COVID Vaccine? Check. What About Your Membership Renewal? |
Renewal Is Only a Click Away |
MSD membership renewal was due January 1st. Membership rates remain the same without an increase for the 2022 membership year. Please don't forget to renew your membership. Your renewal can be accomplished by electronic payment through the MSD website, over the phone, or by mail-in payment. If you are experiencing financial hardship, it is important to speak with us about options. Please contact MSD Membership Manager Michelle Seymour at (302) 224-4905 or Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org if you have questions. (Note: This is a general announcement to the membership. Many members have already submitted their payment for the 2022 membership year.)
|
|
Grant Awarded to MSD From DSAMH |
Increasing Patient Access for Opioid Treatment and Recovery |
The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) has formed an Opioid Response Team to provide strategic leadership and oversight to all opioid-related programs and activities throughout the Division, with a focus on the planning for and implementation of the State’s Opioid Response. DSAMH has awarded MSD with a grant to help Delaware reach important goals to provide higher levels of care and decrease opioid overdoses. MSD and its subsidiary, MedNet, will be working closely with an organization called the Recovery Platform to support this initiative. The grant allows MSD/MedNet to recruit up to five practices for a nine-month pilot program. If your practice has a willingness to promote screening tools to patients, treat or refer substance use or social needs patients, and desires to make strides in 2022 standards for collection of social determinant data, please complete the survey, which will only be used for our educational purposes and to help identify practices interested and that might benefit from this exciting project! For additional information, contact: Lori Ann Rhoads, CMPE, Director of Health System Innovation, Medical Society of Delaware, LoriAnn.Rhoads@medsocdel.org
|
|
Vaccine, Testing Mandate Withdrawn for Large Employers |
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it is withdrawing the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued on November 5, 2021, to protect unvaccinated employees of large employers with 100 or more employees from workplace exposure to coronavirus. The withdrawal is effective January 26, 2022. The Supreme Court blocked the ETS earlier this month, stating OSHA did not have authority to require workers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested weekly. Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable ETS, the agency is not withdrawing the ETS as a proposed rule.
|
|
FDA Limits Use of Certain Monoclonal Antibody Treatments |
|
Due to the Omicron Variant |
|
In light of the most recent information and data available, on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments – bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) – to limit their use to only when the patient is likely to have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to account for more than 99% of cases in the United States as of Jan. 15. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely that COVID-19 patients seeking care in the U.S. at this time are infected with a variant other than omicron. Because data show these treatments are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant, these treatments are not authorized for use in any U.S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time. This avoids exposing patients to side effects, such as injection site reactions or allergic reactions, which can be potentially serious, from specific treatment agents that are not expected to provide benefit to patients who have been infected with or exposed to the omicron variant. In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions. Importantly, there are several other therapies – Paxlovid, sotrovimab, Veklury (remdesivir), and molnupiravir – that are expected to work against the omicron variant and that are authorized or approved to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death. Health care providers should consult the NIH panel’s COVID-19 treatment guidelines and assess whether these treatments are right for their patients.
|
|
FDA Expands Use of COVID Treatment for Outpatients |
For Adult and Pediatric Outpatients with Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 |
Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took two actions to expand the use of the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) to certain non-hospitalized adults and pediatric patients for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease. This provides another treatment option to reduce the risk of hospitalization in high-risk patients. Previously, the use of Veklury was limited to patients requiring hospitalization. The FDA has expanded the approved indication for Veklury to include its use in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms, which is about 88 pounds) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are not hospitalized and have mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. The agency also revised the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Veklury to additionally authorize the drug for treatment of pediatric patients weighing 3.5 kilograms to less than 40 kilograms or pediatric patients less than 12 years of age weighing at least 3.5 kilograms, with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are not hospitalized and have mild-to-moderate COVID-19, and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization of death. These high-risk non-hospitalized patients may receive Veklury via intravenous infusion for a total of three days for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease.
|
|
American Lung Association's Annual Tobacco Report Released |
Report Shows Significant Progress |
The American Lung Association’s 20th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, released Wednesday, reveals significant progress in the work to end tobacco use, but products like e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, create concern for losing another generation to nicotine addiction. The report finds that Delaware had mixed progress on passing policies to reduce and prevent tobacco use, but more work needs to be done and existing policies need to be protected.
