June 9, 2023

Next Friday: Reducing Administrative Burden & Restoring Joy to Practice



Join us on June 16 for a collaborative conference where physician experts will guide you through practical strategies to reduce the hassles of daily medical practice. Enjoy free breakfast, lunch, and post-event happy hour (with beer and wine) in beautiful Lafayette, at the Don Tatzin Community Hall. Click here to reserve your spot. 

NSMS Family Movie Night



Join us for a free private screening of Disney's Haunted Mansion on Friday, July 28 at 6:30 pm at Century Vallejo 14. Tickets will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis with a limit of 4 tickets per family. Before the show, we will be holding a brief Haunted Mansion quiz and giving away Cinemark gift cards. Don't miss out! Claim your tickets here. 

Members Only: Please Complete Our Membership Survey



The NSMS conducts a yearly survey to gather information about our members, your needs, your satisfaction with the NSMS overall and with various member services and benefits, and the issues impacting the medical profession. Participants will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card and be entered in a drawing to win an Apple Watch SE! Complete the survey here. 

Controlled Substances Requirement Reminder



This is a reminder that starting June 27th, the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act will require all physicians who are renewing or applying for a DEA license to check a box on their form certifying that they have completed the one-time, 8-hour training requirement. Get trained with courses from AMA or PCSS. 

Supreme Court Preserves Right to Sue to Enforce State Compliance with Medicaid Requirements

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court today issued a 7-2 ruling in Health and Hospital Corp. v. Taleski that preserved the ability of people to sue government agencies and other state defendants to vindicate individual protections and rights secured under federal laws. Read more about the case here. 

Medi-Cal Redetermination: Verify Your Patients’ Eligibility

Since April, CA has been redetermining eligibility for Medi-Cal enrollees following the official end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Given that 2-3 million beneficiaries may be impacted, it is important for physicians to verify/re-verify their patients’ eligibility to avoid denials. Additionally, physician practices that are on capitated contracts may see decreases in monthly capitation payments due to eligibility changes. Physicians are encouraged to review their monthly capitated payments and the affiliated enrollee reports carefully to monitor for any decreases in payment due to disenrollment. Read more here.

U.S. Surgeon General Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, recently released an advisory on the importance of understanding and addressing the mental health risks associated with social media use by children and adolescents. AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said “With near universal social media use by America’s young people, these apps and sites introduce profound risk and mental health harms in ways we are only now beginning to fully understand. As physicians, we see firsthand the impact of social media, particularly during adolescence—a critical period of brain development”.

Tell Congress to Reform the Medicare Payment System



Send a message to Congress to support legislation that would reform the flawed Medicare physician payment system and provide annual inflationary updates. You can also find materials to use in conversations with members of Congress to let them know the Medicare physician payment system needs reform to become a more sustainable, value-based system that better meets the needs of patients and physicians. Click here. 

HHS Releases First-Ever STI Federal Implementation Plan



STIs have risen dramatically between 2020–2021, with more than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States. HHS released the STI Federal Implementation Plan to detail how various agencies and departments across the federal government are taking a comprehensive approach to making meaningful and substantive progress in improving public health. 

Nominate a Colleague for 2023 CMA Service Awards

Every year, CMA honors inspirational physician members during its annual House of Delegates in October. CMA is now accepting nominations for physicians who have shown commitment to community and charity care, charity care in rural practice, membership growth, and improving physician health and wellness. 

Policy Applied: Addressing Nutrition through Produce Prescriptions in Medicaid Managed Care 

Tuesday, June 13 | 9:00 to 10:00 am 

Hosted by Public Health Institute 

This Web Forum will provide participants with an overview of opportunities to support efforts to incorporate nutrition services into patient care through one of the most critical health policy pathways in the United States: Medicaid Managed Care. We will begin with an overview of a new report from the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School and DC Greens entitled, Mainstreaming Produce Prescriptions in Medicaid Managed Care: A Policy Toolkit and Resource Library. We will then hear from a panel of experts on their experiences in navigating these opportunities on the ground. 

Register here. 

Taking Back Control: Practical Strategies to Reduce the Admin Hassles of Daily Medical Practice

Friday, June 16 | 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Lafayette Library | FREE for all members

Join physician colleagues from across the Bay Area for a robust day of thought leadership and information sharing through interactive workshops and panel discussions focused on tackling the daily pain points of medical practice. This conference will equip you with practical tools and skills that you can apply immediately to your medical practice. You should leave feeling empowered with new ideas to minimize administrative burdens and restore joy to the practice of medicine.

Register here.

Drug Safe Solano Narcan Training 

Saturday, June 24 | 1:00 to 2:00 pm

Join Drug Sale Solano for a virtual Narcan training. Learn about the impact of opioids, how to recognize an overdose, and finally, how to save a life. Please share this opportunity with your patients and network.

Register for the zoom meeting here.

Demystifing the Medical Staff 

Tuesday, July 18 | 12:15 to 1:15 pm 

Hosted by CMA 

Learn about the basic structure, role and purpose of the medical staff and physicians’ membership in it. This webinar is for those who have either always wanted a better understanding of medical staff functions or have contemplated involvement in your hospital medical staff but either never knew how to get involved or are undecided as to whether involvement is worth the time. There will be a brief Q&A session at the end. 

Register here. 

Focus on the Heart 

Friday, August 25 | 12:00 to 6:00 pm 

Hosted By NorthBay Health & Vascular 

Join us for an afternoon of education and networking. Expert faculty will provide up-to-date education on a wide spectrum of the latest updates in hypertension, CHF, A-Fib, DVT/PE therapy, AS and TAVR, Aortic disease and rapid-fire ECG reading among others. The program will have didactic lectures integrated with case discussion. Our guest keynote speaker is Regis Fernandes, MD, from Mayo Clinic. Come for the education and stay the weekend in the beautiful Suisun Valley wine country. Physician early bird tickets are $100, and student/resident tickets are $20.

For full details, including the 5 CME credit information, and registration, visit www.NorthBay.org/focus today.