a declared disaster or other non-declared emergency affecting public health. Volunteers could be needed to respond to natural disasters, accidents, or terrorist attacks, and during events where operations are compromised by physical damage, loss of electrical power, or other causes. Emergencies might range from single- jurisdictional events such as a single anthrax letter to regional events such as a multi-county ice storm, to statewide events such as a severe hurricane.  Read more here.

NYS Education Dept - Health Care Services in Sleep Laboratories

This memorandum is provided in response to many inquiries seeking clarification from the State Education Department about the role of licensed respiratory therapy practitioners and non-licensed persons in providing health care services in sleep laboratories across the State.

Read the official memo.

AARC - New Position Statement Clarifies Medication Scheduling Issues

AARC with input from North Carolina respiratory therapy leaders immediately began researching the situation and ultimately went to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to address the issue from a nationwide standpoint.

CMS suggested that the AARC develop a Position Statement clarifying the profession’s stance on the delivery of respiratory medications and now that Statement has been approved by the AARC Board of Directors. Additionally, the position statement was sent to the Board of Medical Advisors of the AARC and received their endorsement.

Read more on the AARC website.

AARC - What's Next for Pulmonary Rehab Coverage?

When the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act was passed in July, for many, that initial sense of victory, however, has turned into a string of unanswered questions. When will the benefit go into effect? Which services will be covered? What will be the frequency and duration of the services that are approved? And what do we do in the meantime?

The AARC has developed a new document aimed at answering those questions. You can download the document from the AARC website.