|
|
Need PPE, COVID-19 Test Kits, Medical Supplies? |
MSD Membership Matters! Discounted Rates Through Dealmed |
Health care professionals continue to seek reliable PPE in the workplace to help protect themselves from COVID-19 and the highly contagious Omicron variant. Dealmed Medical Supplies, an Affinity partner with MSD, can be that reliable source in providing health care professionals with the necessary PPE. Dealmed Medical Supplies is an independent manufacturer/distributor of medical supplies, injectables, equipment, and PPE. With their distribution center conveniently located in central New Jersey, Dealmed has been able to assist many customers in the area (and beyond) with fast access and delivery of crucial supplies. Please contact Sonja Baggett to discuss how Dealmed can be a great option for much-needed supplies. She can be reached at 302-766-2124 or sbaggett@dealmed.com.
|
|
HHS Disbursing $2 Billion More in Provider Relief Fund Payments |
To Health Care Providers Impacted by COVID-19 Pandemic |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will be disbursing an additional $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments this week. Like the payments allocated in December, these payments will be based on lost revenues and increased expenses due to COVID-19 and will be made to physicians who previously applied for relief funds. HHS will reimburse a larger share of losses and increased expenses for smaller providers and a portion of the payments will be based on the amount and type of services provided to Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP patients. To mitigate disparities due to varying Medicaid reimbursement rates, HHS is using Medicare reimbursement rates in calculating these payments. Physician practices that receive more than $10,000 in payments will be required to report on their use of the funds. More information is available here.
|
|
Provider Relief Funds Funding Compliance to Be Audited |
Recipients Must Follow Surprise Billing Requirement |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will audit hospitals and health care providers that received Provider Relief Funds (PRF) for compliance with the balanced billing requirement (or ‘surprise billing’), which is a requirement to receive the funds. A nationwide audit will be conducted to determine whether hospitals that received PRF funding complied with the billing requirements for COVID patients. This requirement stipulates that those hospitals must not pursue out-of-pocket payments from COVID patients whose bill exceeded what the patients otherwise would have been required to pay for in-network care.
|
|
DPH Community Assessments Underway |
To Inform Future COVID-19 Response Efforts and Improve Health |
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) will conduct a series of community health assessments to better understand the concerns and needs of Delaware communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and to improve the overall health in Delaware in the future. As part of Delaware’s State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), DPH has partnered with the University of Delaware’s Partnership for Healthy Communities and Epidemiology Program to conduct a survey in each of Delaware’s three counties. Households will be randomly selected to participate in the survey. In addition to community assessments being conducted at the household level to assess COVID-19 mitigation efforts, perceptions of risk, and preventive actions taken by Delaware households, two series of Community Conversations are also being planned to learn more about broader health impacts on communities.
|
|
Honesty and Ethical Dilemmas in Medicine |
Study Conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business |
The Medical Society of Delaware has been contacted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business regarding research being conducted on how physicians communicate with patients. Dr. Emma Levine, Associate Professor of Behavioral Science is interested in your experience! You can participate in this 10-15 minute study in which you will read prompts and answer questions about your experience as a medical professional. The research being done studies questions about honesty and ethical dilemmas and is currently exploring these concepts within the field of medicine, especially in understanding how medical professionals feel about communicating negative information when it could cause harm to patients. Only medical professionals (non-students) are eligible to participate. As compensation, you will receive a $50 Amazon gift card (or Venmo transfer, whichever you prefer). Please email Emma Levine (Emma.Levine@chicagobooth.edu) if you have any questions.
|
|
Highlight On Events And Educational Offerings |
An Approach to Patients Who Have Not Gotten the COVID-19 Vaccine |
This course module was developed by the "Made to Save" Campaign and will explore a patient-centered approach to COVID-19 vaccine counseling to increase trust, confidence, and vaccine uptake, based on the experience of a national grassroots COVID-19 vaccine education and outreach campaign focused on underserved communities of color. The Yale School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
|
|
Opioid REMS: Moving Forward, Safely & Effectively |
Patients suffering with chronic or acute pain present a tremendous challenge to any clinician. How do the experts handle these patients and how does that compare to your practice? Join leading experts in an innovative, engaging curriculum that utilizes augmented reality to help you immediately impact and improve the outcomes of your patients with pain. This educational program is designed for physicians and other health care professionals who are DEA registered prescribers of controlled substances. In addition, non-prescribing health care team members who support the treatment and management of patients with pain but are not authorized to prescribe will benefit from participating in this educational series. Purdue University College of Pharmacy designates this internet enduring activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. There is no fee for the program.
