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Monday Rx | August 12, 2019 | Physicians Ending Opioid Abuse, Docs4LA and LA Public Health Partner for Vision Zero, Ending Senseless Gun Violence and AB 1404

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How Physicians Can End Opioid Abuses

Opioid overdoses continue to be a leading cause of injury and death in the United States, surpassing deaths from motor vehicle accidents and gun homicides. Among new illicit opioid users, 4 out of 5 reported using prescription drugs prior to using heroin. It is also widely recognized that permissive opioid prescribing practices by healthcare professionals have been a significant contributor to the opioid crisis.

As such, health care professionals play a vital role in disrupting this trend by adopting safe prescribing practices for opioids. Safe Med LA is a countywide coalition working together to reduce prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths in Los Angeles. Safe Med LA has developed recommendations for safe opioid prescribing that are based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kaiser Permanente and input from additional subject matter experts that have been endorsed by the California Society for Addiction Medicine (CSAM).

Broadly, the "Recommendations for Safe Opioid Prescribing" are organized in 6 focus areas (see link below) and highlight best practices related to management of acute pain, risk mitigation strategies for opioid prescribing related to dosing and formulation, and indications for naloxone co-administration and medications for addiction treatment. The recommendations further outline resources on patient-provider treatment agreements and safe drug storage and disposal to minimize drug diversion.

Learn more about the U.S. Prescription Drug Abuse: bit.ly/Safe-Med-LA-Drug-Abuse

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Docs4LA Partners with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

As part of our Docs4LA Initiative, we are in conversations with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to end traffic fatalities in Los Angeles County.

Clinicians have an opportunity to support Vision Zero, a multidisciplinary effort to end traffic deaths in the region. The attached article describes concrete actions clinicians can take that include: engaging patients in conversations about practicing safe transportation behaviors, sharing their first-hand experiences about victims of traffic collisions to promote culture change, advocating for local policy changes, and encouraging their patients to get involved with local advocacy efforts.

Reducing opioid abuse, ending traffic fatalities, and eliminating teen vaping use by 2028, are three more examples of LACMA’s role in making a difference in the lives of physicians and the communities they care for.

Learn more about Vision Zero: bit.ly/Vision-Zero-Prevention 

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Ending Senseless Gun Violence

Last week, following three horrific mass shootings, CMA President Dr. David Aizuss issued a statement on the topic. “On an issue where common sense seems nearly impossible to find in some sectors of our politics, it is time for the overwhelming majority of Americans who support common sense reforms to demand action and bring some sanity to our nation's gun laws,” said Dr. Aizuss.

In 1996, Australia had its own wake-up call when a local shooter armed with military-grade guns killed 35 people and seriously injured 23 more in the town of Port Arthur. The government responded by outlawing such weapons and enacting additional gun reforms. In the 18 years prior to the Port Arthur massacre, there were 13 other mass shootings in Australia where 5 or more people were killed. In the 23 years since the government took action, they have had no mass shootings.

California has the most comprehensive gun safety laws in the country. It enlists researchers to track data on gun violence. It empowers health professionals to do community outreach and patient education to stop shootings before they happen. Not surprisingly, California has one of the nation’s lowest rates of gun deaths. Yet, the Gilroy attacker circumvented California’s requirements by purchasing his gun in Nevada. After Californians passed a ballot measure to ban the sale of high-capacity magazines in 2016, a federal court ruled the law unconstitutional. (An appeal is underway.)

This week, Dr. Sion Roy, LACMA President, will send a letter to the Los Angeles delegation (congress and senate) with the following specifics:

  • Every person who buys a gun pass a background check. No longer should we allow for loopholes, such as the “gun show loophole” and other gaps. We need to require universal background checks on all gun purchases.
  • High-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines should not be available to civilians. There is no legitimate self-defense or sporting purpose for these military-style, high-capacity weapons and magazines whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people in a short amount of time. We need an effective assault weapons ban now.
  • Gun trafficking becomes a federal offense. Gun trafficking fuels the flow of guns nationally and internationally and is a major contributing cause to extreme gun violence.

