From the AMA: In a major advance for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and efforts to end the epidemic of drug overdose and death, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 eliminated the requirement for physicians to obtain a waiver from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe buprenorphine for OUD treatment.
A coalition of healthcare organizations in Virginia has launched a new initiative that hopes to cut burnout among physicians and encourage more healthcare workers to receive care from mental health professionals, according to a Jan. 23 report from the American Medical Association.
The initiative, “All In: Caring for Virginia’s Caregivers,” will recognize hospitals and health systems that remove invasive mental health questions on credentialing applications as “well-being champions.”
The initiative is spearheaded by the Medical Society of Virginia, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association and the Virginia Nurses Association and builds on previous efforts to improve providers’ well-being…
Every 2 seconds in this country someone needs blood. As a physician, you understand the critical importance of blood donation to help ensure all patients can get the care they need when they need it most. But do your patients understand how crucial it is for them to donate blood, to help keep the whole system running efficiently and effectively?
Physicians can and should encourage patients to give blood. Blood saves lives. It could save the life of your patient, or the life of someone they love and care about. Without donors, there is no blood.
Considering only 3 percent of the U.S. population gives blood, there’s a lot of room for improvement. To help educate your patients about blood donation, we’ve created an FAQ of top questions about donating blood for you to share and discuss in hopes they’ll plan to make giving blood a priority in 2023 — if they haven’t already.
Donated blood is used for patients of all ages — infants to seniors — and in a wide variety of medical situations. You probably think of car accidents and surgery as times when someone would need blood. And that’s right, they do. But there are so many more reasons. Burn victims, women giving birth, trauma patients, and patients with cancer, sickle cell disease, blood disorders, or other chronic diseases also need blood.
If you’re interested in donating blood, don’t worry about your blood type — blood is always needed! That said, yes, there are blood types that are in high demand. So if you have a high-demand blood type, that’s all the more reason to consider giving blood, or even consider giving blood more often. Blood type O is usually in high demand and short supply. Why? O positive is the most common blood type, and O negative is considered the “universal” type for emergencies. Only 7 percent of the U.S. population has O negative blood. If you know you have a rare blood type, that makes giving blood even more important for you, so you can help contribute to the blood supply.
There are some requirements for giving blood, for the safety of donors as well as patients. In Virginia, donors must be 17 years old — or 16 with parental consent. Donors should also weigh more than 110 pounds. In addition to being in good general health, you should also feel good, meaning you should not give blood when you’re feeling sick like with a cold or the flu. Donors can give blood every 56 days up to 6 times a year. There are additional considerations around your health, your medications, your immunizations, and international travel, all of which can be discussed with your doctor or when you are being screened prior to giving blood.
Yes! It’s a common myth that you can’t give blood if you have a tattoo or piercing. In Virginia, if you have a tattoo from a state-regulated or facility using sterile single-use equipment, you’re good to go as soon as the site has healed. With ear or body piercing, you also need to have received your piercing in a professional setting using sterile single-use equipment.
There is a 3-month wait if you got your tattoo outside the U.S. or, in some cases, outside of Virginia. In fact, our neighbor Washington D.C. is one of the areas that will trigger the 3-month waiting period. If you’re interested in donating blood, your tattoos and piercings can be discussed with your doctor or when you are being screened prior to giving blood.
The best place to find a blood drive near you is visit the American Red Cross website at www.redcrossblood.org and search by your zip code. Many schools, businesses, neighborhoods, civic organizations, and other groups host the American Red Cross for blood donation on a regular basis.
With more education as well as more encouragement from you, hopefully more of your patients will choose to give blood and help save lives in 2023 — and will make giving blood a priority for years to come.
Michele A. Nedelka, MD
Radiation Oncologist
The information contained in this blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute healthcare advice.
From the AMA:
As you may know, the Federal Trade Commission published today a proposed rule that would ban most noncompete clauses.
Some of you have been asking if the American Medical Association (AMA) will be submitting comments to the FTC and, if so, what approach the AMA expects to take.
The AMA has existing policy specifically addressing noncompetes, including a Code of Medical Ethics opinion. This ethics opinion recognizes that physicians often have diverse opinions about noncompetes. AMA policy opposes unreasonable noncompetes. The AMA will be submitting comments by the March 20 deadline, and our comments will be guided by this policy.
In the meantime, the AMA has been responding to media inquiries as they come in with the following statement:
The AMA appreciates the Federal Trade Commission’s examination of noncompete agreements in the workplace. While the AMA’s membership has diverse perspectives on noncompetes—with some members in an employer/practice ownership role and some in an employee role—AMA ethics policy opposes unreasonable noncompetes. Many states have enacted negotiated health care-specific noncompete statutes that take into account their unique health care markets and that balance the competing stakeholder interests. The balanced approach of these states must be considered against a proposed universal federal ban on all noncompete agreements.
