T.G.I.F! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.

June 11, 2021

Broad Health Care Coalition Supports Medicaid Extension for Postpartum Care

In a press release issued Thursday, June 10, 2021, the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS)  brought together a broad coalition of health care associations (NC Academy of Family Physicians, NC Pediatric Society, NC Obstetrical and Gynecological Association, NC Academy of Physician Assistants, NC Osteopathic Medical Association, NC Chapter of the American College of Physicians), representing thousands of physicians and PAs throughout North Carolina, to publicly declare our support for this important legislation (SB530 – Medicaid for Twelve Months Postpartum) extending Medicaid coverage for new mothers to a full year after the birth of their child. Research has shown that insurance during this critical postpartum period is associated with better outcomes for both mother and child.

“The NCMS has long supported efforts to reduce the rates of maternal mortality in North Carolina as well as policies that seek to improve maternal and infant health,” said NCMS President Philip Brown, Jr., MD. “Health challenges from pregnancy often extend up to a year postpartum, and a lack of insurance coverage is connected with worse outcomes for mothers and infants. The bill currently under consideration addresses this issue and is especially vital for women of color and immigrant women who disproportionately suffer from poor health and high maternal mortality rates.”

The state’s current Medicaid coverage for new mothers leaves roughly half of new mothers uninsured 60 days after delivery of their baby, according to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine’s (NCIOM) 2020 Perinatal Systems of Care Report.

Read full press release here.

White House Virtual Conversation TODAY!

On behalf of the White House COVID-19 Response Team and the U.S. Surgeon General, Primary Care Providers, Health Systems, and State and Local Health Officials are invited to a virtual conversation on Primary Care Providers, Health Systems, and the Next Phase of the Vaccination Rollout. The event is TODAY, Friday, June 11, from 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET.

The event will be an opportunity to thank primary care providers and health systems for their service to their patients, state, and country throughout the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. It will focus on the importance of primary care providers and health systems in further expanding efforts to administer vaccination programs and educate their patients on the vaccine, as well as the tools the federal government is providing to support them. It will also touch on how state and local health departments can help enable vaccinations at primary care provider offices.

The event will feature five conversations with primary care providers, health system leaders, and state health officials on innovative approaches they are taking to patient outreach and implementing vaccination program at primary care provider offices. Each conversation will be chaired by a different public health leader from the Biden Administration – Dr. Fauci, Dr. Walensky, Dr. Murthy, Dr. Nunez-Smith, and Dr. Choucair.

Again, join this conversation TODAY, Friday, June 11—3:00-4:00 PM ET.

Please click the following link during the event to attend.

A recording will also be available at this link after the event.

 ActionPPE Closeout Sale on Medical Supplies

With the pandemic waning, ActionPPE will soon be ending their online sales. As a final benefit to NCMS members, they’re offering a 30 percent DISCOUNT on items such as control syringes, needles, exam gloves and more!

To access this great offer, visit actionppe.org/ncms, and use code THANKYOU30

Discount expires on June 15, 2021!

It’s A Celebration!

The New Hanover-Pender County Medical Society is having a celebration, and you are invited. The event welcomes fully vaccinated physicians, NHPCMS members, their spouses or guests. See invitation below for details.

 

Please RSVP by Monday, June 14, 2021, by sending an email to [email protected] or calling 910-790-5800.

In the News

Why Experts Are So Worried About The ‘Delta’ Coronavirus Variant, Advisory Board, 6-9-21

Learning Opportunity

Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for its two upcoming webinars titled CMS Quality Measurement: Where It’s Headed and How We’ll Get There and Driving Quality in the US: How CMS Evaluates its Measure Portfolio. These webinars will illuminate audiences on CMS’s efforts to enhance the quality of quality measures. In the first webinar, CMS will discuss goals for advancing quality measurement in the next 5-10 years, focusing on streamlining measures to reduce burden and the transition to digital quality measures. CMS staff will provide an overview and highlight key components of its newly finalized Digital Quality Measurement Blueprint. The second webinar will walk audiences through CMS tools and processes, specifically the MMS Blueprint, Pre-rulemaking process, Quality Measure Index, and Impact Assessment, to evaluate the quality of its quality measures throughout the measure lifecycle. Both webinars will provide information to key quality measurement resources available to the public. Each webinar will be offered twice this summer:

  • CMS Quality Measurement: Where It’s Headed and How We’ll Get There
    • Tuesday, June 15, 2021, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., ET (Register here)
    • Thursday, June 17, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., ET (Register here)
  • Driving Quality in the US: How CMS Evaluates its Measure Portfolio
    • Tuesday, July 13, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., ET (Register here)
    • Wednesday, July 14, 2021, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., ET (Register here)

For questions about the webinar, please contact [email protected].

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