WASHTENAW COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY
Legislative action & community outreach since 1827
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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.
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COVID-19 VACCINE & TESTING STATUS |
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Vaccination Summary (Current as of June 29):
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Washtenaw County Vaccine Status (Region 2S)
- 490,635 vaccines distributed (Pfizer - 345,015 / Moderna - 126,820 / Johnson & Johnson - 18,800)
- 401,785 vaccines administered
- 213,086 1st dose
- 188,699 2nd dose
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Everyone 12 years old and up is eligible to be vaccinated. To find a vaccination site, please follow this link.
- Michigan Vaccine Status
- 11,430,115 vaccines distributed (Pfizer - 6,031,095 / Moderna - 4,751,820 / Johnson & Johnson - 647,200)
- 9,012,272 vaccines administered
- 4,849,774 1st dose
- 4,162,498 2nd dose
- 5,000,069 Michigan residents age 16+ with 1+ dose = 61.8%
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To find a COVID-19 vaccine in the State of Michigan, please follow this link.
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Testing Summary (Current as of June 30):
- Washtenaw County COVID-19 Case Status
- Confirmed & Probable Cases - 26,620
- Total Deaths - 303
- 2 week snapshot (June 10-23): 40 cases and 0.5% weekly test positivity rate
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Looking for COVID-19 testing sites in Washtenaw County? Follow this link.
- Michigan COVID-19 Case Status
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Confirmed Cases - 1,000,019
- Total Deaths - 20,999
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Looking for COVID-19 testing sites in Michigan? Follow this link.
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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
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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
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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!
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Legislative Updates and Alerts
Legislative updates and action alerts are provided below for WCMS leaders. The Michigan House and Senate are scheduled to begin their summer in-district work period this Friday, July 2. 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.
Physicians Voices Heard: Update on Scope of Practice, HB 4359 - Thank You for Your Help
Last Thursday, the Michigan House of Representatives successfully concurred with the Senate-passed version of House Bill 4359 after MSMS, working alongside the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists, and a number of dedicated stakeholders, secured substantial changes to the original House-passed version of the bill. The most significant change was ensuring a doctor is not only part of a patient care team, but they must also be immediately available when a procedure is taking place. The new language requires training for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), prohibits a CRNA from practicing without physician supervision at a pain clinic, and clarifies that CRNAs are not allowed to practice independently. The bill now moves to the Governor’s desk for final signature.
Michigan Auto No-Fault Changes Enacted
Last Thursday, Michigan's House approved $10 million to support providers that will be facing cuts to reimbursements for care they provide to auto accident victims. This Friday, July 2, two portions of the 2019 auto no-fault law go into effect, which includes a 45% reduction in the amount insurance companies will reimburse local care providers for any care that isn't covered under the federal Medicare Act, and a 56 hour a week cap on family members providing care. On Wednesday, the Michigan Senate passed Senate Bill 28 in an attempt to address the July 2 cuts, but groups like the Coalition to Protect Auto No-Fault (CPAN), detail that the bill in reality does nothing to protect access to care. CPAN and the medical societies continue to urge the legislature to return to the table and enact meaningful changes. Michigan’s auto no-fault system was a saving grace for thousands of auto accident victims and their families. Sadly, that system has been dismantled, leaving limited access to care for accident survivors. In order to fix this, a number of options have been proposed, including House Bill 4486 and Senate Bill 314, which offer a budget-neutral solution that would enable the continued care of survivors and 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!
Keep Up-to-Date on Prior Authorization Reform Legislation, SB 247: Health Can't Wait
Senate Bill 247 introduces new transparency and clinical validity requirements that would protect Michigan patients from costly and dangerous delays in access to health care. The legislation is the reintroduction of prior authorization reform, which previously took the form of SB 612 during the last legislative session. The Health Can’t Wait Act would establish:
- Transparency – Insurance company prior authorization requirements will be published on the insurer’s website in detail and in easily understandable language, and that aggregated information about prior authorization approval and denials are made publicly available.
- 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.
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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.
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Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ "We Treat Hepatitis C" Program Provider Resources and Upcoming Webinar
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently launched the We Treat Hep C Initiative to eliminate hepatitis C and improve access to hepatitis C treatment among Michigan Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries. As part of the We Treat Hep C Initiative, Michigan Medicaid removed the prescriber requirement. As a result, all providers with prescriptive authority are now able to prescribe hepatitis C treatment. Please follow this link to learn more the We Treat Hepatitis C Initiative, resources available, and more information on the removal of prior authorization criteria (including the prescriber specialty requirement).
To support Michigan’s efforts to eliminate hepatitis C, AbbVie is hosting an upcoming webinar on July 22 that will feature discussions on caring for women with hepatitis C. Presentations and discussions will be led by Elaine Engelsman, DNP, FNP-BC.
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WCMS COVID-19 Workgroup: Thursday, July 8 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, July 8 from 6:00-7:00 PM. Please contact the Society Office for login credentials.
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Save the Date: 3rd Annual Cannabis in Practice Webinar Series, July-September 2021
Mark your calendars for the 3rd annual "Cannabis in Practice" virtual Zoom webinars for medical professionals hosted by the Washtenaw County Health Department and WCMS from July through September. To pre-register and to sign-up for event alerts, please click here. .
2021 Calendar (In Progress)
Focus: 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
Focus: Cannabis Use in Practice: Focus on Pregnancy and Lactation
Date: Tuesday, August 21 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
Funding is provided by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Marijuana Regulatory Agency (LARA) for medical marijuana education. Funding cannot be used for other purposes.
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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.
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*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. |
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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.
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STAY CONNECTED WITH WCMS ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER! |
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