WASHTENAW COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
Leadership, legislative action, and community outreach since 1827
The WCMS E-Newsletter is a bimonthly publication highlighting major medical, public health, and community issues affecting physician and medical student leaders in Washtenaw County. Distribution is a unique benefit of membership. To learn more about WCMS' member benefits, please follow this link.
COVID-19 VACCINE & TESTING STATUS
Vaccination Summary (Current as of July 26):
  • Washtenaw County Vaccine Status (Region 2S)
  • 502,250 vaccines distributed (Pfizer - 351,765 / Moderna - 131,640 / Johnson & Johnson - 18,800)
  • 409,261 vaccines administered
  • 216,660 1st dose
  • 192,601 2nd dose
  • Everyone 12 years old and up is eligible to be vaccinated. To find a vaccination site, please follow this link.
  • Michigan Vaccine Status
  • 11,740,765 vaccines distributed (Pfizer - 6,169,,245 / Moderna - 4,924,320 / Johnson & Johnson - 647,200)
  • 9,261,962 vaccines administered
  • 4,973,395 1st dose
  • 4,288,567 2nd dose
  • 5,121,088 Michigan residents age 16+ with 1+ dose = 63.2%
  • To find a COVID-19 vaccine in the State of Michigan, please follow this link.
Testing Summary (Current as of July 28):
  • Washtenaw County COVID-19 Case Status
  • Confirmed & Probable Cases - 26,849
  • Total Deaths - 306
  • 2 week snapshot (July 8-21): 112 cases and 1.8% weekly test positivity rate
  • Looking for COVID-19 testing sites in Washtenaw County? Follow this link.
  • Michigan COVID-19 Case Status
  • Confirmed Cases - 1,008,429
  • Total Deaths - 21,165
  • Looking for COVID-19 testing sites in Michigan? Follow this link.
NEWS & STORIES
Legislative Updates and Alerts

The Michigan House and Senate began their in-district summer work period in early July. Legislative activity will be limited until they return in the fall. The next WCMS Legislative Committee meeting will be held on Monday, September 13 from 7:30 - 9:00 AM. Washtenaw's legislators continue to be available to the community. Follow the links to participate in an upcoming event:

Michigan Auto No-Fault Changes Enacted
On July 2, two portions of the 2019 auto no-fault law went into effect, which included a 45% reduction in the amount insurance companies will reimburse providers for care that isn't covered under the federal Medicare Act, and a 56 hour a week cap on family members providing care. In order to fix this, a number of legislative options have been proposed, including House Bill 4486 and Senate Bill 314, which offer budget-neutral solutions that would enable the continued care of survivors, will adjust brain injury rehabilitation, home care, and other therapy services to align with the fee schedule reimbursement cap of 200% of the Medicare reimbursement rate. Click here to take action now!

Prior Authorization Reform Legislation
Senate Bill 247 introduces transparency and clinical validity requirements that would protect Michigan patients from costly and dangerous delays in access to health care. The Health Can’t Wait Act would establish:
  • Transparency – Insurance company prior authorization requirements will be publicly published on the insurer’s website in detail and in easily understandable language.
  • Clinical validity – Clinical review criteria is based on current peer-reviewed evidence and individuals with a financial stake in the outcome of prior authorization decisions are prohibited from the decision-making process.
  • Fairness for patients – Urgent and non-urgent prior authorization requests must be acted upon in a timely manner and clinicians and patients are properly notified of new or amended prior authorization requirements.
Encourage your legislators to support SB 247 by clicking here!
Free at Home COVID-19 Testing Initiative in Washtenaw County

The Washtenaw County Health Department (WCHD) is participating in an initiative through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bring free, at home, rapid antigen testing to the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti community. This initiative is called Say Yes COVID Test (SYCT) Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti (https://covidtestaaypsi.org/). Households in the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti communities are eligible to receive a kit that consists of 25 tests with the recommendation to serially test the two most vulnerable family members for 4-6 weeks. 
 
The free home antigen tests can be ordered online through https://covidtestaaypsi.org/get-your-tests.html, picked up through the WCHD vaccination clinic (and vaccination events throughout the county), or they can be delivered directly to an interested organization.

