Tuesday Rx: Vaccination Reimbursement, CalHealthCares Extended, Race Against Time and LACMA Elections February 16, 2021 150th Annual Election, CalHealthCares, California Department of Managed Health Care, Claims Reimbursement, covid-19, Dentists, Federal Information Blocking Rules, LA Healthcare Awards, LACMA Board of Directors, LACMA Delegation to the CMA House of Delegates, Latinx, Medicare 2021, Member Deals, physicians, Physicians for a Healthy California, Race Against Time, UCLA, vaccine 1247 Vaccination Administration A number of members have inquired about reimbursement options related to vaccine administration. The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) issued guidance reminding health plans that all qualified, approved COVID-19 vaccines must be provided with no cost-sharing for health plan enrollees, regardless of whether the enrollee receives the vaccine from an in-network or out-of-network provider "As we begin to enter this new phase of the pandemic with vaccines becoming available, the DMHC is reminding health plans they must cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines," said DMHC Director Mary Watanabe. "It is critical that all Californians have access to a safe COVID-19 vaccine to help protect their health. Financial challenges should not and will not get in the way of getting protection from COVID-19." Learn More here and via the links below. FAQ's - COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration HRSA - COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured CalHealthCares Deadline Extended Recognizing that health care providers are heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) have extended the 2021 CalHealthCares deadline to give applicants an extra two weeks to complete the application process and hopefully reduce some of the stress. The CalHealthCares program administers loan repayment on educational debt for California physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients, which represent one-third of Californians and half of the state’s children. Eligible physicians can apply for a loan repayment award of up to $300,000 in exchange for a five-year service obligation. Eligible dentists can apply for a loan repayment award of up to $300,000 in exchange for a five-year service obligation or a Practice Support Grant of up to $300,000 in exchange for a 10-year service obligation. The program is funded by Proposition 56 (2016) voter-approved, state tax revenues. All eligible Physicians and Dentists are encouraged to apply. The 2021 CalHealthCares application cycle closes February 26, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Interested individuals can apply on the PHC website. Visit CalHealthCares.org for more information about the program, including application instructions, fact sheets, infographics and awardee information from previous cycles. LACMA’s Race Against Time Zoom Equity and social determinants play critical roles in the success of vaccine distribution. LACMA’s Health Equity Council has invited UCLA’s David Hayes Bautista, PhD. to be a featured guest on the Race Against Time zoom, February 23rd, 6:30-7:30 PM hosted by Dr. Hector Flores. Dr. Bautista is partnering with LACMA to conduct a first-ever study on the impact COVID-19 has had on Latinx physicians. Thank you, Dr. Troy Elander, for sharing the recent article in JAMA on why more diversity is needed in medical schools. Read it here. Register for the Race Against Time zoom by clicking below. RSVP Call for Nominations! The Los Angeles County Medical Association is holding its 150th Annual Election this coming June. There are vacancies on the LACMA Board of Directors and the LACMA Delegation to the CMA House of Delegates. Active members of LACMA and CMA have the privilege of voting for their preferred candidates. At the end of May, you can expect to receive a voting ballot via email and you will be able to cast your vote online. Please be sure to keep an eye out for your ballot and submit your vote. To learn more about the open positions, please click below. The deadline to submit nominations is March 1, 2021. If you have any questions please contact Lisa Le at lisa@lacmanet.org. View Open Positions Member Deals for February 2021 LACMA members can now access this new monthly summary of upcoming deals and products for February 2021. View Deals Webinar: Federal Information Blocking Rules: What Physicians Need to Know The federal information blocking rule, issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, takes effect on April 5, 2021. This rule will, with some exceptions, prohibit any action defined as information blocking by physicians, hospitals, and health IT vendors. Join this webinar to learn about the components of this new rule and steps physicians should take to come into compliance. Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021 Time: 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm Register Here Webinar: Medicare 2021 in Review Just in case you missed it, the California Medical Association will cover the Medicare updates for this year and answer questions regarding the new evaluation and management (E/M) coding guidelines. Covered topics include: Telehealth and other communications technology New CMS E/M 2021 guidelines Noridian documentation changes Medicare Part B issues Date: Wednesday, February 24, 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 "The time is always right to do what is right." —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”