Great News; The Ban On Medical Treatment Has Lifted!

It has been over six weeks since Governor Hogan banned elective and non-urgent medical procedures in the State of Maryland. However, the question which remained was, “Is it elective to have an epidural shot or surgery if I am in a tremendous amount of pain?” Well, no need to answer this question any longer, with Governor Hogan’s recent order effective Thursday May 7, 2020, medical practices are now permitted to accept patients in-person for treatment. While the decision about which procedures are appropriate to perform, and which patients should be seen are left to the independent professional judgment of the provider, the Secretary of Health, Robert Neall, issued a directive regarding practice requirements.

The order requires that any healthcare facility that chooses to open must have the appropriate supply of PPE, social distancing requirements must be strictly maintained in all settings where people must wait, and all healthcare workers, patients and others must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival for shifts or visits. Even with these requirements it seems many providers are already opening their doors and scheduling those appointments that have been pending since the closures began. Hopefully, those in pain can finally get some relief!

Written by Julie Mirman, an Associate Attorney with Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP, specializing in medical treatment coverage under workers’ compensation.
Julie Mirman
jmirman@bsgfdlaw.com