The AMA welcomes our Federation members to share your views on the proposed rule. Also, we will be happy to share with you our draft comments prior to the deadline if doing so would help you develop your own comments. Please send any comments to [email protected].
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) proposed a sweeping rule that, if enacted as initially drafted, will prohibit employers from entering into or enforcing existing non-competition agreements with executives and other employees…
Virginia Commonwealth University has announced that Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., has been named dean of the VCU School of Medicine, effective April 15. He also will serve as VCU Health System executive vice president for medical affairs.
Saavedra comes to VCU from the University of Virginia where he is chair of the Department of Dermatology and president and interim chief executive officer of University of Virginia Physicians Group. In these roles, Saavedra partners with other leaders to drive continuous improvement in the quality and value of care in addition to setting strategy and ensuring operational and financial performance of the physicians’ group. His appointment follows a national search.
Prior to his current roles…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has alerted the American Medical Association that the agency has released updated national Medicare physician payment files that incorporate the changes in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
Specifically, in response to concerted advocacy by organized medicine, Congress reduced the 4.5% cut to Medicare physician payment by increasing the 2023 conversion factor by 2.5%. The updated 2023 Medicare physician payment schedule conversion factor will be $33.8872. The previously finalized conversion factor was $33.0607. The 2022 conversion factor was $34.6062.
Leading Virginia Healthcare Organizations Partner with National ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare Coalition to Promote Strategies Focused on Supporting Clinicians, Healthcare Workforce
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, December 14, 2022 – The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), the Virginia Nurses Association (VNA) and the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) are jointly supporting a new statewide initiative to enhance healthcare organizational efforts to protect the mental and emotional well-being of healthcare professionals. Led by the ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare coalition, co-founded by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and #FirstRespondersFirst, the ALL IN: Caring for Virginia’s Caregivers initiative seeks to support Virginia hospitals and health systems in redesigning their workplace environments to help team members feel valued and supported.
“Coming off three years of pandemic duty and immediately transitioning into an intense flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surge has been challenging for hospitals, health systems and their team members who have bravely dealt with the strain of working under these extraordinary conditions,” said Sean T. Connaughton, president and CEO of VHHA. “Our shared goal as a hospital community is to make Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Achieving that means caring for patients and communities as well as taking care of the healthcare professionals who offer comfort and compassionate medical care to people in need. Doing this involves concerted efforts to strengthen our hospital and health system work environments through supportive staff programs. Through the first-of-its-kind ALL IN: Caring for Virginia’s Caregivers partnership framework, we are leveraging national expertise with local experience and perspective to address healthcare workforce burnout challenges and support those clinicians who are there for us and our communities 24/7/365.”
Hospitals and health systems participating in the initiative commit to:
“We have long been committed to making tangible tools readily available to physicians and being a safe, understanding place to get guidance on how and where to seek well-being and mental health support without judgment or punishment,” said Melina Davis, CEO of MSV. “We’re excited to build on our work and expand our overall capacity, so all Virginia’s healthcare teams have the support they need to stay well and prevent burnout.”
The initiative’s programming is developed around ALL IN’s Healthcare Workforce Rescue Package, which include the top evidence-based actions healthcare leaders can take to support their workforce and build a foundation for a long-term system well-being strategy, including:
“The health and culture of every practice setting, including hospitals and health systems, plays an important role in the happiness and well-being of its nurses and other clinical staff,” said Janet Wall, CEO of VNA. “Nurses are critical to the health of Virginia and we’re eager to collaborate to address the underlying system challenges that are preventing workplaces from being healthy work environments.”
The initiative is being launched with a calling to Virginia hospitals and health systems to remove one of the most substantial barriers clinicians face to their mental health and well-being: fear of losing their job because of overly broad and invasive mental health questions on credentialing applications that may be stigmatizing or cause reluctance to seeking appropriate treatment. The hospitals and health systems that audit and change language on credentialing applications will be recognized as being ALL IN for prioritizing clinician well-being and be awarded as a WellBeing First Champion.
“Mental health questions were often added to credentialing applications out of a misplaced desire to protect patients and families from clinicians who might not be fit to give care. Yet there is no evidence they serve that function,” said Corey Feist, co-founder of ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare and president of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “When clinicians are afraid to seek the mental health care they need, they may find themselves unable to work due to burnout or behavioral health disorders. Some, like my sister-in-law Lorna, may turn to suicide.”