Learn more about NIH lack of funding for gun control research: bit.ly/Gun-Violence-Research

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AB 1404 Another Bad Bill for Physicians

Assembly Bill 1404 (Santiago) was going to be heard this week by the Los Angeles City Council as they will vote on a resolution to support this poorly crafted piece of legislation. LACMA is joining more than 31 organizations, from the California Medical Association, America’s Physician Groups, the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California, the American Academy of Pediatrics/California, the American College of Physicians – California, the American College of Cardiology - California Chapter to the American College of Surgeons/California, California Hospital Association and many others – including a number of chambers of commerce, civic and business associations who all oppose the bill.

This bill raises significant privacy concerns in that it would force specified “nonprofit sponsors” to disclose private physician compensation information. Disclosure of confidential compensation information may also raise concerns under state and federal antitrust laws. Many of our members called their city council representative which resulted in a postponement on the issue. Advocacy at work!

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2019 Medical Group Advocacy Symposium

The 2019 Medical Group Advocacy Symposium is on physician wellness: tools, resources, and best practices for the prevention of burnout, and treatment solutions. The California Medical Association (CMA) has convened the best and brightest thought leaders to this venue so that attendees can engage, consider and build initiatives that address wellness challenges, value-based health care models, and policy changes impacting medical groups.

We look forward to your participation as we are confident that the symposium will provide you and your organization the market research and expertise required to tackle emerging trends and future market needs.

Register here: bit.ly/Medical-Group-Advocacy-Symposium 

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2019 NEPO Summit

Standing Up for Health Care in California

The two-day summit is an innovative educational event for physicians, public health professionals, advocates and community leaders that offers policy and best practices for reducing health disparities, building diversity in the workforce and increasing cultural competency in clinical care.

August 23rd - 24th Westin Pasadena 191 N Robles Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

Registration deadline: August 23, 2019 

Sign Up Here: bit.ly/2019NEPO-Summit

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Capitalizing on the Consumerization of Healthcare: How to Promote Your Practice

Patients today are taking control of their healthcare choices more than ever before, demanding greater convenience and easy access to information. Three in four people have gone online to find out about a doctor or dentist, and more than 57 percent do so regularly. Attracting and retaining patients in this environment requires improving each digital touchpoint for patients, both before and after their visit.

You'll learn:  

  • How patients choose their providers in this era of consumerization
  • Insights on evolving patient demands
  • How technology can help attract, satisfy and retain patients
Join LACMA and PatientPop to learn how technology can create a better experience across the patient journey, and how every practice can benefit along the way.
 
 
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It's finally here! Join us for the 2019 Young Physicians Networking Mixer hosted by the Young Physicians Committee and District 1. It’s time to recharge and reconnect with friends and colleagues, or make new ones!  All in a relaxed environment overlooking the bright lights of the Downtown LA Live scene. Enjoy food, beverages, great company, and entertainment! LACMA has hosted the young physician mixer every year for almost a decade. This event is FREE for LACMA/CMA members.  Nonmembers are $20. Thank you to our event sponsors!

RSVP September 6th Mixer.

Email: vitelio@lacmanet.org

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2019 Los Angeles State of Reform Health Policy Conference

Reforming health care takes more than just hard work. It takes a solid understanding of the legislative process and knowledge about the intricacies of the health care system. That’s where the State of Reform comes in.

State of Reform pulls together practitioners, thought leaders, and policymakers – each working to improve our health care system in their own way – into a unified conversation in a single place. It is the most diverse convening of senior health care leaders in Southern California, and one of the most important statewide events in California health care.

Purchase Tickets Here: bit.ly/State-of-Reform-2019

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Save The Date: bit.ly/2019-Womens-In-Medicine-Luncheon

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Save The Date: bit.ly/2019-LA-Healthcare-Awards

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#MotivationalMondays

"Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." -Vince Lombardi

       

Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”