On August 11, 2021, the US Senate passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. In a major win for medicine, Senators eliminated the proposal to use unspent COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds to pay for the infrastructure package. The CMA told leaders that many physician practices were still recovering and with the new Delta variant surge, more assistance was needed to sustain physicians for the long-term. Several other health care–related provisions were used to partially fund the infrastructure package: Medicare sequestration provider payment cuts are extended from 2030 to 2031; drug manufacturers are required to refund unused single-dose containers and single-use packs; and until January 1, 2025, there is a moratorium on the implementation of the prescription drug rebate rule, which originally eliminated the anti-kickback safe harbor protection for prescription drug rebates.

After initially failing to reach an agreement, Dignity Health California and Anthem Blue Cross have reached a new contract agreement that is retroactive to July 15, 2021. For more information, click here.

The California Supreme Court recently issued an important decision that clarifies a physician's ability to challenge peer review hearing officers for impermissible bias. To read more, click here.

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently announced a January 1, 2022, implementation date for the Medi-Cal Rx program. Earlier this year, DHCS delayed the planned go-live date of April 1, 2021, to give the agency time to review new conflict avoidance protocols submitted by Magellan Health, Inc., the project’s contracted vendor. On July 27, 2021, DHCS completed its review of Magellan’s Conflict Avoidance Plan (CAP) and announced the new implementation date. For more information, visit the Medi-Cal Rx website by clicking here.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a Texas law banning the most common form of second-trimester abortion, ruling that a lower court had erred in finding that the law imposed "an undue burden on a large fraction of women." At issue is a Texas law, Senate Bill 8, that was passed in 2017 but has not yet been in effect because of legal battles.

The 2021-22 Nominating Committee report is available for members to review. Members who wish to nominate themselves for a position may do so until September 10, 2021. Those members who have been nominated by the Nominating Committee will be considered elected by acclamation If no additional nominations are received.

Why Is It So Hard to Be Rational? The New Yorker, 8/16/21

New Studies Hint That the Coronavirus May be Evolving to Become More Airborne, Science News, 8/17/21

Those Anti-COVID Plastic Barriers Probably Don’t Help and May Make Things Worse, The New York Times, 8/19/21

Richard Sackler Says Family and Purdue Bear No Responsibility for Opioid Crisis, The New York Times, 8/18/21

COVID-19 Vaccines May Trigger Superimmunity in People Who Had SARS Long Ago, Science, 8/18/21

New Staff Onboarding Series

Now available! Current and new staff can receive on-demand training on HIPAA, OSHA, and customer service. Intended for all staff encountering patients in person or by telephone, this course covers customer service techniques, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For questions, contact Jenn Mullins, Education and Event Associate, at jmullins@accma.org.

Click here to register. 

The California Medical Association's (CMA) wellness program (CMA Wellness) is pleased to launch free, online wellness engagement groups for health care providers who conduct patient screenings for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Treating patients with multiple ACEs or toxic stress can potentially impact your personal wellness and increase feelings of burnout. CMA Wellness's engagement groups will support providers by offering subject matter experts, best practices, and an open forum to share experiences, facilitated by trained, volunteer physicians. Each monthly webinar is organized around a prevailing theme with a stakeholder co-host to provide a variety of perspectives with a general discussion and breakout rooms. Registration is required, and providers will be joining the Tuesday series for a 6‑month duration.

For more information and to register, click here.

Mental Health First Aid 101

Mental Health First Aid certification is an evidence-based curriculum with certification conferred by the National Council of Wellbeing. During this overview, participants will be provided a high-level perspective of Mental Health First Aid, what it is, and how it is applied to provide support to adults who may be experiencing the signs and symptoms of mental illness. The workshop will look at current trends in its usage and what MHFA certification can do to support organizations and communities during COVID‑19. Please note: this workshop does not count towards MHFA Certification.

Speaker: Brooke Briggance, Program Director, Cypress Resilience Project

Click here for details and to register. 

Advancing Trauma-Informed Communities

This training for primary care, acute care and behavioral health providers will raise your capacity to advance trauma-informed communities in support of ACE screening and coordinated prevention and treatment to mitigate the toxic stress response.

Click here to learn more and to register.

Click here to register.

Virtual Grand Rounds: The Nocturnists 

Erica Pan, MD, MPH, from the California Department of Public Health will provide an update on COVID-19 in California, including efforts to keep the virus at bay, progress on vaccinations, and the hope for keeping schools open. We will also hear from The Nocturnists, a medical storytelling live show and podcast in which healthcare workers can pause and examine their inner landscapes. The Nocturnists helps us examine the forces that drive burnout and moral distress, and in doing so, provides hope that we can find ways to flourish in the face of the extreme stresses of medical practice, particularly in the setting of a pandemic. 

Register here.

Register here.

State of Reform, one of the most important statewide events in California health care, pulls together practitioners, thought leaders and policymakers — each working to improve our health care system in their own way — into a unified conversation in a single place. Choose to attend in person or virtually; registration fee varies. CMA members receive a 20% discount on registration with promo code CMA20.

For more information and to register, click here.

Learn more and register here.