Society's Legislative UpdateBY JAMES PARIBELLO, LOBBYIST FOR KCMS
WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE KCMS BoT AND REP CODY
Continuing to make progress towards funding the WA Immunization Information System (IIS), KCMS leadership is advancing its advocacy for mandatory tracking of vaccine records for health care workers and modernizing the system to enable more comprehensive data regarding vaccinations.
KCMS has been engaged in discussions with State Representative Eileen Cody, Chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. Rep. Cody has engaged DOH, provided great guidance and insight, and has been willing to explore funding mechanisms so that we may advance our cause.
Rep. Cody shared that, with state revenue shortfalls looming, DOH may be the only state agency that is left relatively unscathed by deep budget cuts, but that we should continue exploring ways to fund a healthcare worker vaccination data link whether via state dollars, private sector contributions, or some mix of both. The next steps include garnering support from other stakeholder groups and legislators in order to build alliances with this KCMS priority. We will continue to keep you apprised of any advancements related to this effort.
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Join Our Remote Delegate Council TODAY!
BY CHAIR OF THE DELEGATE COUNCIL, TERESA GIROLAMI, MD
King County Medical Society pursues legislative efforts with the help of its dedicated lobbyist, James Paribello. The topics may be unique to our King County region, but often the initiatives have potential statewide and federal impacts. The goal of the KCMS Delegate Council is to ensure that the unique voices of King County physicians are heard. King County Medical Society has recently advocated for:
1) Telemedicine Parity (achieved!)
2) Elimination of B&O tax on small groups
3) Healthcare Worker Vaccine Database completion
4) Firearm Injury Prevention
And much more...
We strongly encourage you to consider participating in the Delegate Council.
KCMS Delegates, who are also members of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA), are eligible to serve as representatives in the WSMA House of Delegates (HOD). As the largest voting bloc in the WSMA HOD, KCMS’s delegates have a powerful voice in setting legislative priorities and policies affecting organized medicine across WA state.
Delegate (remote) Meeting Dates (starting at 6 p.m.): July 8th, August 5th, and September 16th. The WSMA Annual (remote) Meeting: September 26th, 2020.
If you are interested in becoming a KCMS delegate, contact cmanzano@kcmsociety.org
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Special Delivery to PNWU Medical School
BY KCMS STUDENT BOARD MEMBER, IAN SMITH
KCMS staff drove over the mountains and delivered 30 boxes of masks and gowns to the Pacific Northwest University (PNWU) of Health Sciences medical campus in Yakima, WA.
Due to widespread PPE shortages, medical students across the country have been removed from clinical rotations and are learning remotely. These efforts by KCMS will help aid PNWU's third- and fourth-year medical students across a five-state area to resume clinical rotations and their education during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
These supplies will help provide an emergency personal reserve for students to use in their clinical rotations and will allow students to remain in the hospital learning and treating patients. THANK YOU KCMS and all of you members for your generous donations!
Please consider DONATING to the Community Foundation Today! Click HERE or mail to:
KCMS Community Foundation
200 Broadway, Suite 200
Seattle, WA. 98122
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Regence Insurance Donates
Regence Insurance has donated $10,000 to the King County Medical Society Community Foundation's telemedicine efforts! Thank you for your continued support.
“As demand for virtual care increases, we must arm our health care system with reliable technology and secure infrastructure” said Dr. Oliveira, Senior Executive Medical Director at Regence BlueShield. “Through this investment in King County Medical Society, we are helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19, ensuring patients have access to a safe and secure solution to connect with providers.”
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KeyBank Helping with PPP
As many of you know, King County Medical Society is a small non-profit that relies on member dues to survive. As a result of COVID's impact on physicians/hospitals and dues payments, KCMS requested relief from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The process of applying for PPP was not easy, but KeyBank staff went out of their way to make sure King County Medical Society was taken care of. We cannot thank them enough for enabling us to successfully receive payroll protection during the pandemic.
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Announcing the PNW Transplant SocietyWRITTEN BY JORGE REYES, MD
King County Medical Society is excited to announce the development of the Pacific Northwest Transplant Society. KCMS has helped the 'Seattle Transplant' Society with its administrative tasks, but it has been many years since they last met.
In collaboration with Dr’s Jorge Reyes and Ajit Limaye, KCMS has transformed the former Seattle Transplant Society into the PNW Transplant Society and includes transplant centers in WA, OR, and HI; together, these programs provide transplant care to communities in WA, OR, ID, MT, AK, and HI. This revitalization is focused on expanding collaborations throughout the region.
All parties that are working in, and interested in, transplant medicine is welcome to join. The PNW Transplant Society is not exclusively for MD/DOs or medical professionals; it can include patient advocates. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION AND CONSIDER JOINING.
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AAP Announcement
"Call Your Pediatrician" parent marketing campaign
Recent data from the CDC have confirmed (that) children and adolescents are missing important health visits and immunizations. Vaccination rates have dropped to dangerously low levels, and overall office visits are down. Another CDC study published Monday found that in Michigan, immunization rates for some diseases have dropped to below 50%. The latest Advocacy Report describes the AAP #CallYourPediatrician campaign to help get patients back into medical offices.
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Department of Health COVID-19 Telebriefing
Washington State Department of Health epidemiologists will present on how the state collects, maintains, and publicly releases data about COVID-19 deaths.
Thursday, May 21, 2020 1:00-1:30 p.m. PDT
Register HERE
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How to Build Collaborative Medical Communities
BY JARROD CANN
Just as the COVID pandemic began to consume all news media production... I asked Amish J. Dave and Nancy L. Belcher if they would help me understand the pandemic from a medical perspective and cut through the daily headline fatigue and have a deeper conversation about the importance of medical communities during the COVID pandemic.
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Medical Insurance
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY JAY FATHI, MD
Washington state's uninsured rate rose from 6.7% to 10.2% over a 4 week period in March/April. For people impacted in King County, they can contact Public Health-Seattle & King County, Department of Community Health Services/Access & Outreach, at 1-800-756-5437 (www.kingcounty.gov/coverage) for individual assistance.
If someone you know has lost or will be losing health insurance coverage, contact the WA Healthplanfinder customer support center from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon-Fri at 1-855-923-4633. Help is available in over 175 different languages.
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Families First Coronavirus Response Act
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act will preclude states from terminating Medicaid coverage at 2-months postpartum for the duration of the pandemic. The Health Care Authority confirmed they have extended coverage to June and July, respectively, for people whose review dates would have been March 31 and April 30, regardless of immigration status. This is expected to continue for the duration of the pandemic but will be monitored.
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Washington Health Alliance’s Webinar Series
On May 27 at 3 pm the Washington Health Alliance is providing its next installment in the All-Alliance webinar series for the first of our two-part discussion on the impact of COVID-19, “Seeing the Future Through a New Lens.”
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