Happy President’s Day! Here is your NCMS Morning Rounds.

Feb. 15, 2021

NCMS Legislative Update

With the NC legislative session in full swing, be sure to check our NCMS legislative blog regularly to keep up on all the legislative proposals that have an impact on your practice and health in North Carolina. You’ll find summaries of pertinent bills introduced and where they stand in the legislative process. Check the blog here.

Several highlights from last week:

NCMS President Philip M. Brown, Jr., MD and NCMS Executive Vice President and CEO Chip Baggett, JD, appeared before the NC House Health Committee to speak about NCMS physician and PA experiences with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Watch a video of their testimony as well as committee members’ questions here.

The only physician member of the General Assembly, NCMS member Rep. Kristin Baker, MD (R-Cabarrus) offered insights as a psychiatrist to her fellow legislators during discussion of SB37-In-Person Learning Choice for Families. Rep. Baker spoke about the mental health impacts of remote learning on students.

Another bill of note is HB61-Local Communicable Disease Programs/Funds increases the amount of funding for public health departments to prevent communicable disease. The NCMS fully supports this emphasis on public health and prevention.

Recovering and Rebuilding Financially After COVID-19

This month’s free NCMS Foundation and NC Medical Group Management Association (NCMGMA) Lunch and Learn webinar will focus on ‘Recovering and Rebuilding Financial Resiliency in the Wake of COVID.’ Please join your colleagues tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 16 from noon to 1 p.m.

NCMS Board member and owner of a rural family medicine practice in Raeford, NC, Karen Smith, MD, FACFP along with the practice’s Population Health Administrator Michaela Latham will review the financial lessons learned through the pandemic and how building financial resiliency is key to practice stability. Discussion will include the practical aspects of recovering from the costly impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and what is being done to build up their practice resiliency for a stronger more stable future.

Learn more and register here.

In the News

What If We Never Reach Herd Immunity? The Atlantic, 2-9-21

Learning Opportunity

2021 NC Chapter – American College of Physicians VIRTUAL Annual Scientific Session, Feb. 19-20.

What Can You Learn At This Year’s Virtual Scientific Session?
• Tangible strategies to craft the career in medicine one desires as a way to create physician well-being and prevent physician burn-out.
• Updated information on Thrombophilia diagnosis and management.
• How to recognize short- and long-term concerns with delays in care secondary to COVID-19.
• The common clinical manifestation and clinical course for patients with COVID-19 infection.
• How to develop a differential diagnosis for a patient with fever, maculopapular rash, and sensory neuropathy.