Weekly Roundup: In Case You Missed It |
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COVID-19 Updates
On May 27, California announced that it would be giving away up to $15 million in prizes and gift cards for residents who have received at least one COVID‑19 vaccine dose by June 15. Read more about the Vax for the Win program.
Contra Costa County has begun offering required school immunizations at its COVID‑19 vaccine clinics. The COVID‑19 vaccination clinics, operated by Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), located on school campuses this summer will now also provide no-cost immunizations for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) on request. Tdap is a required immunization for students entering the 7th grade in California.
The Association of Bay Area Health Officials, which represents 12 Bay Area health officers and their jurisdictions, including Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Berkeley, Napa County, and Solano County, released a joint statement in support of full in-person school beginning in fall 2021. The health officials note that the lack of in-person learning this past year has “disrupted education, weakened the social supports provided by school communities, negatively impacted mental health, and prevented participation in the rituals and shared milestones that tie our communities together.”
The Association of Bay Area Health Officials also issued a joint statement on May 28 in support of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s recently revised immunization guidance, which now allows people to receive other vaccines at the same time as they get vaccinated for COVID‑19. The CDC had previously recommended that COVID‑19 vaccines be administered alone, with a minimum interval of 14 days before or after administration of any other vaccines.
Contra Costa County reported on Thursday that 75% of residents 12 years and older have received at least one COVID vaccine dose, and 65% are fully vaccinated.
Alameda County reported on Thursday that 76% of residents 12 years and older have received at least one COVID vaccine dose, and 60% are fully vaccinated.
Alameda County reports that it has administered more than 1,910,000 doses as of June 4. As of June 3, ICU capacity in the county is at 39% with 9 confirmed COVID patients hospitalized.
Contra Costa reports that it has administered more than 1,324,000 doses as of June 4. As of June 3, ICU capacity in the county is at 22% with 8 confirmed COVID patients hospitalized.
The #ThisIsOurShot campaign has launched a private Facebook group that has up-to-date information. The campaign also holds weekly Zoom calls to discuss digital engagement campaigns, hear from guest speakers, and have breakout sessions to plan for future campaigns. These calls are held on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM.
CDPH is holding weekly “office hours” to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccination planning and allow providers in the state to ask questions, on Fridays from 9-10 AM. The June 11 session can be accessed through this link or by calling (415) 655-0001. The event number is: 145 305 3168. The password is: Immunize2021!
CMA's COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center can be accessed here.
The ACCMA and the California Medical Association (CMA) are continuing to provide PPE directly to medical practices in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, by going to this link. N95 masks, surgical masks, isolation gowns, face shields, goggles, coveralls, and hand sanitizers may be ordered. Vinyl gloves are available only to solo and small practices. If approved, orders are shipped directly to medical offices. Only shipping and handling fees are charged for each individual case shipped. For groups with multiple offices, a separate order must be completed for each location. Please contact the ACCMA at accma@accma.org or (510) 654-5383 for more information.
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Are You Ready for California’s Electronic Prescribing Mandate?
In 2018, the California Legislature passed a law (AB 2789) that created a state-level mandate that all prescriptions must be transmitted electronically by January 1, 2022. The law applies to all physicians and almost all prescriptions, with very few exceptions. CMA is presenting a free webinar for members and their staff ($99 for non-members) and has compiled a fact sheet (members only) to help physicians understand their requirements under the new law. To read more, click here.
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Medi-Cal’s Annual Two-Week Checkwrite Delay Begins June 17
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will delay certain payments for two weeks in June so that those claims are paid out of the 2021–22 fiscal budget. Medi-Cal fee-for-service payments scheduled with a warrant date of June 17, 2021, will be held until July 2, 2021. Medi-Cal funded fee-for-service payments scheduled for June 24, 2021, will be held until July 2, 2021.
