Dear Colleagues,
Please register for our next installment of MSEPS Presents: The Ophthalmology 2020 Webinar Series On September 9, 2020 6:30 PM. This CME program is titled Management of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Improving Patient Outcomes. This activity is intended for ophthalmologists involved in the management of adults with nAMD and will help clinicians understand the latest nAMD advances and optimize patient outcomes. Register here!
Please save the date for the 2020 virtual edition of the MSEPS Annual Business Meeting on October 8, 2020. MSEPS holds a business meeting every year to update our members on what we have been doing all year, and to provide information about national and local matters that affect ophthalmology today. We hope to "see" you at the meeting!
MSEPS will be offering a virtual version of AAO's Codequest to members, non-members, and administrators and staff. We know how important it is to train staff and to be on top of all the changes coming up in 2021. The program will be self paced and available to registrants to complete between September 19, 2020 and November 19, 2020. Registration and more information coming soon!
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MSEPS wants to thank OMIC for their support of our newsletters. Please check out their link to show them our thanks.
Please check the AAO and MedChi websites for the most current COVID-19 information. For archived versions of these updates visit the MSEPS website. |
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Stay healthy!
Renee Bovelle, MD
MSEPS President
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Submit Patients' Vision Results Electronically
to MDOT MVA
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) remains focused on the current COVID-19 public health crisis and protecting the health and the safety of customers and employees. You can help us continue to limit the number of customers who are required to visit branch offices in person and increase the convenience for your patients.
The Online Vision Certification Program allows authorized vision providers to submit their patients’ vision results directly to the MDOT MVA. Using this service eliminates having to complete the MDOT MVA’s paper vision forms and enables drivers to renew their licenses online if there vision exam was completed within the last 12 months.
If you have not already enrolled, visit https://egov.maryland.gov/mva/vision and click on “create user account.” If you are enrolled in the program already, please submit the test results for all of your patients each time you provide an exam, regardless of when their driver’s license may be expiring.
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PROGRAM FACULTY
M. Ali Khan, MD
Retina Service, Wills Eye Hospital
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA
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The Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons cordially invites you to attend a CME-certified live webinar entitled, Management of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD): Improving Patient Outcomes, held live online! This activity is intended for ophthalmologists involved in the management of adults with nAMD and will help clinicians understand the latest nAMD advances and optimize patient outcomes.
Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM ET
Location: Live Online!
For full accreditation information and to register, visit:
ACCREDITATION – This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Boston University School of Medicine and Rockpointe. Boston University School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
DESIGNATION STATEMENT – Boston University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category I CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
FEE AND RECEIVING CME CREDIT - There is no fee for this activity. To receive credit, participants must register, view the live CME activity in its entirety, and then complete the post-test, with a score of 66% or better, and evaluation. The estimated time for completion of this activity is 1 hour. Participants are allowed to take the post-test multiple times.
Disclosures will be made known to participants before the activity.
Jointly provided by Boston University School of Medicine and Rockpointe
Supported by an independent educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
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MedChi Ethics Lecture: LESSONS LEARNED: Ethical Dilemmas Faced During the COVID-19 Pandemic
September 24, 2020 - Understand what are physicians’ ethical obligations to work in unsafe conditions.Describe physicians’ responsibility to report unsafe conditions in nursing homes.With respect to extremely sick individuals, describe when triage principles are ethical and when are they not. Determine which new resources will provide the needed support during a crisis such as COVID-19.
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The 30th Annual Washington Retina Symposium
October 3, 2020 - The Retina Group of Washington and the Washington Hospital Center/Washington National Eye Center, invite you to join us for the 30th Annual Washington Retina Symposium. Learn more and register here.
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Disclaimer: MSEPS does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites or events, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer. |
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COVID-19 UPDATE FROM MEDCHI
September 2, 2020
Dear MedChi Members and Maryland Physicians:
Happy September, and best wishes to all parents who are navigating the complexities of the new school year (in all its various forms). Here's what we want you to know today:
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Register here for today's Maryland Department of Health all-physician call at 5:00 pm.
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Join CMS for its bi-weekly Office Hours call on Tuesday, September 8 at 5:00 pm. Call 833-614-0820 and enter passcode 6196045 or register for the audio webcast.
NEWS FROM THE GOVERNOR
Yesterday, Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference to announce that the state is now ready to enter Stage 3 of reopening reflected in the Administration’s Plan for Recovery. Prior to the Stage 3 announcement, the Governor addressed several other issues. First, he summarized his previous press conference related to his administration's and MSDE’s strong recommendation that all school jurisdictions should have a plan for students to return to the classroom in some manner by the end of the first quarter. He referenced the metrics and guidance MSDE provided to all jurisdictions and stated that he did not find it acceptable that eight jurisdictions have no plans for students to return. He also referenced other local jurisdiction decisions that he believed were not properly communicated. The Governor referred to an order issued on June 12 that allowed for youth sports. He reemphasized that local jurisdictions can choose to be more restrictive than the state but that it remains their decision and they are accountable for those decisions.
