Here’s your Wednesday NCMS Morning Rounds.

Jan. 13, 2021

Accessing the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS)

The state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) Provider Enrollment Portal is now open for those clinicians eligible and interested in administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

Any provider enrolling through the portal will be reviewed and considered for approval by the NC Immunization Branch to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Initiate your enrollment here.

As a reminder, COVID-19 vaccine providers must be qualified under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agreement to prescribe COVID-19 vaccines and authorized under the appropriate NC licensing authority. Enrolled COVID-19 vaccine providers must be credentialed/licensed in North Carolina. While currently qualified providers are welcome to enroll, requests will be addressed in an order aligned with the prioritization phases and the timeline for approval will vary. The State will continuously reassess enrollment prioritization based on needs.

Please visit the North Carolina Immunization Branch COVID-19 training website for Provider Enrollment Portal training content.  Please note, any trainings you elect to review at this time are subject to be refreshed by the time you become an approved provider. You may need to revisit trainings depending on approval timelines.

If you have concerns about this process you think the NCMS can help address, please contact the NCMS’ Frank Snyder at [email protected], who is serving as our point person for CVMS-related issues.

Pediatrician Advocates for Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

Longtime NCMS member and vaccine advocate, David Tayloe, Jr., MD, FAAP, founder of Goldsboro Pediatrics, recently sent a letter to his local newspaper, the Goldsboro News-Argus, outlining his reasons for getting the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging others to do so. The paper ran a front-page feature article with the headline ‘Physicians Support Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccine’ with a photo of Dr. Tayloe receiving his vaccine.

Read Dr. Tayloe’s letter, ‘Why I Took the COVID-19 Vaccine – and You Should, Too’ here.

Resources and Guidance on How to Relief Stress; Drive Change

As the pandemic continues to put significant strain on health systems and practices, health care leaders, frontline physicians and care team members are looking for best practices, emerging resources and evidence-based information to support their efforts. The American Medical Association (AMA) has designed a webinar series to deliver actionable, solution-based resources, helpful guidance for alleviating stress on health care systems and insights and expert perspectives on actions and interventions that drive proactive change.

The next webinar will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. and will focus on “Telehealth Policy & Coverage: What You Need to Know for 2021.” Telehealth was thrust onto the main stage in 2020 to keep people safe while still receiving care amidst the pandemic and it continues to cement its place in care delivery now and into the future. The AMA – and the NCMS — has been instrumental in advocating for telehealth policies and coverage that support the long-term, sustainable use of telehealth as an option for physicians and patients. Learn the latest developments and updates on policy and coverage at the federal and state level to ensure your practice is prepared to successfully leverage telehealth in 2021.

Presenters are AMA Senior Assistant Director of Federal Affairs Sandy Marks and AMA Senior Legislative Attorney, Advocacy Resource Center Kim Horvath, JD.

Register here for this webinar and learn more about future Professional Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability sessions in the future.

In the News

Governor’s Red Tape Blamed as Vaccine Doses Pile Up, Politico, 1-11-21

Learning Opportunity

Join the NCMS Foundation and the NC Medical Group Management Association for our first Lunch & Learn webinar of 2021. This month’s webinar will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. and will be a Health Policy Update: COVID-19 & Its Impacts.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on physician practices in 2020, and these impacts are likely to continue through at least the first half of 2021. This presentation will review the events of the past nine months to help practices understand how the situation has evolved over time and what the evolving circumstances may mean for the coming year.

Presented by Sam Cohen, JD, Senior Vice President for Health Policy at Curi, key topics will include:
• What did we know about COVID-19 when the pandemic began and how has our knowledge changed?
• Current status of the pandemic.
• COVID-19’s impact on independent physician practices in North Carolina.
• Actions taken by the Federal and State governments to help practices handle the challenges they have faced.

Learn more and register here.

If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!