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Physicians Secure Amendments to Remove Damaging Provisions from Medical Board Sunset Review
SB 806 (Roth) was changed this week after CMA and ACCMA physician leaders contacted state legislators to explain why the May 20 amendments added to the bill on Medical Board of California’s sunset review were troubling for the profession of medicine. These problematic provisions had been amended into the bill without being vetted by any policy committee in the California Senate. Specifically, CMA was able to get the proposed $387 license fee increase reduced to $80, going from a 47% to 10% fee increase. Additionally, the bill was changed to restoring the board’s physician majority, with 8 physician members and 7 public members. To read more, click here.
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What We're Reading
6/2/21
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Available on demand
Member $29.00 | Non-member $79.00
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.
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FREE | Through June 15, Tuesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Join us for a keynote session featuring Anthony Iton, MD (SVP, The California Endowment), followed by three panel discussions that examine health equity in the Bay Area and highlight strategies for improvement.
June 8: A Systems Approach Case Study: The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG)
June 15: Leadership in Action Case Study: Kedran Community Health Center & True Vine Ministries Vaccine Clinic
Click here for details and to register for the series.
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Tuesday, June 8, 2021 | noon to 1:30 pm
FREE | CME Available | Presented by CMA
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought medical ethics to the foreground, as many have had to make complex decisions during this crisis as individuals, health care providers, public health leaders and elected officials. In this Virtual Grand Rounds, we will hear from experts on medical ethics and how these ethics relate to the individual and collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key questions will include: How do we evaluate our response to the pandemic as a nation? As a global community? What issues are emerging as a partially vaccinated society that is trying to re-open? What have we learned from this crisis and how can we codify those learnings to be better prepared in the future?
Erica Pan, MD will also give updates on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic nationally and in California, as well as the evolving public health guidelines as the state moves toward fully reopening. In addition, she will review the progress of the vaccine rollout and the evolving story of COVID-19 variants.
Presenters:
Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, New York University Langone Medical Center and School of Medicine
Erica Pan, MD, California state epidemiologist
Kimberly Newell Green, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF (moderator)
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Saturday, June 12, 2021 | 10 am to noon
FREE | Presented by ACDPH, UCSF Cancer Center, Ethnic Health Institute and others
Dr. Frank Staggers, Sr. (1926–2013) was a urologist, founding chair of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Community Advisory Board (HDFCCC CAB), and founding director of the Ethnic Health Institute, now at Samuel Merritt University. Dr. Staggers, Sr. worked tirelessly to eliminate health disparities for racial/ethnic minorities, and poor and underserved residents in Alameda County, statewide and at the national level. Join this symposium to learn how to increase awareness of prostate cancer, how to promote early detection, and about the disparities in survival for African American men. For more information, click here or email FriendsofdrFrank@gmail.com.
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Thursday, June 17, 2021 | 12:15 – 1:15 pm
FREE for Members; $99 for Non-members | Presented by CMA
AB 2789 (2018) created a state-level mandate that all physicians use electronic prescribing starting January 1, 2022. The mandate includes almost all prescriptions, including controlled substances, and applies to all physicians, regardless of specialty or practice size. Learn more about the electronic prescribing mandate, and how your practice can be ready to go for next year.
Presenter: David Ford, VP of Health Information Technology, CMA
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Friday, July 16 | 8 AM –12:15 PM
CME Available | Presented by the Riverside County Medical Association
Topics to be covered at this year’s virtual conference include aging physicians, safe and legal monitoring of physicians in a treatment program, physician well-being committee roles and responsibilities, and more. The conference is open to anyone involved or interested in improving the health and well-being of physicians.
Speakers: David Bazzo, MD; Kai McDonald, MD; Ajeet Singhvi, MD; and Elizabeth Snelson, Esq.
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Thursday, August 26 | 6:15–7:30 PM
FREE | CME Available
Using data and stories, together in conversation, we will focus on yourself, as well as your potential new directions and skills, and your “team,” whether at home or professionally.
Speaker: Linda Clever, MD, MACP
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ACCMA's On-Demand Library
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Please contact ACCMA at 510-654-5383 or accma@accma.org with any questions or concerns you have.
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