Update: Biennial Review of the Workers’ Compensation Medicaid Fee Schedule

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MFS Review Timeline: Here is the fee schedule review timeline to meet all requirements. All meetings noted will be held at the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission’s Headquarters located at 333 E Franklin St, Richmond, Va. 23219 unless otherwise indicated.

  • March 30, 2021 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Virtual Meeting • Regulatory Advisory Panel/Oliver Wyman/Commission Meeting to finalize fee schedule updates.
  • April 2021 • Oliver Wyman forwards preliminary fee schedule and ground rules updates.
  • May 2021 • Commission meets to approve proposed draft schedule and ground rules update. • Public comment period for proposed fee schedule and ground rules updates.
  • June 2021 • Regulatory Advisory Panel/Oliver Wyman/Commission meets to review Public comments.
  • June 2021 • 2022 schedules and ground rules posted on Commission website. Revised regulation published in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
  • July 2021 • 2022 schedules and ground rules posted on Commission website. Revised regulation published in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
  • January 2022 • 2022 Medical Fee Schedule and ground rules become effective.

 

View the Full MFS Biennial Review Update

In Honor of Doctors’ Day: The Work Behind the Scenes of Physicians & PAs

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Hands stacked on top of one another, National Doctors' Day

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught the world a lot, one of the biggest things being how much work healthcare providers put into their day to day. Although it seems this is something new to the general public, the healthcare world knows that this has always been the case. And what better time to reflect on it than National Doctors’ Day? After all, the pandemic added an entirely new level of stress and burnout, but physicians, PAs, and other healthcare workers have been putting their patients above everything else for their entire careers.  According to the AMA, “Most physicians work between 40 and 60 hours per week, but nearly one-quarter of physicians work between 61 and 80 hours per week.1” We know that this has been even higher for physicians and the entire healthcare team during the pandemic.

What You Don’t See: Patient Care Behind the Scenes

All of this just reminds us that physicians and PAs are key to helping keep our communities safe. And I have personally recognized in my 9 years at MSV how key you all are to the health and safety of your patients and how much you do that goes unseen.  I cannot count the number of times a physician or PA has responded to a message from a patient or reached out to a referring physician to check on the status of a case during their “off” hours.  While at MSV and AMA meetings, physicians will wake up several hours before the first 7am meeting to review charts while they are away to make sure patient care continues.

I have also seen the joy a physician experiences when they find out their patient has gone into remission or a follow up scan showed surgery was successful.  On the flip side, I have seen the heartbreaking grief when a physician uncovers a life shortening diagnosis that they must deliver to a patient and their family.  Physicians and PAs not only provide wisdom to patient care, they also provide the soul and support, whether it be from their shoulder or their heart.

These are just some of the many examples I have that shows how important you all are to powering the House of Medicine to provide quality, thoughtful care to your patients. Many people do not realize how much physicians and PAs really do behind the scenes. It’s not just about providing medical care, you advocate regularly for necessary healthcare change, you keep up to date with the business of medicine, and you participate in organizations and on taskforces in order to ensure your voice and your patients’ voices are heard.

The work you do truly makes a difference each and every day and we hope that you know the MSV is here to support you in all that you do. We work to understand what physicians and PAs need and what we can offer them to ensure they have the support they need. But we also work to make sure the public knows how truly valuable each of you are to ensuring patient health and safety, and how much time you dedicate not just to their care but to the overall healthcare system.

Celebrating National Doctors’ Day

One way we share your stories, and your impact is through celebrating National Doctors’ Day. What makes this extremely unique is that colleagues nominate one another to be recognized. So, if you can think of a doctor who goes above and beyond the call and does a lot behind the scenes, nominate them to be recognized by MSV for Doctors’ Day. This is your chance to honor someone who inspires you and is making an impact – and to let them know their value in powering the House of Medicine.

The public needs to know that you are key to ensuring safety and health. Help us share that message and tell us who you have seen make a true impact in the practice of medicine.

[1] Writer, Staff News. “How Many Hours Are in the Average Physician Workweek?” American Medical Association, 6 Jan. 2015, www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/how-many-hours-are-average-physician-workweek#:~:text=Most%20physicians%20work%20between%2040,than%2040%20hours%20per%20week.

Written by:

Jenny Young
Director of Membership
The Medical Society of Virginia 

Information on Contract Requirements for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations

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The purpose of this Medicaid Memo is to describe contract requirements that the Department of
Medical Assistance (“DMAS”) has with Medicaid Managed Care Organizations who provide
services to Virginia Medicaid recipients. This memo does not restate each contract requirement.
Instead, this memo underscores the contractual obligations for DMAS contracted Commonwealth
Coordinated Care Plus (“CCC Plus”) and Medallion 4.0 MCOs to ensure all federal and state
regulations regarding the managed care grievance and appeal system contained in state and federal
regulations codified in 12 VAC 30-120-4201 and §§42 CFR 438.400 – 42 CFR 438.424
(https://www.govregs.com/regulations/title42_chapterIV_part438_subpartF ) are followed
throughout the MCO appeal processes…

Read the Full Medicaid Memo

Survey: The Physician Practice After COVID-19

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The Doctors Company is surveying physicians about how they will make changes in the way they practice medicine after the pandemic.

As millions of Americans receive vaccines, the nation moves toward herd immunity, and the pandemic hopefully comes to an end soon, the practice of medicine will be forever changed. The Doctors Company is very interested to know if you will make changes to the way you practice medicine after the pandemic. They’d also like to hear your concerns about telehealth and about the risk of malpractice litigation related to the pandemic. Answers to the following anonymous five-question survey are requested by March 24.

