Advocacy, Health Plan Conflicts, and State Updates September 28, 2020 149th Installation, COVID-19, Food Insecurity, Physicians, Private Practices, Survey 2637 Tackling Food Insecurity Since March, we’ve been sharing the impact the pandemic has had on vulnerable populations, those with underlying health conditions and in Los Angeles County, Blacks and Latinos specifically. The crisis has also affected undocumented immigrant workers and their families who provide essential services while putting their own lives on the line yet are ineligible for almost all federal and state social safety nets. LACMA has been meeting with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health directors to discuss resources, best practices and policy to support those facing food insecurity as LA DPH has been working with food advocates at the state level to promote access to food. The LACMA executive committee signed a letter of support for Assembly Bill 826 (Santiago) that would provide undocumented immigrants a prepaid card to use for food. Governor Gavin Newsom has until this Wednesday to sign all bills, This bill will provide desperately needed food assistance to those suffering from hunger, and who worry about where their next meal will come from in the middle of a global pandemic. It will help those who have either lost their jobs or have become ill due to COVID-19. View Letter 149th Installation Event c What a historic evening we had last week for our 149th Installation of President and Officers! Many leaders from across the state joined the virtual event to welcome Dr. Diana Shiba into her new role as President of LACMA. We also recognized Dr. Jeffery Lee as President-Elect, Dr. Omer Deen as Treasurer and Dr. Jerry Abraham as Secretary. We hope all of you enjoyed the program and if you have any feedback, we’d love to hear from you. If you missed it, click below to watch! Give Feedback View Installation Video As Health Plan Conflicts Continue, Some Private Practice Perspectives Dr. Emil Avanes, LACMA board member and owner of Harmony Health MD recently engaged fellow private practice physicians in the Glendale area about capitation payments that are being offered by Blue Shield of California. Here are some responses: “I believe no matter how well-intentioned we are as physicians, at the end of the day we are parents, spouses, providers for our families, and, above all else, human beings. I have stayed away from capitated contracts payments that are being offered by Blue Shield of California. It forces the physician, whether consciously or not, to focus on reimbursement. Our role as providers for our families is given a very direct avenue to cloud our thought-process and medical decision-making, which it shouldn’t. I think capitation is a horrible model, designed solely to benefit insurance carriers, monetarily.” Physician #1 “When I came to Glendale, all my HMO/IPA contracts were capitated. Once I got a robust billing software, I was able to calculate the true value of my work. By then, 7 years had gone by. Once the math was done, I estimated a total of $500K - 700K, at minimum, of being underpaid because of the capitation model. Obviously, I opted out. That was 13 years ago.” Physician #2 What are your thoughts? What Can LACMA Do to Support You Better? Email Gustavo Market Research Study: Helping Private Practices Altais, a proud partner of CMA Physician Services, is evaluating product designs to develop new tools to help independent physicians enhance their practices. To assist, Altais is seeking independent primary care and specialist physicians utilizing the Athena, Epic, Cerner and AllScripts electronic health records to help. Physicians will be compensated $350 for 90 minutes of participation in health product demos, surveys and/or discussions. Take Survey Reopening Schools LACMA has been approached by the pediatric association and some local physicians relative to the reopening of schools in Los Angeles County. I’ve spoken with Dr. Muntu Davis, director of public health at LA DPH and LACMA board member who has shared that LA DPH wants to see how numbers (cases/hospitalizations) look by end of this week. The numbers over two-week span will determine which tier a community and its school (s) are/is in. Of the 40 new deaths reported as of this writing, 15 people who died were over the age of 80, 12 were between the ages of 65 and 79, seven were between the ages of 50 and 64, four were between the ages of 30 and 49 and one was between the ages of 18 and 29. So, Los Angeles County as of 9/22 had a testing positivity rate of 2.8% and was averaging seven new cases per 100,000. Those figures would enable the county to move up to the "red" tier, if the numbers hold for two weeks. The average number of new cases is barely under the line. The state's criteria for the red tier allows counties to have no more than seven new cases per 100,000 residents. Dr. Barbara Ferrer and Dr. Davis understand the importance of reopening schools and the impacts on minority and low-income kids. He noted that 200 schools have already opened. LACMA has been standing in strong support with our LAC Public Health Officer, especially when several of our states’ public health officers were being targeted and harassed over the issue of masking in public and we continue to work closely with both Dr. Ferrer and Dr. Davis as the COVID 19 crisis continues. Here is a link for reference: View Here What do you think? Risk Management and the Pandemic: Tips for Managing Medical Liability Risk The Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) is pleased to offer you free access to our latest on-demand webcast, Risk Management and the Pandemic: Tips for Managing Medical Liability Risk. In this one-hour webcast, a panel of CAP’s risk management experts discuss strategies for navigating the unique challenges resulting from the pandemic, such as developing new in-office procedures, implementing telehealth visits, and keeping up with ever-changing regulations. View the Webcast Discussion topics address important issues such as how to: • Identify common areas of liability and the steps your practice can take to reduce patient error and risk in those areas • Set up safe and regulatory compliant in-office visits for an optimal patient experience • Establish best practices for telemedicine visits • Develop tools to adapt office practices to the ongoing COVID-19 issues CAP’s experienced team of risk management and patient safety professionals offer a robust menu of exclusive risk reduction programs, such as these webinars, to help minimize professional liability exposure. These free services are just one of the many benefits included with CAP membership. To learn more about becoming a CAP member, please call 800-356-5672, or email at MD@CAPphysicians.com. Request an Instant Quote today to learn how much you can save on medical malpractice coverage with CAP. Contracts 101 For Medical Practice Administrators Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020 Time: 6:00 pm RSVP Lung Cancer and COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: What Clinicians Need to Know The California Medical Association (CMA) is a proud partner of Rockpointe, and this activity has been planned for clinicians who treat lung cancer patients, knowing how COVID-19 alters physiology is crucial to providing care that will ameliorate infection symptoms while not exacerbating lung cancer symptoms. Further, clinicians must be aware of factors that increase these patients' risk for COVID-19 infection, including decreased immunity due to pharmacotherapy and abnormal anatomy and cellular structure after surgery and/or radiation therapy. This webinar is FREE and at the program's conclusion, participants should be able to: Discuss the most current understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Recognize and evaluate factors that increase risk of COVID infection among patients with lung cancer. Integrate consensus recommendations for the safe and effective management of patients with lunch cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Provide counsel to patients with lunch cancer regarding concerns or fears related to COVID-19. Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020 Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am Register Here #MondayMotivation "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."