July 8, 2022

Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 3 Now Open



Physicians who received more than $10,000 in the aggregate between January 1 to June 30, 2021 may now access the PRF Reporting Portal. The reporting window will close September 30, 2022. The deadline to use these funds is June 30, 2022. Physicians are encouraged to complete their reporting well before the deadline. HRSA is hosting two informational webinars: for new reporting entities on Tuesday, July 12 at noon, and for returning reporters on Wednesday, July 13 at noon. 

Physicians Required to Update Practice Demographic Info Every 90 Days 

Under SB 137, health plans/insurers must verify the accuracy of their contracting providers’ demographic information every 90 days, as opposed to the 180 day or annual requirement prior to January 2022. Providers who fail to comply with the verification requests risk payment delays and removal from the provider directory. Health plans or insurers may also terminate a contract with a provider for a pattern or repeated failure to update the required information.

FDA Accepting Comments on Proposed Rule for Prescription to OTC Drug Switches

On June 27, the FDA announced a new proposed rule seeking to establish new requirements for manufacturers looking to switch prescription drug products to OTC offerings. The proposed rule would seek to do so by allowing for drug products that currently are available only with a prescription to move to OTC status by setting additional considerations that would ensure appropriate selection and use by patients. FDA will be accepting comments on the new proposal until Oct. 26, 2022. 

Final California State Budget Prioritizes Universal Health Care Access

CMA President Robert E. Wailes, MD, issued a statement this week in response to the final California budget stating that the budget prioritizes universal health care access and coverage for all, and officially makes California the first state to expand its Medicaid program to provide bull benefits to all eligible individuals regardless of age or documentation status. Click here to read the full statement. 

HHS Issues Guidance to Protect Patient Privacy in Wake of SCOTUS Decision on Roe v. Wade

The guidance issued by HHS last week clarifies that physicians are not required to disclose private medical information to third parties and addresses the extent to which private medical information is protected on personal cell phones/tablets. The AMA has identified and recommended additional actions to increase transparency on what apps are doing with medical information. 

CMA Board Chair Issues Statement in Support of Prop. 1 to Enshrine Right to Reproductive Rights in CA



Shannon Udovic-Constant, MD, Chair of the CMA Board of Trustees issued a statement in support of Proposition 1, stating that CMA is proud to support this proposition which will place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to enshrine an individual’s right to reproductive freedom. Read the full statement here. 

CalHealthCares Round 4 Awardees

Congratulations to the fourth cohort of awardees of CalHealthCares grants for loan repayment on educational debt for California physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients. The physician awardees in Alameda and Contra Costa counties are: 

• Abigail Burns, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center 
• Joseph Cartwright, MD, Internal Medicine, Eastmont Wellness Center 
• Daniel Kaplan, MD, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Epic Care 
• Christine Kim, MD, Otolaryngology, Stanford Health Care 
• Luyang Liu, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center 
• Dorea Martin, MD, Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital 
• Abid Mogannam, MD, Vascular Surgery, General Vascular Surgery Group 
• Bernard Nelson, MD, Anesthesiology, Highland Hospital 
• Kara Percival, MD, Pediatrics, Brentwood Health Center 
• Gaspar Rivera, MD, Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital 
• Luke Rond, DO Emergency Medicine, Sutter Delta Medical Center 
• Paris Scott, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center 
• Ashley Vance, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center 

Last Chance to Apply to KidsVaxGrant, Up to $15,000 

The KidsVaxGrant application deadline is approaching. Enroll your practice or medical organization in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program for awards of up to $10,000 or expand your operating hours for awards of up to $15,000. Click here to apply by the deadline, July 15.

Managing Pain Safely: Non-Pharmacological Treatments 

Available On Demand | Free 

This webinar discusses some of the evidence-based non-pharmacological treatments recommended in the treatment guidelines. Conditions usually not considered for non-pharmacological treatments are discussed to help improve the management of more difficult conditions such as osteoarthritis and disc herniations. A colleague that regularly utilizes non-pharmacological treatments shares tips in patient management. This webinar is hosted by the East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition, Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, and Napa Solano Medical Society. 

Access the webinar here. 

Leveraging Open EHR Platforms to Advance Usability, Care and Outcomes 

Tuesday, July 12 | 9:00 to 10:00 am 

Free | Hosted by the American College of Healthcare Executives 

An open platform makes it easier for organizations to share information and integrate apps that enhance workflows and fill growing business needs, such as ambulatory care, clinical decision support, scheduling and emergency medicine. Openness takes the EHR to the next level and is a powerful way to help providers be more proactive in addressing issues such as the opioid crisis, prescription price transparency, patient safety and emergency department readmission rates. Join us in this webinar to hear how open EHR platforms provide the foundation for healthcare innovation and collaboration. 

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. 

No Surprises Act Implementation: Good Faith Estimate

Wednesday, July 13 | 10:00 to 11:00 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 NSA requirements to Emily Carroll ([email protected]). 

Click here for registration instructions.

Medical Debt Crisis: Impact on Black American Families

Wednesday, July 13 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm 

Hosted by National Consumer Law Center and Community Catalyst 

Despite the aims of the Affordable Care Act, medical debt remains a looming crisis, disproportionately affecting Black households and communities. Race contributes to whether households have medical debt, with 27.9% of Black households carrying medical debt compared to 17.2% of white non-Hispanic households. Households in the South, the region with the highest concentration of Black people, carry more medical debt than households in other areas of the country. Structural and systemic racism underlies these disparities in medical debt. For these reasons, medical debt must be addressed as a racial justice issue that exacerbates the existing racial wealth and health gap facing Black families and communities. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences in healthcare advocacy, data trends they have seen in medical debt in their states, and best practices and policy ideas for addressing medical debt in Black communities. 

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. 

Medicare Payment Principles 

Wednesday, July 27 | 8:00 to 9:00 am 

Hosted by AMA 

The Medicare physician payment system needs an overhaul to remedy financial instabilities impacting physician practices due to the pandemic, statutory payment cuts, lack of inflationary updates and significant administrative burdens. To define the goals of reform, the AMA and 120 state medical and national specialty societies created the Characteristics of a Rational Medicare Physician Payment System. Hear what these principles call on Congress to do to improve the Medicare physician payment system in a new AMA webinar hosted by Sandra Fryhofer, MD, chair, AMA Board of Trustees. 

Register here. 

Leadership Reading and Discussion Group 

Wednesday, September 7 | 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 September 7 is “An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back” by Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD. This book describes how the flawed system of health insurance and delivery has failed patients in the US, and proposes solutions for far-reaching reform. 

Register here. 

NEPO Summit: Beyond Unconscious Bias to Health Care Equity 

Thursday, October 6 | 9:30 am to 4:00 pm 

Hosted by PHC and NEPO | $50 for members & non-members 

The Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) is a network of diverse physicians and patients that convene annually to advocate for community health, encourage physician leadership development, and promote cultural and linguistic competency in patient care. The summit will be virtual and cover topics critical to diverse physicians and patients including reproductive and maternal health outcome disparities, women physician well-being, and practice transformation. The NEPO Summit will also include the presentation of the Physicians for a Healthy California 2022 Leadership Awards. These awards are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate individuals or organizations who are champions of health equity. Nominations are open through July 18. 

Register here.