Here is your Friday NCMS Morning Rounds.
Sept. 11, 2020
NCMS’ 2020 LEAD Conference Registration is Now Open
Registration is now open for the NCMS’ Virtual LEAD Conference. Please join us for thought-provoking and timely sessions on Oct. 15 and 16.
- Explore the impact of racism in this country with a special focus on health through an innovative and interactive Racial Equity Institute workshop. Seats are limited for this exceptional opportunity, so sign up now.
- Get inspired by our Leadership College scholars through their MedTalk presentations. These brief, 10-minute talks are the culmination of the scholars’ year-long research projects on topics ranging from social determinants of health to value-driven practice models.
- Our longstanding NCMS traditions have a new virtual twist as we install our new leadership and hear from our outgoing President Palmer Edwards, MD, DFAPA as he reflects on the past year – a year unlike any other. Incoming NCMS President Philip Brown, Jr., MD, looks ahead and outlines his vision for the future.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn and engage with your medical society and your colleagues! Learn more about what’s in store by viewing the Agenda or downloading the meeting schedule and REGISTER TODAY!
CME Credit Statement: The Southern Regional AHEC designates this live activity for a maximum of 8.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Additional Credit: Other health professionals will receive Southern Regional AHEC CEU and/or contact hours and a certificate of attendance form an AMA PRA Category 1 ™ activity. These certificates are accepted by the NC boards for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. License requirement are subject to change. Southern Regional AHEC recommends that participants contact their licensing board with specific questions. Southern Regional AHEC will provide 0.8 Continuing Education Units (8.0 contact hours) to participants upon completion of this activity.
Disclosure Statement: The Southern Regional AHEC adheres to ACCME Essential Areas and Policies regarding industry support of continuing medical education. Disclosures of faculty/planning committee members and commercial relationships will be made known at the activity. Speakers are also expected to openly disclose a discussion of any off-label, experimental or investigational use of drugs or devices in their presentations.
New COVID Specific CPT Codes Effective Immediately
The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced updates to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set that includes two code additions for reporting medical services sparked by the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first addition, CPT code 99072, allows for the provision of evaluation, treatment or procedural services during a public health emergency in a setting where extra precautions are taken to ensure the safety of patients and health care professionals. The second addition, CPT code 86413, was approved in response to the development of laboratory tests that provide quantitative measurements of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, as opposed to a qualitative assessment (positive/negative) of SAR-CoV-2 antibodies provided by laboratory tests reported by other CPT codes.
The new codes are effective immediately. Learn more here.
New Poll Shows Increasing Support for Closing NC’s Coverage Gap
The results of a new poll released this week reveal growing support across party lines for closing North Carolina’s health care coverage gap. The “coverage gap” refers to people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to get help in the private insurance marketplace. Prior to COVID-19, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimated that if North Carolina closed its coverage gap, over 400,000 North Carolinians would gain health insurance. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, KFF reports that the number has grown by well over 200,000.
The survey of 612 registered voters, conducted by Harper Polling and The Stewart Group from August 26-27, found that 75 percent of North Carolinians want to close the health insurance coverage gap, while16 percent oppose closing the gap, according to Dee Stewart, who served as project manager for the statewide survey.
Support for closing the coverage gap is strong across the political spectrum, with 64 percent of self-identified Republicans, 76 percent of unaffiliated voters, and 83 percent of Democrats favoring closing the gap. Even among voters identifying themselves as Very Conservative, an overwhelming 60 percent favor closing the coverage gap, while 22 percent oppose it.
Review the findings here including a breakdown by NC Senate districts.
The survey was commissioned by Care4Carolina, a coalition of 65 member organizations, including the NCMS, supporting affordable, quality health care in North Carolina.
In the News
A Fall COVID-19 Spike Could Be Coming (And It Won’t Look Like Anything We’ve Seen So Far), The Advisory Board Forum, 9-9-20
Learning Opportunity
Reminder: TODAY, Friday, Sept. 11, be sure to tune in for our Power Hour from 1 to 2 p.m. when our guests will discuss unhealthy alcohol use and ways to help identify and assist those with an alcohol use disorder including accessing counseling interventions and medications. The STop UNhealthy (STUN) Alcohol Use Now project pairs NC AHEC Practice Support Coaches with primary care practices to implement screening, brief interventions and treatment or referral for patients who engage in risky drinking or have an alcohol use disorder. Learn more and register here.
AND
The National Academy of Medicine will present ‘American Healthcare After COVID-19: Transforming the System Sector-by-Sector’ on Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The keynote address will be delivered by US Surgeon General VADM Jerome M. Adams. Learn more and register here for this free webinar.
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!