The Governor also provided an update on the upcoming election. The Board of Elections has mailed absentee ballot applications to all Marylanders. He strongly encouraged voters to take advantage of absentee ballots or to participate in early voting. If individuals choose to cast their vote in person on election day, he recommended they should try to do so at off-peak times when the polling places may be less crowded. He stated that despite local jurisdictions’ assertions that they could not secure a sufficient number of elections judges, the administration identified 11,000 persons willing to serve and encouraged local jurisdictions to contact those identified to secure their service.
In his preface to his announcement that the state would be entering Stage 3 of reopening on Friday, September 4 at 5:00 pm, the Governor reviewed the state’s current COVID-19 statistics. He stated that Maryland’s positivity rate was 3.39%, which is an 89% reduction since its height at 26.91% on April 17. The positivity rate has been under 5% for 68 consecutive days since June 25 and has been under 4% for 24 days since August 8. Hospitalizations are down 77% since the peak, and ICU rates are down 30% since July 25. A new metric being measured is cases per 100,000, for which the state’s rate has dropped by 45% in the last month. The Governor asserted that Maryland’s statistics are better than the majority of the states in the nation. He stated that while it is critical that everyone continue to be vigilant in maintaining recommended social distancing and mask usage, the state is in a position to move to Stage 3 of reopening in order to support the strengthening of Maryland’s economy and enhanced efforts to get people back to work. While 77% of the state’s businesses remained open during the crisis and 99% have been open since June 19, the move to Stage 3 will help to ensure the further stabilization of businesses, employment, and the economy. Stage 3 includes the ability for all businesses to reopen. Movie theaters and live entertainment venues will be able to operate at 50% capacity, with a limitation of 100 people for movie theaters and inside venues and 250 people for outside venues. Retail stores and houses of worship will be authorized to move from 50% to 75% capacity. He noted that while the state has provided specified reopening parameters for Stage 3, local jurisdictions have the authority to be more restrictive as has been the case throughout the public emergency.
The Governor wished everyone a good holiday weekend but urged Marylanders to continue to be careful and adhere to social distancing and mask usage guidelines. He stated that contract tracers identified family gatherings as the number one activity for the spread of COVID-19, representing 40% of those tested positive since mid-July. Another 9% was attributed to house parties and outdoor events. To further enhance the effectiveness of contact tracing, the state has entered into a contract with Exposure Notifications Express, a app product of Google and Apple that will help the state notify persons of possible exposure. The Governor concluded his remarks by thanking the doctors, nurses, public health officials, and the people of Maryland. He stated the state has crushed the COVID-19 curve and saved lives, serving as an example to the nation.
Following the Governor’s remarks, Secretary of Commerce Kelley Schulz provided a brief update on the state’s economic recovery. She said that throughout the pandemic the state has worked with all sectors of the economy to keep businesses financially viable and the economy vibrant. The state has added 156,000 jobs, which she attributed to the more than $175 million in grants and loans that her department has distributed to local business. Safety has been a primary objective in working to stabilize the economy. Secretary Schulz said they met with thirteen different industry sectors to develop specific plans and guidance for safe reopening/operations such as cleaning, distancing, signage, etc. These sectors included tourism, manufacturing, retail, entertainment venues, and dining, among others. She reasserted that Maryland is open for business and the state remains committed to protect and enhance business and the economy.
MedChi will continue to monitor and share announcements from the Hogan administration to ensure that you have the information you need.
MORE NEWS, INFORMATION, AND RESOURCES
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Check out this week's MedChi News, our digital newsletter for MedChi members.
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The latest issue of Maryland Medicine, our magazine, is out now on digital platforms and available to all physicians.
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Last week, the Montgomery County Medical Society presented a program on COVID-19 staffing in collaboration with the law firm of Paley Rothman.
Thank you for all that you do as physicians, healers, and heroes.
Gene Ransom
MedChi CEO
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Telemedicine During COVID-19:
Managing Medical Malpractice Risk
When an active physician-patient relationship has been established,1 telemedicine can help you meet your legal duty of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, management of patient expectations is critical in mitigating liability risk. It is also helpful to keep in mind the following tips.
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Promote Yourself With MSEPS Social Media
@MSEPSMD is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and we w ould love to showcase what ophthalmologists in Maryland are doing. Do you have an announcement? Want to promote a paper you have authored? Have a great picture of you caring for your patients? Send it to us and we will help boost the good work you are doing. Email your submissions to [email protected] Also, be sure to follow us on all our platforms and join our facebook group.
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Contact Us:
1211 Cathedral St
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone 410-244-7320
Fax 410-727-5967
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