|
|
Tita Gontang, NADA Registered Trainer, and Cheyenne Luzader, NADA Trainer-Trainee will be offering an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist training for licensed health care professionals starting Wednesday, February 2, 2022. This is a 70-hour training course (30 hr didactic/40 hour clinical) described on the NADA website www.acudetox.com and in the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) training manual. Due to COVID-19, this training can now be offered partially online. Six sessions (12 hours) will be on Zoom on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. EST beginning February 2. The remaining didactic (18 hours) will be reading, videos, and other materials completed on the student’s time schedule, logged and submitted to the trainer. Clinical will include a Saturday in-person group training (8hrs, date and location to be determined). The remaining clinical hours (32 hrs) to be arranged. After completion, the student obtains a NADA certification, then applies for a state license. To register, email cluzbiz@gmail.com and include the following information: name, address, phone numbers, place of employment, and state licenses held.
|
|
Bayhealth Medical Grand Rounds - For Health Care Professionals |
Bayhealth Hospital invites health care professionals to attend their Medical Grand Rounds. This regularly scheduled series takes place every fourth Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover. You can also join via zoom. Registration is required. Upcoming dates for meetings are February 8, March 8, April 5, and May 3, 2022. To join the Zoom by meeting number use Access Code 2435 528 4699 and Password Bayhealth.
|
|
Long COVID and Fatiguing Illness Recovery Program |
Family Health Centers of San Diego, the ECHO Institute, University of Washington, and University of Colorado have collaborated to provide a CDC-funded monthly webinar-style ECHO learning session to rapidly disseminate Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-COV-2 infection (PASC) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) findings and emerging best practices. This large-scale national monthly ECHO webinar series will offer didactic presentations by subject matter experts, examples of emerging best practices and models of care, and a facilitated Q&A. The Long COVID and Fatiguing Illness Recovery Program ECHO is intended for primary care providers and patient lived experience experts and advocates are welcome. Sessions will be held February 10, March 10, April 14, May 12, and June 9, all beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time. To Register.
|
|
MSD, ACP, DAFP Delaware Virtual Healthcare Town Hall- Advocacy 101 |
Calling all Early Career Physicians! The American College of Physicians Delaware Chapter, the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians, and the Medical Society of Delaware are pleased to present a virtual Town Hall-style event with State Representative Michael F. Smith on February 16, 2022, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This event is being co-sponsored to bring together the primary care physician community in this dialogue. You are being invited to join us to share your thoughts and ideas about health care, as well as to have an opportunity to engage in dialogue with one of our state legislators and learn about healthcare advocacy. There is no charge to participate but we do require registration.
|
|
Registration for the 2022 AMPAC Candidate Workshop is Now Open |
Ever wonder how Doctors get elected to Congress or your state legislature? Considering a run for office for yourself? The AMPAC Candidate Workshop will teach you how to run a winning political campaign, just like we taught many of your American Medical Association (AMA) colleagues over the years. The Candidate Workshop is designed to help you make the leap from the exam room to the campaign trail and give you the skills and strategic approach you will need to make a run for public office. Political veterans from both sides of the aisle will give you expert advice about politics and the sacrifices needed to mount a competitive campaign. To provide the same high-quality content of the in-person program, the Virtual Candidate Workshop will be conducted over the course of two consecutive weekends: March 12-13 and 19-20. Both weekends are part of the full program and must be attended by participants. Each of the four virtual sessions will start at 11:00 am EST and run approximately four hours. There is a registration fee for both AMA Members and NonMembers, but waived for AMA residents and students (AMPAC Board will review and select four participants from the pool of qualified resident and student applicants). Space is limited. The deadline to register is February 28 or sooner if maximum capacity is reached. For more information please contact: Politicaleducation@ama-assn.org
|
|
Beebe Healthcare is the recipient of four 2022 Women’s Choice Awards: Best Hospital for Orthopaedics, Best Hospital for Cancer Care, Best Hospital for Comprehensive Breast Care, and Best Hospital for Minimally Invasive Surgery. Women’s Choice Awards are presented following surveys with thousands of women as well as research conducted in partnership with the Wharton School of Business. Recognizing that women have more choices today than ever before about their family’s healthcare, this program aims to provide comparative data to shape perceptions and guide important care decisions.
