June 24, 2022

ACCMA Releases Statement on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

The Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) strongly disagrees with the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and deny Americans constitutionally guaranteed access to abortion services. This decision will lead to government interference in the patient-physician relationship, dangerous intrusion into the practice of medicine, and potentially the criminalization of critically needed lifesaving care. This decision will significantly reduce access to comprehensive reproductive health care services, exacerbate healthcare inequity, and cause harm to patients. Please click here to read the full statement.

Get Kids Vaxxed! Community Vaccination Clinics Calendar

As COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up for children, ensure that your patients have continued access by sharing the community-led vaccination clinics calendar for Alameda County. You can also find four Contra Costa clinics on the Contra Costa Health Services website.

We remind you that KidsVaxGrant has extended its application deadline to July 15. $10 million in grant funding is available for medical organizations enrolled in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. VFC providers newly enrolled in myCAvax could be eligible for $10,000 to support enrollment and launching a vaccination center. VFC providers who are already enrolled in myCAvax who are expanding operating hours could be eligible for $15,000. The deadline to apply has been extended to July 15, 2022. Click here to apply or learn more.

CDPH Substantially Expands Definition of “Close Contact”



The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently expanded the definition of “close contact” to better acknowledge that COVID-19 is an airborne disease, rather than one spread by respiratory droplets. For the purposes of the CDPH’s recommendations regarding isolation and quarantine periods for persons infected with or exposed to COVID-19, “close contact” is now defined as someone sharing the “same indoor airspace” for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during an infected person's infectious period.

AMA and ACOG Push for Continued Access to Mifepristone

Consistent with policy adopted at the recent House of Delegates meeting, the AMA and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) joined on two June 21 letters to the White House (PDF) and Food and Drug Administration (PDF) to support continued unrestricted access to mifepristone. Access to mifepristone is increasingly at issue given its use to terminate pregnancies in home settings. The drug is also widely used for management and treatment of early pregnancy loss (miscarriage, spontaneous abortions, missed abortions). The AMA and ACOG are encouraging the administration to remove or revise the drug’s current risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) to remove potential barriers to access to mifepristone and are also supporting the authority of FDA approval to preempt state laws that further restrict access to the drug.

AMA Applauds Senate Passage of Firearm Bill

AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD released a statement on Wednesday stating, “For the first time in a generation, we see that bipartisanship is possible on the issue of firearm safety, that compromise can produce meaningful results, and that Congress can come together in response to what the AMA considers a public health crisis of firearm violence. We applaud the Senate and the bipartisan group of senators who negotiated and wrote the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and we urge the House of Representatives to act quickly and pass this legislation.” The House passed the legislation on Thursday and it now heads to the president for signature.

Alameda County Nonprofits Receive State Behavioral Health Funding

A bill supported by CMA to provide more funding to local behavioral health facilities (AB 172) provided four family support services and crisis centers in Alameda County a combined $18.4 million this week. The funding through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) ensures that vulnerable populations receive care in less restrictive settings, including outpatient alternatives. This is the third of six grant rounds targeting gaps in the state’s behavioral health facility infrastructure. Additional information is at infrastructure.buildingcalhhs.com. 

CMA-Sponsored Bill Set for Hearing

CMA-sponsored bill to reform the prior authorization process, SB 250 by Senator Dr. Pan, has been set for a hearing on June 28. SB 250 will reduce administrative burdens by reforming prior authorization and billing processes. As it stands, health plans already collect all the data needed to streamline the prior authorization process in their current utilization review system. The bill would relieve physicians from repetitively submitting prior authorizations for a set period of time, with a review at the end of that period to determine if that physician may continue to be exempt from prior authorization requirements. Click here to read more about this bill.

No Surprises Act Implementation: Good Faith Estimate

Tuesday, June 28 from 9:00 to 10:00 am 

Hosted by AMA and CMS 

This webinar will cover Good Faith Estimate provisions to the No Surprises Act, followed by another webinar on July 13 focused on surprise billing provisions. CMS will spend a majority of the time answering questions from physicians and medical societies, both through live Q&A and pre-submitted questions. Please send questions you may have about the below NSA requirements to Emily Carroll ([email protected]): 

• The Good Faith Estimate requirements for uninsured or self-pay patients; 
• Surprise billing prohibitions; 
• Notice and Consent requirements; 
• NSA enforcement requirements;  
• The payment process under the NSA, including the initial payment, open negotiations, and Independent Dispute Resolution process (to be addressed in a yet-to-be-scheduled future webinar and in other educational/advocacy efforts).   

Click here for registration instructions.

Foundations of Racism in Medicine

Wednesday, June 29 | 4:00 to 5:30 pm 

Hosted by the American Medical Association | CME Available 

Dr. Emily Cleveland Manchanda, the Director for Social Justice Education and Implementation at the AMA, will give a 60-minute didactic presentation followed by 30-minutes for Q&A. The presentation will include descriptions of basic terminology around race and racism; manifestations of racism in medicine at interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels; and recommendations for additional reading and learning for physicians to continue their health equity education. 

Register here.

Leadership Reading and Discussion Group

Wednesday, July 6 | 6:00 to 7:30 pm   

FREE | CME Available | Online   

Physicians are free to join any meeting of the Leadership Reading and Discussion Group; reading the book is not required. Doctor Hilary Worthen, course director of the Physician Leadership Program, facilitates the discussion group that is held on Zoom. The book selection for July is “Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health” by Thomas Insel, MD. This is a terrific book that gives a hard and well-informed overview of the state of care for people with mental illness. 

Register here. 

Virtual Grand Rounds 

Tuesday, July 12 | 12:00 to 1:00 pm 

Hosted by CMA 

Learn from experts about the status of COVID-19 and monkeypox in California. CMA will be welcoming back state epidemiologist Erica Pan, MD who will share the latest updates about COVID-19, including information about vaccinations, epidemiology and patient care. 

Infectious disease expert Peter Chin-Hong, MD from UCSF will discuss the emergence of monkeypox as a global phenomenon, as well as the epidemiology, signs and symptoms of this disease. 

Register here. 

Making MAT Happen In-Person Workshop 

Oakland | Friday, July 15 | 9:00 am to 3:30 pm 

Hosted by CA Bridge 

CA Bridge is excited to return to in-person training events! We are hosting a series of regional workshops to review the basics of the CA Bridge model for initiating medication for addiction treatment (MAT) in emergency departments and navigating patients to ongoing care. These workshops are tailored to hospitals that are new to the program, had delays in getting started, or have run into challenges along the way. 

Register here.