Already Thursday and time for your NCMS Morning Rounds.

Nov. 12, 2020

REMINDER: The deadline for NC independent practices to order FREE PPE is this Sunday, Nov. 15. Visit our PPE webpage to learn more and order TODAY!

Track NC Flu and COVID Data

Today, as each Thursday throughout flu season, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) updates its influenza surveillance data on its dashboard here. This year, the state also is tracking daily COVID-19 cases on a separate dashboard here.

Flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses although caused by different viruses. Both have similar symptoms, and it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. One distinguishing COVID-19 symptom may be change in or loss of taste or smell. Learn more about the similarities and differences between the flu and COVID-19 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website here.

Testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health recently announced that it began using the multiplex assay that tests for both COVID-19 and influenza. Learn more here.

Leadership Application Deadline This Friday

This Friday, Nov. 13 is the deadline to apply to the Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership (KIPL) 2021 class of Health Care Leadership and Management (HCLM) scholars. This program provides a critical framework for clinicians based on economics, finance and leadership development. Graduates of this year-long course have the necessary vocabulary for the business realm and are equipped to take on greater leadership roles in their career.

The program, held during four weekend sessions spanning the year, will include an emphasis on deeper leadership development, and skills such as strategic planning, negotiation and financial literacy and application. HCLM is project-based and participants will have the opportunity to identify current and future needs and/or challenges and develop new and innovative solutions to address them. Learn more here.

Please note: If you are practicing in a rural area and/or is a current or past participant in the CPP-program, you may further be eligible for a scholarship.

Complete the application here.

NC Medical Board Converts to New Database

You may have noticed a new look when renewing your medical license or interacting with the North Carolina Medical Board’s (NCMB) core applications and programs. They recently converted to a new database system.

Licensed medical professionals and others who use NCMB’s website to report information or access data will be prompted to register for access to the new database system the first time they visit. This is a one-time requirement. After initial registration, visitors will access protected information with a username and password.

Physicians and PAs will primarily use the Licensure Gateway to manage license applications, update their information or renew a license. Hospital and health system staff, insurance company personnel and other non-licensees who report or access information through NCMB’s website will use the Third Party Gateway.

Learn more here.

In the News

Two-Way Street: CDC Report Says Masks Protect Wearers and Everyone Else, NBC News, 11-10-20

Learning Opportunity

Join the NC Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), NC AHEC and Community Care of NC for a webinar on ‘Women’s Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Speakers will review the impact of COVID-19 on women’s health and discuss topics specific to maternity care. 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!