“That’s why national leaders, including the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, Joint Commission, National Academy of Medicine and the U.S. Surgeon General, have also called on removing this barrier. Ensuring that clinicians can access necessary mental health care not only benefits their well-being, but also improves the health of our entire country. Patient outcomes will improve when we prioritize clinician well-being, because to care for others, clinicians must also be cared for,” continued Feist.
For hospitals and health systems interested in being recognized as a WellBeing First Champion, visit ALL IN’s online portal to verify your organization’s credentialing applications are free from unnecessary mental health questions.
About ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare
ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare, co-founded by #FirstRespondersFirst and The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, is as a coalition of leading healthcare organizations committed to:
About the Medical Society of Virginia
The Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) serves as the voice for more than 30,000 physicians, residents, medical students, PAs and PA students, representing all medical specialties in all regions of the Commonwealth. The association was founded in 1820 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. MSV strives to advance high-quality healthcare and make Virginia the best place to receive care and practice medicine.
About the Virginia Health and Hospital Association
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 110 hospitals and 25 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound healthcare policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both healthcare and health to make Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Its vision is through collaboration with members and stakeholders, to ensure the sustainability of Virginia healthcare system, transform the delivery of care to promote lower costs and high value across the continuum of care and to improve health for all Virginians.
About the Virginia Nurses Association
The Virginia Nurses Association is the professional organization representing the interests of the more than 118,000 registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, inclusive of all areas of specialization, clinical settings and work environments. We are the voice of nursing, protecting practice by ensuring that nursing’s priorities are incorporated into legal and regulatory decisions, and ensuring our voice and influence at the Capitol and growing grassroots efforts.
Please review the information below regarding the surgical technologists who need to be grandfathered in for certification by the Board.
A. No person shall hold himself out to be a surgical technologist or use or assume the title of “surgical technologist” or “certified surgical technologist,” or use the designation “S.T.” or any variation thereof, unless such person is certified by the Board. No person shall use the designation “C.S.T.” or any variation thereof unless such person (i) is certified by the Board and (ii) has successfully completed an accredited surgical technologist training program and holds a current credential as a certified surgical technologist from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or its successor.
B. The Board shall certify as a surgical technologist any applicant who presents satisfactory evidence that he (i) has successfully completed an accredited surgical technologist training program and holds a current credential as a certified surgical technologist from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or its successor, (ii) has successfully completed a training program for surgical technology during the person’s service as a member of any branch of the armed forces of the United States, or (iii) has practiced as a surgical technologist or attended a surgical technologist training program at any time prior to October 1, 2022, provided he registers with the Board by December 31, 2022.
According to the CDC, Virginia Ranks Among Top 10 States with Highest Level of Hospital Visits for Flu, Flu-Like Illnesses
Virginia Physicians and Healthcare Providers Are Scheduled to Receive a More Than Eight Percent Cut to Their Medicare Reimbursements During the Worst of Flu Season
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today urged U.S. House and U.S. Senate leadership to prioritize support for physicians and other healthcare providers in the end-of-year government funding package amid surging cases of respiratory illnesses in Virginia and across the country.
Virginia is experiencing one of the worst surges of flu and flu-like illnesses in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Virginia ranks among the top 10 states in the country for hospital and clinic visits for respiratory illnesses. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports that Virginia surpassed last year’s peak a full two months ahead of the typical start to flu season.
If new support is not included in the end-of-year government funding package, Virginia physicians and healthcare providers will receive a more than eight percent cut to their Medicare reimbursements due to expiring legislative provisions and looming budgetary cuts beginning on January 1. Patients and providers across the country would be left in an unstable financial situation, threatening access to care for patients as the surge of influenza worsens.
In a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Spanberger urged leadership to prioritize inclusion of relief from cuts to Medicare reimbursements for Virginia hospitals, urgent care centers, and physician offices in the end-of-year package to fund the government. Additionally, the Congresswoman outlined the consequences for patients and healthcare providers as a result of expiring legislative provisions and looming budgetary cuts if Congress does not act.
“As you continue your work on an end-of-year government funding package, I urge you to prioritize relief from dramatic cuts to Medicare reimbursements for physicians and other healthcare providers on the front line of responding to a surge in respiratory illnesses in Virginia and across the country,” wrote Spanberger. “If Congress does not act, Virginia’s physicians and healthcare providers are scheduled to receive a more than eight percent reduction to their reimbursements during the worst of the flu season.”
Spanberger continued, “These substantial cuts to reimbursements, along with high rates of patients with respiratory illness and ongoing staff shortages, have already put tremendous financial pressure on Virginia’s healthcare providers, especially safety net providers that work in underserved communities. To address this issue, Congress should include in the end-of-year funding bill provisions that will mitigate these cuts, create stability and predictability around physicians’ reimbursements, and protect seniors’ access to care as hospitalization rates surge.”
