They Said It...
“I am very concerned about how COVID-19, as well as inflation of consumer staples, is impacting our communities, especially families already experiencing poverty and food insecurity. In Philadelphia, 14.4% of families experienced food insecurity in 2019. Feeding America projected that a 30% increase happened last year, resulting in almost 1 in 5 Philadelphia families being affected by this.” Dr. Annette Gadegbeku, associate professor in the Department of Family, Community & Preventive Medicine, and assistant dean of community health within the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Drexel University College of Medicine, providing her perspective on the challenges of obesity prevention in today's environment. Read more in our latest edition of Philadelphia Medicine magazine.
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Things you should know... |
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PDPH health advisory: Updated guidance about COVID-19 and Influenza vaccines |
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Influenza activity over the next several weeks could be particularly severe given the absence of seasonal activity last year. In addition, COVID-19 rates continue to increase, and the omicron variant has been detected in Philadelphia. With co-circulation of both viruses, it’s more important than ever to ensure that our communities are vaccinated against both COVID-19 and influenza viruses.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has provided guidelines to help protect patients from both COVID and the flu this season:
- Reach out to patients to offer COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
- Co-administer COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine during the same visit. (COVID-19 vaccines may be administered without regard to timing of other vaccines.)
- Offer walk-in vaccination hours.
- Offer vaccination hours in the evening and weekends.
- Offer family scheduling options, so everyone in the family can be protected.
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CDC updates Clinical Practice Guideline and Providers' Supplement for PrEP |
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On Dec. 8, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published its updated Clinical Practice Guideline and Clinical Providers' Supplement for Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). The updated guideline and supplement aim to assist providers in prescribing PrEP, improve usability of these resources among providers and increase PrEP use among everyone who could benefit from it.
The revisions look to clarify aspects of clinical care and incorporate recent and possible Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actions on PrEP medications.
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PCMS has a new partner relationship with PracticeBeat, alongside many other medical societies across the state who have seen a high level of member benefits. PracticeBeat can help practices grow their patient volumes, improve patient satisfaction (online reputation) and ensure practice communications and scheduling requests are HIPAA-compliant. Their technology platform aligns to the hundreds of Google criteria used to “rank” your website, ensuring that patients find you when searching for your types of services.
PracticeBeat has agreed to offer a free review of your online presence and why patients may not be finding you when searching for care online. To learn more about PracticeBeat and to schedule a short review of your specific information, contact PCMS staff at 215-563-5343 or by email at [email protected].
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International Conference on Physician Health: Call for abstracts ends Feb. 25, 2022 |
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The American Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association and British Medical Association are hosting the International Conference on Physician Health on Oct. 13-15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. The conference will showcase research and system-level initiatives to mitigate burnout and promote professional well-being. The call for abstracts is open through Feb. 25, 2022.
There are two categories for abstracts: 1) Research: submitted as either a poster or oral presentation and 2) Best Practice Workshop: Submitted as an interactive session. Be sure to visit the conference website to review important details in the “Call for Abstracts” section, as well as the instructions for submitting abstracts. Additional information is also available at the ICPH 2022 Call for Abstracts website.
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Senate halts Medicare physician payment cuts |
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The U.S. Senate passed legislation to halt Medicare physician payment cuts that were scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.
Highlights of the physician payment provisions include:
- A delay in resuming the 2% Medicare sequester for three months (Jan. 1 to March 31, 2022), followed by a reduction to 1% for three months (April 1 to June 30, 2022).
- A one-year increase in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule of 3% (0.75% less than the conversion factor boost provided for 2021).
- A one-year delay in the cuts to the clinical lab fee schedule.
- A one-year delay in the Medicare radiation oncology demonstration.
Additionally, the bill will erase the 4% Medicare PAY-GO cut and prevent any additional PAY-GO cuts through 2022.
The American Medical Association released a statement on the Senate vote to avert looming Medicare cuts to providers, which can be read here.
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Call for nominations for the Dr. Vanitha Appadorai Vaidya Award for Humaneness in Medicine |
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The Dr. Vanitha Appadorai Vaidya Award for Humaneness in Medicine is presented to a PCMS resident/fellow physician for his/her exceptional ability to work with people, patients and their families, and for his/her understanding of human as well as clinical needs.
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HHS Extends the Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period |
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The Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 1 portal is now open and closes at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 20, 2021. PRF recipients may register, request corrections, and/or submit their report on PRF payments received prior to June 30, 2020. This is the final opportunity for providers to report on Reporting Period 1 payments. Providers who submitted their reports before November 30, 2021 may request to have their report reopened for revisions by contacting the Provider Support Line (866-569-3522). All reports must be finalized and submitted before December 20, 2021 at 11:59 pm ET to be compliant with the terms and conditions of the PRF program.
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LMSA National Conference to be held in Philadelphia |
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With over 140 medical school chapters across the country, LMSA’s unrelenting work over the past half century has supported Latinx student matriculation to medical schools and residency programs as well as the creation of scholarship opportunities for medical and pre-medical students. The LMSA National Conference will celebrate these and many other accomplishments so that medical students can continue to inspire and propel the next generation of Latinx physicians.
To facilitate supporting our Latinx health community, PCMS encourages all physicians that live or work in the Philadelphia region to consider making a donation to help defray the costs of LMSA students attending the National Conference in March of 2022. Visit the Support Form on the PCMS website to learn more.
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Child Abuse Prevention Training Program
Date: To be determined
We recently held our Child Abuse Prevention Training Program on November 9. In case you missed it, we will be holding another course in early 2022. Stay tuned!
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