Monday Rx: LACMA Provider Updates on COVID-19, Initiatives, Partnerships and Advocacy May 10, 2021 Advocacy, Aledade, California Department of Public Health, California Medical Association, CDC, CME Compliance, COVID-19, District 17, FDA, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Los Angeles, Mentoring, Pandemic, Pediatric Practices, South Central Family Health, Telemedicine, Unaccompanied Minors 1056 Latest COVID-19 News There has been a steady decline in vaccination rates after massive efforts to get people vaccinated across the U.S. and Los Angeles’ numbers continue to show improvement as well. Those eager to be immunized when they became eligible may have already secured their vaccine in line with increased supply. While more than 8 in 10 people 65 years and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, only around 1 in 3 people ages 18-29 have. Last week, LACMA participated in a press conference in partnership with South Central Family Health and their CEO Richard Veloz, JD and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jose Perez, who shared that only 35% of the population around his clinics have been vaccinated. All age groups currently eligible for the vaccine can benefit from the protection it provides themselves and others, especially as more states are easing prevention measures. To get the latest CDC update, click here. For Los Angeles County, there were 248 cases reported, five deaths and 400 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours. To learn more about the latest cases, click here. What Local Pediatric Practices Need to Know Today, the FDA authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine for kids 12-15 years of age. For more details, click here. The California Department of Public Health and CMA are hosting an informational session on the enrollment process and requirements for providers of pediatric services. If you are interested in participating in the state's COVID-19 vaccination program. The session is Tuesday, May 11, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Click here for more details. Aledade to Join LACMA Preferred Partner Program For independent primary care practices and community health centers struggling to uncover new revenue opportunities and diversify revenue streams beyond fee-for-service through value-based care, LACMA is partnering with Aledade which has a proven record of helping primary care practices achieve financial success in physician-led Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Aledade’s solutions help independent primary care practices succeed in a physician-led ACO. The Aledade App helps and their California-based team helps their partner practices optimize workflows, integrate data & improve patient care. To see Aledade’s performance to date, click here. The last day to sign-up to participate in an Aledade ACO is August 3rd. Supporting our Federally Qualified Health Centers As mentioned, LACMA President Dr. Diana Shiba and I joined South Central Family Health Centers on May 5th to launch an awareness campaign that focuses on increasing the numbers of people immunized and the importance of the “three Ws”: Wear a mask, Wash hands and Wait at least 6 feet apart. LACMA was able to donate masks, shields, hand sanitizers and digital thermometers for the patients of SCFHC. Unaccompanied Minors Initiative Last week, LACMA partnered with FEMA and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide 7 pallets of PPE. The PPE was donated by CMA for the 250 unaccompanied minors at the Pomona Fairplex location. LACMA President, Dr. Diana Shiba met with Bonnie Preston, US Department of Health and Human Services Region 9 Acting Regional Director and Executive Officer. Mentoring Program Thanks to the members who reached out last week about mentoring and mentee opportunities. Happy to share that we will be unveiling the structure and opportunities in the next couple of weeks. We have more than 20 physicians offering to mentor! Partnership with Dr. B As you may recall, LACMA partnered with GetUsPPE.org to provide thousands of PPE for our physicians and community. That organization introduced us to Dr. B whose mission is to make access to care, specifically the COVID vaccine, more efficient and more equitable. To that end, Dr. B is helping to organize a vaccination event on May 19th in Los Angeles and the organizers are looking for 5 clinical volunteers to help with vaccine administration and patient observation. The event will largely serve Latino and Black families and will serve as a "vaccination pep rally" supported by local celebrities. The event shift will be 8 hours, tentatively scheduled 9:00 am-5:00 pm PST. I will share more details as they become available but if you are interested to serve, email gustavo@lacmanet.org. Virtual Grand Rounds: COVID-19 and Pregnancy - What are the risks for mom and baby? More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that COVID-19 infection can pose an increased risk during pregnancy and to newborns. During this virtual grand round, physicians engaged in research and clinical care of parents-to-be and current parents who are infected with or have been infected with COVID-19 will share the latest knowledge on COVID-19 infected parents and their newborns. The California Medical Association will also feature Erica Pan, M.D., the state epidemiologist, who will review the epidemiology of the disease, give vaccination updates and report on COVID-19 variants. Date: Tuesday May 11, 2021 Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Register Here Best Practices to Manage CME Compliance and Future Trends of Telemedicine Join us for an hour of impactful discussion on how to use innovation to better manage CME compliance for your providers, how telehealth impacts healthcare in general, and how to prepare providers to adapt to the future trend. Your lunch is on us - 20 attendees will receive a GrubHub gift card as our thank you to you for joining us. RSVP today! Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PST Format: Zoom Click here to register or email Lisa Le for more questions or registration assistance at lisa@lacmanet.org. District 17: Changing Physician Strategies in Post Pandemic Healthcare Join us for a presentation with Dr. Jacque J. Sokolov to discuss the 'Changing Physician Strategies in Post Pandemic Healthcare'. Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021 Time: 7:00 p.m Format: Zoom For more information or to RSVP please contact Vitelio Aguilar at vitelio@lacmanet.org. #MondayMotivation "The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”