Monday Rx: Wage Hike Coalition, KidVaxGrant, Covid-19, Monkeypox, Medical Malpractice Lawsuit and Upcoming Events August 1, 2022 Access to Care Town Hall, California, City of Long Beach, Continuing Medical Education, Cooperative of American Physicians, coronavirus, COVID-19, FDA, GARFIELD MEDICAL CENTER, Grants, health care worker, KidVaxGrant, LA Dodgers Healthcare Appreciation Night, LGBQT+ community, Long Beach City Council, Los Angeles County Medical Association, Medi-Cal, Medical Malpractice Lawsuit, Mitzi Young, Monkeypox, Mutual Protection Trust, myCAvax, pediatric, PHC, Physicians for a Healthy California, Practice Management 101, Single Payer Health System, tecovirimat, TPOXX, vaccines, Wage Hike 1270 LACMA Joins Coalition to Oppose Wage Hike Last week, the LACMA board of directors met to discuss and strongly oppose the unequal health care worker pay measure currently under consideration by the Long Beach City Council and other cities across the region. The board supports the measures be referred to the November ballot. The measure would set a new, arbitrary pay requirement for some health care workers in some health care facilities while excluding the vast majority of health care workers doing the exact same jobs in the City of Long Beach. We all wholeheartedly agree, health care workers deserve support, recognition, and a living wage for the work that they do. But this measure is inequitable for workers, harmful to patients and would be detrimental to the very medical practices caring for at-risk patients. Click here for a copy of the letter sent out last week. KidVaxGrant Today the Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) announced that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is investing an additional $10 million to support physicians providing pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. Under newly expanded eligibility rules, the KidsVaxGrant 2.0 program is open to all providers serving pediatric populations, not just those participating in the federal Vaccines for Children program. Additionally, providers who were previously awarded a KidsVaxGrant are eligible to apply for another grant under the KidsVaxGrant 2.0 program. The deadline to apply for KidsVaxGrant 2.0 is October 14, 2022. Grants are awarded on a first come, first-served basis, so early submissions are strongly encouraged. Individual practices that may be eligible for up to two grant opportunities: Providers serving pediatric populations who have placed at least one complete order of the infant and toddler COVID-19 vaccine and are newly enrolled (between December 17, 2021, and October 14, 2022) in the California COVID-19 vaccine program (myCAvax) may receive $10K to cover the costs of enrolling and launching a vaccination center. Providers who are already enrolled in myCAvax and vaccinating infants and toddlers against COVID-19 may be eligible for $25k per site if they expand operating hours. Eligible providers must expand hours of operations by a minimum of 25 hours to increase availability of the vaccine to pediatric populations. Expanded hours must be outside of normal or existing clinic hours and must be completed within 120 days of application approval (not retroactive). To help providers in the application process, PHC is hosting free webinars to discuss the application and eligibility and answer any questions you have about the process. Register for one of the upcoming webinars by clicking the links below: Thursday, August 4, 2022, from 5-6 p.m. Friday, August 5, 2022, from 12-1 p.m. Tuesday, August 9, 2022, from 5-6 p.m. Visit KidsVaxGrant.org to apply and for more information about the program. More People Getting COVID-19 for the Second Time Emerging evidence suggests that catching the coronavirus a second time can heighten long-term health risks, a worrisome development as the circulation of increasingly contagious Omicron subvariants leads to greater numbers of Californians being reinfected. Earlier in the pandemic, it was assumed that getting infected afforded some degree of lasting protection, for perhaps a few months. As the coronavirus mutates, that is no longer a given outcome. Each individual infection carries the risk not only of acute illness but the potential to develop long COVID. “The additive risk is really not trivial, not insignificant. It’s substantial,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis and chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs Saint Louis Healthcare System. Monkeypox Anti-Viral TPOXX is Promising, Hard to Find Federal regulators last week loosened stringent rules around prescribing TPOXX, the only antiviral available to treat monkeypox. But the drug remains scarce, even in San Francisco, where health care infrastructure is better equipped than most to administer the medication. TPOXX, or tecovirimat, is not FDA-approved to treat monkeypox and can be given only under a federal designation called “expanded access investigational new drug use.” The designation requires doctors to seek federal or local institutional approval to prescribe the drug and collect and submit much more documentation for each patient than is required for most other medications. As of today, 400 cases of monkeypox have been reported, 99% of them being male and 90% from the LGBQT+ community. For the latest information, click here. Don’t Get Caught Off Guard by a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Request your free copy of The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits for essential guidance on how to reduce the likelihood of legal action following an adverse event and know what to expect should a claim or lawsuit occur. Request your Free Guide Published by the Cooperative of American Physicians (CAP), The Incident will help you recognize when an adverse event occurs, mitigate a negative situation before a claim is made, understand how to handle a claim or lawsuit, and much more. As a leading provider of superior medical malpractice coverage in California for more than 40 years, CAP remains committed to providing physicians with secure and affordable protection and relevant practice and risk management resources, such as these educational guides, to help them run safe and successful practices. To learn more about becoming a CAP member, please call 800-356-5672 or email MD@CAPphysicians.com. Request an Instant Quote today to see how much you can save on medical malpractice coverage through CAP. Professional liability coverage for CAP Members is provided by Mutual Protection Trust pursuant to Ins. Code section 1280.7 Single Payer Health System: Myths, Misconceptions, and Truth Join us next Monday for the next conversation in our Access to Care Town Hall series. Objectives: Discuss the current state of healthcare in the US and California. Discuss the major deficiencies of the Medi-Cal and its separate-and-unequal nature. Define the essential elements of a single payer health system and describe possible models for California. Describe what has been learned and implemented as a result of the Healthy California for All Commission report. List important factors that make single payer the key to improve quality, to promote culturally and linguistically competent services, and patient engagement. Describe how a single payer system would improve addressing social drivers of health and achieving health equity. GARFIELD MEDICAL CENTER designates this educational activity for a maximum of ONE (1.0) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This credit may also be applied to the CMA Certification in Continuing Medical Education. Date: Monday, August 8, 2022 Time: 6:00 p.m. PST Register Now Practice Management 101 With Mitzi Young Join us on August 22, 2022, for Practice Management 101 presented by one of CMA’s experienced practice management experts Mitzi Young. The presentation will cover the following objectives: Strategies for better financial outcomes Common mistakes that cost the practice money Managing patient scheduling Improving patient experience Monthly reports each practice should review Effectively processing denied claims Marketing your practice for success Questions every office should ask yearly Date: Monday, August 22, 2022 Time: 6:00 p.m. PST Register Now Join Us for LACMA Family & Friends at LA Dodgers Healthcare Appreciation Night! The Los Angeles County Medical Association is excited to spend an evening together with all members at the Dodger Stadium for Dodger Healthcare Appreciation Night! Tickets: $20 for LACMA members & first guest $34 for each additional guest up to 3 guests per member. Limited tickets available, RSVP by August 24, 2022. This special event ticket package includes your ticket to the game and an exclusive Healthcare Appreciation Night lightweight hoodie.* Be sure to stick around after the game for Friday Night Fireworks! ***Tickets will be distributed by LACMA prior to the game through MLB Ballpark App once payment has been completed. Attendees will need to download MLB Ballpark App*** Date: September 30, 2022 | RSVP BY AUGUST 24, 2022 Time: 7:10 pm PST RSVP Here #MondayMotivation "Growth is uncomfortable; you have to embrace the discomfort if you want to expand." Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”