|
|
Nemours Children's Health |
Nemours Children’s Health, one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, welcomes Karen Marie Wilding as Chief Value Officer. Wilding will lead the Nemours value journey, which includes the growth of value-based care initiatives that accelerate clinical and business transformation, supporting the organization’s vision of creating the healthiest generations of children. She will also provide oversight for the Delaware Children’s Health Network, Nemours’ clinically integrated primary care network which facilitates partnerships with community practices and payers providing holistic, equitable, and high-quality care for children.
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware has been named a Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) Comprehensive Pediatric Center of Excellence in lymphatic disease. Nemours Children’s has joined the list of Comprehensive Centers around the globe as an institution that sets the highest standard for best practice multidisciplinary care in the management and care of lymphatic diseases (LD) such as lymphedema (LE), lipedema (LI), and lymphatic malformation (LM). All institutions designated as a Center of Excellence have been evaluated by international leaders in an extensive review process.
|
|
MSD recognizes the loss of one of its members on December 12, 2021. Nina L. Steg, MD, age 90 and a resident of Largo, Florida, passed away from the after-effects of stroke. She was known as a brilliant diagnostician and for her expertise in pediatric nephrology. In 1973 she became the first senior woman physician to join the staff of Alfred I. duPont Institute in Wilmington. She later became the hospital’s first director of the Department of Pediatrics. She retired in 1991 as Associate Chief of the Division of Rehabilitation at Nemours. MSD member Michael A. Alexander, MD remembers his colleague. Read obituary.
|
|
Congratulations to the following physicians as we
celebrate their MSD membership milestone
anniversaries during the month of February
|
|
50 YEARS
Janet P. Kramer, MD
|
|
30 YEARS
Arnold B. Glassman, MD
Victoria A. Levin, MD
|
|
10 YEARS
Louis J. Centrella, MD
|
|
Matthew T. Caddell, DO - Occupational & Preventive Medicine, Bayhealth |
MSD's Membership Department is pleased to announce the newest members of the Medical Society of Delaware. Welcome to the third oldest medical society in the country! If you know someone interested in joining MSD, please contact Michelle Seymour at (302) 224-4905 or Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org with any questions. You could be eligible for a referral discount!
|
|
John J. Fink, MD - Family Medicine, Bayhealth Kent General Hospital |
MSD members are afforded a seven-day review period from the date of this publication to comment regarding applicants for membership. Please contact Michelle Seymour at (302) 224-4905 or Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org with any comments.
|
|
The Latin phrase Rerum Cognoscere translates to learn, examine, or become aware of facts or things. In this section, we highlight measurable items of interest in health care from MSD, Delaware, the US, and the world. |
|
+15.3%
Percent change for all alcoholic beverage sales in Delaware from March 2020 to February 2021, compared to 2017-2019 average. (The rise may also be attributed to out-of-state residents crossing state lines.)
National Institute Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
|
|
#1
Ranking for Delaware among 13 states where alcohol sales data was available, ranked by the percent change in sales during the pandemic versus 2017-2019.
National Institute Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism
|
|
477%
Percent increase in online sales of alcohol by the end of April 2020.
National Institutes of Health
|
|
|
March 5-7 - Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health 2022 Annual Meeting, Accelerating Climate Solutions: From Urgency to Impact for Health Equity.
May 18 - SAVE THE DATE! 2022 Annual Rural Health Conference, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
|
|
|
Was the information in this newsletter useful? If so, forward to a friend to let them know the value of your Medical Society of Delaware membership. |
|
The information contained herein is solely informational, planned in accordance for a diverse membership audience. This communication reflects news and announcements that have been made available to MSD and is not intended to exclude other pertinent material. The content published is proposed to represent facts of interest and provide awareness to the members. MSD reserves the right to determine what information is relevant to its membership. |
|
Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
