The Wyoming Legislature put another eventful session week in the books. |
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This week marked the end of many bills in the House and Senate that had been left standing, with a number of those bills failing due to procedural deadlines.
Medicaid Expansion passes for the first time in the WY House.
In order to become enacted as law in Wyoming, HB 162 - Medical Treatment Opportunity Act must pass three readings in the Senate and obtain a signature from Governor Gordon to be enacted as law in Wyoming. The first reading will be held on Wednesday, March 31st, in the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee.
Contact members of the committee to express your support for the effort. Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Members include:
For more information about Medicaid and how expanding the program to cover 25,000 more people could provide Wyoming with an estimated net General Fund savings of $34 million CLICK HERE. |
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For a complete listing of all the bills the Wyoming Medical Society is tracking, click the link below. |
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WMS bills being debated/reviewed next week:
MONDAY, March 29
Appropriations (Senate) - 8 am
HB195 - Wyoming medical review panel-repeal
HB127 - Public health amendments *as time permits
If you would like to testify on any of these bills, please visit the LSO Calendar page, select the date, and then click TESTIFY on the right side of the page.
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Primary care practices in eligible regions are encouraged to apply. Practices that participate in PCF will have flexibility in terms of care delivery and the opportunity to increase practice revenue through performance-based model payments.
The deadline for practice applications is April 30, 2021; the deadline for payer applications is May 28, 2021.
The PCF Model tests whether the way Medicare pays for advanced primary care—shifting from a fee-for-service to a value-based payment approach—can positively affect quality of care and reduce total Medicare expenditures. Further, participating practices that focus on patients with complex chronic needs receive higher model payments for the care of these patient populations.
PCF Cohort 2 will have five performance years and is scheduled to begin in January 2022. You can access the RFA, practice application, and more information on the PCF Model, on the CMS Primary Care First website.
Webinars for interested applicants will be held in the coming weeks, and will include opportunity for live question and answer:
Become a Primary Care First Payer Partner
Ready, Set, Apply!
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Wyoming Records Show Significantly More Deaths in 2020 |
Records kept by Vital Statistics Services (VSS), which is part of the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), show a significant increase in 2020 deaths among residents over what would have been expected before the year began, along with fewer recorded births, marriages and divorces.
Among Wyoming residents, there were 5,983 deaths recorded in 2020 compared to 5,121 deaths in 2019 for a year over year difference of 862, according to official death certificate information.
“Our data has shown steady, small increases in deaths for several years largely due to our state’s aging population,” said Guy Beaudoin, VSS deputy state registrar with WDH. “But before the COVID-19 pandemic hit we never would have predicted the large jump we saw in 2020.”
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Statewide Public Health Orders Updated for Coming Weeks |
The two remaining statewide public health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic are being updated with minor changes as the COVID 19 pandemic continues, according to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH).
- Mask use requirements related to educational institutions are remaining in the statewide orders. However, room capacity limitations in those settings are being removed. Physical distancing remains in the orders.
- With a continuation of order #2, indoor events of more than 500 people may be held at 50 percent of venue capacity with certain face mask protocols for large indoor events.
“We continue to see stable case numbers in most places along with fewer hospitalizations and fewer deaths,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH. “Because COVID-19 is still around and our vaccine campaign is ongoing we need to continue with some precautions in our orders, especially related to schools and large events.”
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COVID-19 Immunization Data |
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Click image to view full sized PDF. |
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Here you will find:
- Vaccine program provider enrollment
- Required training for COVID-19 vaccine coordinators
- COVID-19 vaccine resources and information
- COVID-19 vaccination program templates and forms
- CDC's V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker
- Wyoming Immunization Registry (WyIR) Resources
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WMS has partnered with the Wyoming Chapter of the AAP to bring the CDC's Project Firstline to Wyoming. |
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A Message from UMIA|Constellation |
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Thank you 2021 Friends of WMS! |
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