Monday Rx: COVID-19 Toolkit, LACMA Leaders, PAIX Launch and Member Deals February 1, 2021 ACEs Aware, Biopharmaceutical Industry, California, California Medical Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, COVID-19 Toolkit, Dr. Diana Shiba, Dr. Jeffrey Lee, Dr. Jerry Abraham, executive order, Kedren Health, LA Healthcare Awards, Member Deals, PAIX, Physicians Against Intolerance and Xenophobia, Telehealth, vaccinations 1791 Monday Rx February 1, 2021 CMA Unveiled COVID-19 Toolkit The California Medical Association (CMA) has compiled this toolkit to provide answers to frequently asked physician questions about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, including areas such as liability concerns, employer issues and billing for administration of the vaccine. This document will be updated frequently with the latest information. View Here As Doctors Protect Patients, Who Protects Them? As the State of California moves to speed up the distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, that will help expand the state's vaccination administration capacity by safeguarding physicians and other health care professionals who administer vaccinations. Learn More LACMA Physician Leaders Continue to Make a Difference LACMA President Dr. Diana Shiba and President-elect Dr. Jeffrey Lee both volunteered at the LA DPH Vaccination Mega Pod (Magic Mountain location) over the weekend. Dr. Shiba shared the following: I’m humbled and proud of the incredible way LACMA physicians met the need of our patients and community today. They truly embody the best of Medicine, and it was a privilege to serve and volunteer with them. Dr. Lee shared the following: Just wanted to share some thoughts on volunteering at the MegaPod on Saturday. Volunteering at the Magic Mountain Vaccination MegaPod was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a physician. LACMA President, Dr. Diana Shiba suggested that we sign up there because they were short-staffed. It seemed like something worthwhile doing, and I really didn't have any other activities planned. That day, over 2600 seniors and healthcare workers drove up to Valencia, some driving over an hour - some driving themselves, others driving their family members. After waiting in line in the switchback lanes, they got to the tents where they would get their first shot of the Pfizer vaccine - the first step on their path toward immunity, along with an appointment to return in 21 days and the expectation that 14 days after that second shot, their risk of getting ill would be reduced by 95%. As part of my volunteer role, I had the chance to talk to hundreds of vaccinees and ask how they were doing during their observation period. These folks were full of gratitude, knowing that in the near future, they would be able to sit in a restaurant and share a meal with their friends; that they could see their family, especially that newborn grandchildren; that they could go to church; that they could hug each other. Their lives have been completely disrupted these past 11 months. But that soreness in their shoulder promised that things would be better again soon. I went into medicine to make people's lives better. As a primary care physician, I improve the lives of patients by treating their hypertension or diabetes. But this event was different from what I do every day. With blood pressure or blood sugar control, I know that there are benefits somewhere years down the road. But what I mostly do is help my patients avert a catastrophic heart attack or stroke. What I do hopefully prevents bad things from happening. However, what I was a part of on Saturday will drastically change people's lives in a few short months in a very real way. We all need to work to make the vaccines available to everyone - once we get seniors covered, we can move on to other groups and hopefully vaccinate as much as LA County as possible. The sooner this happens, the sooner things can normalize. So I encourage all physicians to consider helping out whatever ways you can. Volunteer at a Mega-Pod. Work with your local hospitals and clinics. We're all in this together, and the sooner we can all get vaccinated, the sooner we can all get out of it. Dr. Jerry Abraham Fights for Shot in Arms LACMA Officer Dr. Jerry Abraham has redefined what being on the front lines means. He has led the Kedren Health effort to organize and mobilize vaccination centers in some of the communities hardest hit by the virus: communities of color. Dr. Abraham has fought to expand access to the most vulnerable by bringing in the Red Cross and Volunteer Corps among numerous other groups to ensure the staff and resources are available to administer the supply of vaccines. Here are some links to stories featuring Dr. Abraham’s work: NBC TODAY SHOW 02.01.21 | Unequal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine Spurs Mounting Outrage NBC Los Angeles | Volunteer Disaster Team Provides Support at KEDREN HEALTH COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Program CBS Los Angeles | South LA Clinic Rushes To Administer 600 Expiring COVID-19 Vaccine Doses LACMA Launches Physicians Against Intolerance and Xenophobia Dr. Jeffery Lee and Dr. Diana Shiba will be hosting a panel and media zoom later this month as LACMA unveils Physicians Against Intolerance and Xenophobia or PAIX. In the wake of President Joe Biden’s Executive Order (EO) for condemning racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the panel discussion will include physician leaders from various Asian American medical associations to share insights relative to violence and discrimination and how we can offer leadership to promote actionable change. PAIX will continue to collaborate and share insights with the Health Equity Council going forward as well. Member Deals for February 2021 LACMA members can now access this new monthly summary of upcoming deals and products for February 2021. View Deals Update on the Biopharmaceutical Industry’s Commitment to Beat COVID-19: Therapeutics Development America’s biopharmaceutical companies are working around the clock to advance safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 and improve outcomes for patients. Please join Dr. Andrew Adams of Eli Lilly, Dr. Julie Gerberding of Merck and Dr. Mike Ybarra of PhRMA for a discussion on the biopharmaceutical industry’s efforts to develop therapeutics for COVID-19. Please click here to RSVP to the event and submit questions for speakers. Questions are due by end of day Friday, February 5. Viewing information will be shared with those who RSVP on Monday, February 8. ACEs Aware LA Peer-to-Peer Learning Pediatricians and Family Medicine physicians, please join ACEs Aware on February 11 at 6 PM via Zoom for the ACEs Aware LA Peer-To-Peer Learning session 2, with Adam Schickedanz, MD. These lectures are accredited by the ABP and AAFP. ACCME CME credit and ABP MOC Part 2. AMA/AAFP CME credit. Childhood Adversity & Health Systems Change Adam Schickedanz, MD Date: February 11, 2021 Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Click here to register. Webinar: CMS Medicare Updates 2021 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Chief Medical Officer Ashby Wolfe, M.D. will provide an update on CMS policy for the 2021 calendar year. Information presented will be relevant to practicing clinicians including an overview of the updates to the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule and an update on the agency COVID-19 response. Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 Time: 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Register Here Webinar: Telehealth Series for Small and Medium Sized Practices: (Pt. 10) Engaging Patients in Telehealth As physicians make the transition to telehealth, one of their biggest challenges is maintaining the same level of patient engagement as they would see in a regular office visit. Patients may not be comfortable with technology, or they may fear that they will receive lower quality care in a virtual setting. With the right tools and strategies, physicians can overcome these challenges and provide high quality care using telehealth. This webinar series is made possible through the support of the California Health Care Foundation and is open to all physician practices. Date: Thursday, February 4, 2021 Time: 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Register Here Save the Date The Patient Care Foundation’s annual LA Healthcare Awards will be taking place virtually on April 16, 2021. For more information, click here. #MondayMotivation “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.” -Oprah Winfrey Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”