Operations and Clinical Update: January 18, 2022

Dear Colleagues,

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REMINDER: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Workplace Requirement

Boston Medical Center is following CDC guidance and requiring all employees and LIPs receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes individuals working off-site (at-home, out-of-state, and off-campus), residents, students, interns, vendors, volunteers, and on-site contracted personnel.

In order to meet the compliance requirement and maintain employment at BMC, you must receive the COVID-19 booster or an approved exemption by March 28, 2022. In the event that March 28 is sooner than five months after your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or two months after your J&J vaccine, your due date will be the Monday after the date when you become eligible for the booster.    

Full compliance includes ensuring that your booster vaccination status is recorded in the Employee Health Portal. You can find detailed information about recording your booster status on the COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance page on the Hub.

NEW: Update on COVID-19 Therapeutics Available at BMC

Thank you to the teams who have been working hard to ensure our patients have access to COVID-19 treatments. Beginning tomorrow, January 19, BMC will be expanding capacity for monoclonal antibody infusions for COVID-19:

• Adult infusions will be available in the Outtakes gift shop in the Menino lobby.
• Pediatric infusions will continue to be available in the Endoscopy suite.

For more information about eligibility and how to refer a patient, please see the Screening to Assess Eligibility for Monoclonal Antibody Treatment or Antiviral treatment for COVID-19 Infection in Ambulatory Setting document on the COVID-19 clinical resources page on the Hub.

This week, BMC will also begin to offer prophylactic treatments to high-risk, COVID-negative patients. Specific clinics and providers have been working to identify eligible patients.

NEW: At-Home COVID-19 Tests Available – How to Get Reimbursed and Access Free Tests from the Federal Government

As of January 15, at-home COVID antigen test kits are now fully covered through health insurance: 

• Each covered family member will have access to eight diagnostic tests per month.
• The reimbursement amount is up to $12 per test. Most kits contain two tests, so reimbursement would be up to $24 a box, and would count for two of the eight monthly tests.

If you are in a BMC group medical plan (BMC Select, BMC Tiered HMO, HPHC PPO), you must submit your test kit receipts to the pharmacy manager, Express Scripts Inc. (ESI) for reimbursement. More details on this process will be coming later this week. You can submit any test purchased on or after January 15, as long as you have the receipt.

If you are planning on submitting for reimbursement, do not use your flexible spending account card to purchase a test kit, as that would make your purchase ineligible for reimbursement.

In addition to insurance coverage for at-home tests, four free at-home COVID-19 tests are available for each residential address in the U.S. Tests can be requested by visiting COVIDTests.gov.  

REMINDER: Self-Clear Process for Employees Tested for COVID-19

BMC has implemented a “self-clear” protocol for staff who receive positive COVID test results with or without symptoms. If you were tested for COVID-19 at BMC or took an at-home test that showed a positive result, please follow the below process, which is also posted on the Hub.

If your at-home or at BMC test is negative and you don’t have symptoms, report to work as normal. If your test is negative and you have symptoms, please speak with your manager about taking sick time. Please do not come to work if you aren’t feeling well. Also please be aware that the sensitivity of rapid tests has been found to be lower for the Omicron variant. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 but test negative with an at-home test, you should get a PCR test or test yourself at home a few days after the first negative test.

If your COVID-19 results are positive (from an at-home test or testing site):

• Stay home from work and self-isolate for at least five days (five full 24-hour periods) after the positive test or the onset of symptoms, whichever is less. Notify your manager that you need to stay home and remain out of work until you meet the criteria to return to work.
• If you test positive with an at-home test, you will need to provide documentation by sending a photo of the positive test to COVID19WWC@bmc.org. You must include full your name, date of birth, test date, and phone number. The test will be documented in your medical record.
• The COVID Working Well Clinic will be automatically notified about positive results from tests done at BMC.
• Employees and LIPs can self-clear to return to work when eligible. You do not need clearance from the COVID Working Well Clinic to return to work.
• When you self-clear, please email COVID19WWC@bmc.org to let the team know that you have self-cleared.
• A negative test is not required to return to work, as COVID-19 tests may remain positive after people are no longer infectious to others.