MAG Board members,
The following is a high-level summary of some recent key developments…
Key bills that state lawmakers are considering include H.B. 112 (COVID-19 liability protection), H.B. 394 (tobacco tax), H.B. 454 (continuity of care), S.B. 80 (prior authorization), S.B. 189 (tort reform/trial bifurcation), S.B. 190 (tort reform/phantom damages), and H.B. 369 and H.B. 430 (scope of practice). Monitor your email for MAG’s e-News from the Capitol on Fridays for details. Contact Derek Norton at dnorton@mag.org with questions.
MAG’s 2021 Legislative Education Seminar – which was scheduled to take place at the Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in Young Harris on May 14-16 – has been canceled as a result of ongoing concerns surrounding COVID-19 and the lack of hotel/venue space in the second half of the year. MAG is making plans to hold next year’s event at Brasstown in May. Contact Derek Norton at dnorton@mag.org with questions.
The Medical Association of Atlanta is encouraging MAG members to register for a ‘COVID-19 Pandemic: What Should I Do?’ town hall webinar that it will host at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, February 24. The one-hour event will feature Carlos del Rio, M.D., a professor at the Emory University School of Medicine and the executive associate dean for Emory at Grady Hospital, and Jayne Morgan, M.D., clinical director of the COVID Task Force at the Piedmont Healthcare Corporation. Click here to register.
The Georgia Composite Medical Board distributed an alert to let physicians know that it “has received phone calls from multiple licensees stating that someone is calling and pretending to be an agent of the medical board. These calls are trying to obtain both personal information and or money. These calls are scams.” GCMB is stressing that, “If you receive a call like this, please do not give any personal information or money and disconnect the call.” Contact Jonathan McGehee at jmcgehee@dch.ga.gov with questions.
DPH continues to host weekly COVID-19 vaccine webinars at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. No registration is required. Click here to participate in tomorrow's webinar. Contact Bethany Sherrer at bsherrer@mag.org with questions. Also click here to visit the new MAG COVIV-19 Vaccines Resources Center.
DPH recently launched a new COVID vaccine dashboard at https://dph.georgia.gov that provides a “detailed, transparent picture of vaccination administration in Georgia.”
The latest MAG ‘Top Docs’ show features former DOJ attorney Scott Grubman addressing health care fraud and abuse and how physicians can avoid becoming of becoming the target of government investigations. Click here to watch this and other editions of the ‘Top Docs’ show.
MAG continues to facilitate regular COVID-19 Zoom call with the chief medical officers at large health care systems in the state so they can share information and best practices. Contact Ryan Larosa at rlarosa@mag.org with questions.
Please remember to click here to get a quote on a MAG Insurance Agency/MedPro medical malpractice policy. MAG/MedPro have already been able to deliver savings for a number of physicians in the state. Contact Ryan Larosa at rlarosa@maginsuranceagency.com with questions.
If you have not already done so, please remember to click here to renew your MAG dues for 2021 – keeping in mind that you will need to reset your password to access MAG’s new and improved membership system. Contact Dayna Jackson at djackson@mag.org with questions.
Always feel free to contact me with comments or questions – and we always welcome and value your suggestions.
Thank you,
Tom Kornegay
