Vaping and Coronavirus Update, Expense Reduction Analysts, The Incident Downloadable E-book and Save the Dates January 27, 2020 CalHealthCares, Cooperative of American Physicians, Coronavirus, ERA, Expense Reduction Analysts, Vaping 1070 Vaping Update While injuries and deaths associated with vaping continue to occur at alarming rates, LACMA continues to support the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, specifically the work of Dr. Tony Kuo, Director, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and a coalition of like-minded organizations and policymakers to ban all flavored tobacco products targeting youth. LACMA president Dr. Sion Roy and I joined LACDPH officials to discuss a campaign targeting medical providers and patients on the healthcare risks associated with flavored tobacco. Some history: In the early 1960s LACMA and CMA Council member Dr. Lewis Black asked the CMA House of Delegates to support cigarette warning labels. In 1963, CMA was the first among state medical societies to create a policy to inform people about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. And despite decades of education about the deadly health toll of tobacco, new candy, and fruit-flavored e-cigarette products (that appeal to young people and are falsely thought to be healthier) have led to an uptick in the number of new smokers and in continued use among established smokers. In 1991, LACMA proposed tough anti-smoking legislation in California. In the next few weeks, members will see materials and information relative to the latest fight: to eliminate flavored tobacco products from reaching youth. There are now over 460 brands of e-cigarettes and more than 7,700 unique e-cigarette flavors available for purchase online, including a wide range of child-friendly candy and fruit flavors that are not permitted in cigarettes, such as Wrigley’s, Atomic Fireball, Tutti Frutti and Cap N’ Crunch. Teen e-cigarette use tripled between 2013 and 2014 and now exceeds youth use of traditional cigarettes. Approximately 2 million high school students and 450,000 middle school students currently use e-cigarettes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. In California, 63 percent of smokers start by the age of 18, and 97 percent start by 26. Become a physician advocate for your patients, profession and public health and let me know if you would like more details and/or materials to share with patients. Coronavirus The first cases of 2019-nCoV in LA County and Orange County have been confirmed in travelers from Wuhan City, China. Both presented for care after feeling unwell. They did not have any contact with each other in California and appear to be unrelated. The LA County case is currently hospitalized in LA County. LACDPH is working to identify persons who may have had close personal contact with this individual, to monitor them for signs and symptoms of illness and to take measures to prevent transmission. This individual was a non-resident traveler, and there is currently no evidence of person-to-person transmission in LA County. LACDPH is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal, state and local agencies to monitor 2019-nCoV. Important Information for Providers Actions Requested of Providers Report to ACDC immediately any patients that meet the criteria for patients under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV [see Criteria]. Approval from Acute Communicable Disease Control is required before specimens can be submitted to the LAC PHL for testing. All 2019-nCoV laboratory testing is currently performed by the CDC. Review the specimen collection instructions carefully to ensure correct and adequate samples are collected to increase the likelihood of detecting infection [see Laboratory/Specimen Collection]. Specimens that are not collected properly or transported in correct media will not be viable and will not be accepted. Obtain a detailed travel history from the patient including cities and provinces if they recently traveled to China. Expense Reduction Analysts LACMA’s preferred partner works with companies around the US and around the world to help them save dollars relative to vendor relationships such as supply chain, utility, even insurance contracts. ERA has extensive experience in healthcare and works with a number of clinics, groups and federally qualified health centers around the US. Learn more about ERA by clicking the link below. Learn More Request Your Free Copy of The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits An adverse patient outcome can happen to any physician at any time, no matter how diligent or skilled. All physicians should have a proactive plan for handling unexpected patient outcomes to help reduce the chances that more serious allegations can occur. With the support and expertise of its risk management, claims, and legal teams, the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc., (CAP) created The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits to help physicians understand how to reduce the likelihood of legal action following an adverse event and know what to expect should a claim or lawsuit occur. The Incident will help physicians: Recognize when an adverse event occurs Mitigate a negative situation before a malpractice claim is made Understand how to handle a claim Know what to expect if a claim turns into a lawsuit Cope with the stress associated with a claim or lawsuit You are not alone if and when you experience an unexpected patient outcome. Learn more about how CAP can support your practice by requesting your free copy of The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits. Request it below: Free Copy CaltHealthCares Leads the Way Apply for CalHealthCares loan repayment program starting January 13, 2020! The 2020 application cycle for the CalHealthCares loan repayment program is approaching! CalHealthCares will award $340 million in loan repayments to recently graduated physicians and dentists over the next five years to encourage and incentivize providers to provide care to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has contracted with Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) to administer this program. CalHealthCares has approximately $58.6 million for physicians and $10.7 million for dentists for this application cycle for loan repayments of up to $300,000 in exchange for a five-year service obligation. Qualifying dentists can also apply for a practice support grant in exchange for a 10-year service obligation. Please visit their website to view the updated versions of the following documents: Application Checklist Employment Verification How To Calculate Your Patient Caseload Business Plan Guidelines Physician Frequently Asked Questions Scoring Matrix Instructions on How to Obtain Total Payoff Balance Applications will be accepted from January 13 to February 7, 2020. They are conducting several webinars so applicants may receive detailed information and receive a response to their individual questions on the spot. February 4, 2020; 3:30-4:30 pm Interested physicians and dentists can visit the link below for more information. CalHealthCares CMA is hosting two upcoming webinars on January 30, 2020! CMA's first webinar speaks on AB 5, “The ABCs of AB 5: Classifying Health Care Workers in California’s Gig Economy.” The webinar will discuss recent changes to CA law (AB 5) governing the independent contractor vs. employee distinction, provide physicians who are employers, employees and independent contractors, with a basic understanding of how California classifies various health care workers, what business and workers can do to protect their rights, risks of misclassification and what’s next for AB 5. Additionally, CMA is hosting, “CMS Medicare Updates for 2020” on February 12. This webinar, presented by Dr. Ashby Wolfe, CMS Chief Medical Officer Region IX, will provide an update on the 2020 Medicare physician fee schedule, discuss the Quality Payment Program and E/M documentation changes, among a few other topics. Click the corresponding links above to register for reach webinar. Register Here Visit LACMA Alliance Facebook Page RSVP Here #MondayMotivation “Perspective is the way we see things when we look at them from a certain distance and it allows us to appreciate their true value.” – Rafael E. Pino Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”