Happy Thursday! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.
September 2, 2021
TODAY, Thursday, Sept. 2 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. – there is an opportunity to speak directly to vaccine-hesitant North Carolinians to educate them, correct misinformation and encourage more people to get vaccinated.
WRAL-TV and the NC Healthcare Association (NCHA) are seeking physician volunteers to help answer calls virtually – from your home, office or anywhere – using an app called Telzio. The television station will route calls from people with questions about the vaccine to you without your phone numbers or email addresses being visible.
If you are interested in participating in this important outreach, please submit your information here by NOON TODAY.
Once committed to participating, you will receive an email directly from Telzio inviting you to set up a user profile for the hotline. Physicians will be able to use the website or mobile app version of Telzio (for the web version, you need to have speaker/microphone access on your computer and be on Google Chrome). No matter what you use, the communication will just be audio; the caller will not be able to see you, nor you them. If you want to look at the system further, you’ll can check out the user guide for the Telzio Mobile app, as well as the Webphone.
Throughout the day WRAL will talk about the event and provide coverage of the hotline between 4 and 7:30 this evening. If you’re only able to participate for part of that time, they ask that you commit to at least 90 minutes.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the NCHA at 919-677-4123, or Ashley Talley with WRAL at [email protected] or 919.821.8505.
Thanks for helping to address COVID vaccine hesitancy and convince more people to get vaccinated.
Join Us for Our Lifestyle Medicine Summit, Sept. 24-25
As part of the NCMS’ Healthy NC initiative, we will be hosting a Lifestyle Medicine Summit as part of the NCMS Foundation’s Community Practitioner Program Annual Meeting on September 24-25. Visit our registration page here. This educational opportunity has been approved for a total of 9.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
The purpose of this summit is to provide an introduction to Healthy NC and build knowledge and awareness around Lifestyle Medicine as a branch of medicine that, based on extensive research, focuses on lifestyle factors in the prevention, treatment and reversal of diseases. The two-day virtual meeting includes prominent health care policy experts and Lifestyle Medicine practitioners discussing this innovative approach to medicine.
To learn more about Lifestyle Medicine be sure to check out the feature in our summer issue of the NCMS Bulletin here.
Accreditation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) through the joint providership of the Southern Regional AHEC and the NCMS. The Southern Regional AHEC is accredited by the NCMS to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
CME Credit Statement
The Southern Regional AHEC designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.75 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 from an AMA PRA Category 1 ™ activity. These certificates are accepted by the NC boards for physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. License requirements are subject to change. Southern Regional AHEC recommends that participants contact their licensing board with specific questions. Southern Regional AHEC will provide 1.0 Continuing Education Units (9.75 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.
Urgent Practice Data Survey – August Medicaid Transformation Focus
NCMGMA, NCMS, and Curi continue working together to gather essential practice information from administrators and clinicians across North Carolina relative to the current COVID crisis.
We know this is a stressful and uncertain time, but by taking less than 5 minutes to complete this survey, you are allowing us to better respond to and represent your needs from COVID to new protocols, telehealth issues, and now Medicaid Transformation. Please click the link below to take this short survey.
Thank you for your time and for your commitment to your communities. We’re in this together and are proud to support you and all North Carolinas in your practice through this tumultuous season.
Your Colleagues at NCMGMA, NCMS, and Curi
Influenza Vaccine and Reimbursement Guidelines for 2021-2022 for NC Medicaid and NC Health Choice
NC Immunization Program/Vaccines for Children (NCIP/VFC)
Under NC Immunization Program/Vaccines for Children (NCIP/VFC) guidelines, the NC Division of Public Health (DPH) Immunization Branch distributes all childhood vaccines that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to local health departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Rural Health Clinics (RHC) hospitals and private providers.
For the 2021-2022 influenza season, NCIP/VFC influenza vaccine – all quadrivalent – is available at no charge to providers for children 6 months through 18 years of age who are eligible for the VFC program, according to the NCIP coverage criteria. The current NCIP coverage criteria and definitions of VFC categories can be found on DPH’s Immunization Branch web page.
Read full NCDHHS announcement here.
In the News
More Evidence Linking Covid Infection (Not Vaccination) To A Heart Muscle Complication, STAT, 8-31-21
Learning Opportunity
WellCare of North Carolina – Weekly Provider Virtual Office Hours Webinar, TODAY, Thursday, September 2, 2021 from 4-5pm.
Individuals who will benefit from this informative webinar are:
- Office Managers
- Office Administrators
- Billing Staff
- Authorization Staff
Register here.
Dial by your location:
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 669 444 9171 US
Meeting ID: 980 7107 2512
Password: 579690
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!