For more information on this program and to connect your patients with these resources, please access this press release or download and print this flyer for your office.
Access the Summer Edition of the WCMS Bulletin

Don't miss out on the digital 2nd quarter issue of the WCMS Bulletin under the direction of Editor Richard Burney, MD: 

  • President's Message: A Different Kind of Long Hauler - Terence Joiner, MD
  • Editor-at-Large: My Annual Critique of the House of Delegates - Richard Burney, MD
  • WCMS Advocacy Action Items and Alerts 
  • Share Your Story: Thanks to COVID-19, Senior Year Was Not at All What I Expected - Lauren McGee, MD, University of Michigan Medical School, Class of '21
  • Share Your Story: Our Parents' Secrets - Richard Burney, MD
  • WCMS 2021 Membership One-Pager
  • Membership News
  • Highlights from Executive Council Meeting
  • Vaccine Information from the Washtenaw County Health Department
  • Say Yes! COVID Test Press Release, and More!

Contact the Society Office to submit a piece for publication or to request a printed copy of the WCMS Bulletin!
EVENTS & IMPORTANT DATES
REGISTER NOW: 3rd Annual Cannabis in Practice Luncheon Webinars

Register now for the 3rd annual "Cannabis in Practice" virtual Zoom webinars for medical professionals hosted by the Washtenaw County Health Department and WCMS.

Topic: Nationwide Marijuana Laws, Trends, and Care Delivery
Date: Tuesday, August 10 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
Speaker: Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD, Senior Legislative Attorney, American Medical Association

Topic: Women, Pregnancy, and Medical Cannabis
Date: Tuesday, August 24 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
Speaker: Laura M. Borgelt, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy

Topic: Social Equity & Medical Cannabis: Advancing Equity & Justice
Date: Tuesday, August 31 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST
Speaker: Grant Richardson, Lead Instructor, Co-Founder of Illinois Cannabis Training Center
WCMS Legislative Committee: Monday, September 13 at 7:30 AM

The WCMS Legislative Committee, under the direction of Dr. James Mitchiner, will meet virtually with Washtenaw-area legislators to discuss medicine's latest legislative issues. Agenda items will include: COVID-19, telemedicine, prior authorization, scope of practice, climate action, auto no-fault, and other critical community issues. Legislators that typically attend include:
  • Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
  • State Senator Jeff Irwin
  • House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski
  • State Representative Felicia Brabec
  • State Representative Yousef Rabhi

All WCMS members are welcome to attend the next quarterly meeting on Monday, September 13. To request meeting access or submit topics for discussion, please contact the Society Office.
WCMS COVID-19 Workgroup: Thursday, September 16 at 6:00 PM

Since March 2020, WCMS has convened regular COVID-19 teleconferences to discuss resource allocation, emergency preparedness, and tracking and tracing among Washtenaw's health department, health systems, and physician leaders. The workgroup is led by University of Michigan infectious diseases specialist and WCMS Executive Council member Sandro Cinti, MD. The workgroup also receives updates and modeling data from UM Public Health epidemiologists.

All interested WCMS members are encouraged to join the next virtual meeting on Thursday, September 16 from 6:00-7:00 PM. Please contact the Society Office for login credentials.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Call for Leaders

WCMS at the MSMS House of Delegates
The House of Delegates (HOD) is the official policy-making body of MSMS. Resolutions are the vehicles used to debate and determine the policies, priorities, and direction of MSMS. Each year, physician and medical student members serve as delegates, review resolutions, testify in reference committees, and vote on important policy decisions. WCMS is allocated 13 delegate slots in 2021.

WCMS Executive Council
The Executive Council is the voting body that supervises the function and activities of WCMS. Council members determine annual events, legislative priorities, and community outreach directives. The Executive Council now meets virtually the first Thursday of each month.

WCMS Committees and Task Forces
Each committee meets approximately three-four times annually and members are simply asked to share a passion for the subject and interest in learning skills in the field.
  • Environmental/Climate Change Task Force
  • Finance Committee
  • Legislative Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Programming Committee

To apply and learn more about WCMS leadership opportunities, please follow this link.
*Reference to any specific product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of members and does not constitute medical advice, endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Washtenaw County Medical Society.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND SUPPORT OF WCMS!
The Washtenaw County Medical Society has been the leading physician medical association for legislative action and community outreach since 1827. WCMS works together with the Michigan State Medical Society to optimize patient, physician, and community well-being through professional support; public health activism; and advocacy for excellence in patient care.