Complete the Survey

Survey results will help inform other healthcare providers and patients about what to expect in the coming months. Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey and for delivering care during the past year under conditions previously unimaginable in the United States.

The One-Year Mark of COVID-19: A Thank You

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The Medical Society of Virginia would like to thank healthcare heroes for working tirelessly during a year of COVID-19.

This past year has been difficult for communities across the world. We have lost many lives due to COVID-19 and have spent a year in isolation away from family and friends. This past year has been hard on all of us, but it has taken an immense toll on our frontline workers. This year included working longer hours, coming home and isolating from family members, increased burnout, and worst of all, losing a high number of patients for healthcare workers.

The Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) knows what a toll this year has taken on physicians, PAs, and the entire healthcare team. We have seen you not only care for your patients, but also continue to advocate for necessary healthcare change, so your patients receive the best possible care. You have truly made a difference in so many people’s lives and have shown the world why supporting medical employees is so important. You are all true heroes.

The MSV would like to acknowledge you, our healthcare heroes, as we pass the one-year mark of COVID-19. Thank you for all you have done throughout this pandemic. We know that so many more lives would have been lost had it not been for your tireless dedication to your patients. We are so honored to get to represent physicians, PAs, residents, and medical students. You have shown true resilience in one of the most difficult times, and we see that.

As more people are getting vaccinated and we begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we hope that you will all be able to get some rest and spend time with your loved ones. The MSV will always be here to support you and your profession and will continue to be an advocate for you so you can do what you do best, take care of patients.

Again, thank you for all you do.

Arthur J. Vayer Jr., MD, FACS
President
The Medical Society of Virginia

Melina Davis
CEO and EVP
The Medical Society of Virginia

Take a Look Back at the Work MSV Did During COVID-19

  • Launched a full webpage dedicated to live COVID-19 updates including information on the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Successfully led the push for an Executive Order to provide immunity to healthcare providers related to caring for patients in the COVID-19 environment.
  • Held 23 webinars with timely and relevant COVID-19 information.
  • Worked to ensure physicians and PAs had access to necessary PPE.
  • Served on Virginia’s COVID-19 Testing Advisory Council to help assure patient access to testing.
  • Aided in the recruitment of 15,000 providers to the volunteer Medical Corps for COVID response needs.
  • Passed legislation out of the General Assembly to prevent health plans from mandating the use of proprietary technology or applications for telehealth, and to assure plans reimburse providers for telemedicine services regardless of the originating site of care.
  • MSV members and staff sat on several taskforces to support COVID-19 vaccine dissemination.
  • MSV provided contact information to the Virginia Department of Health for over 8,000 physicians to ensure they received access to the vaccine
  • Hosted multiple calls with Dr. Danny Avula to ensure Virginia physicians received important vaccine updates.

Write to your Senator to Thank Them for The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act!

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The impact of COVID-19 on America’s healthcare workforce has increased burnout to historic levels. Many clinicians need mental health support – but they fear getting it could end their careers. That’s what happened to Dr. Lorna Breen, a courageous emergency physician who fought to save so many from COVID-19. Broken-hearted, she sought mental health support. But then she took her own life, fearing the stigma of needing mental health care would mean an end to her medical career. This tragedy never should have happened, and it never should again.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act helps promote mental and behavioral health among those working on the front lines of the pandemic. It also supports suicide and burnout prevention training in health professional training programs and increases awareness and education about suicide and mental health concerns among healthcare professionals.

The Medical Society of Virginia is working closely with the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation to share the SafeHaven™ legal protections legislation and resources across Virginia and the United States to ensure healthcare workers have access to necessary mental health support right when they need it. This legislation has been endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA) as model legislation and is key to supporting the mental health of healthcare workers.

Congress needs to act NOW to pass the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act! Write to Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to thank them for supporting this pivotal piece of legislation.

Compose Your Message Now

Report: Changes in Medicare Physician Spending During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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The new report Changes in Medicare Physician Spending During the COVID-19 Pandemic analyzed Medicare claims data exclusive to physician services and found spending dropped as much as 57% below expected pre-pandemic levels in April of 2020.

Medicare spending on physician services partially recovered from the April low, but was still 12% less than expected by the end of June 2020. During the first half of 2020, the cumulative estimated reduction in Medicare physician spending associated with the pandemic was $9.4 billion (19%). The report also provides estimates by state and specialty…

View the Full Report

SafeHaven™ Volunteer Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Terri Babineau, speaks with WebMD’s Chief Medical Officer

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WebMD Chief Medical Officer and MSV member, Dr. John Whyte, speaks with SafeHaven™’s volunteer Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Teresa Babineau, and Corey Feist, co-founder of The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and CEO of the UVA Physicians Group, in WebMD’s latest Coronavirus in Context video series.

In this video they discuss physician burnout, the increase in behavioral health issues for physicians due to COVID, changing the conversation around physician mental health, and how MSV’s clinician well being program, SafeHaven™, is supporting front line workers.

Watch the Full Conversation Here

Approved by Governor: HB 1913 Career fatigue and wellness in certain health care providers; programs to address, civil immunity

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SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Programs to address career fatigue and wellness in certain health care providers; civil immunity; emergency. Expands civil immunity for health care professionals serving as members of or consultants to entities that function primarily to review, evaluate, or make recommendations related to health care services to include health care professionals serving as members of or consultants to entities that function primarily to address issues related to career fatigue and wellness in health care professionals licensed, registered, or certified by the Boards of Medicine, Nursing, or Pharmacy, or in students enrolled in a school of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing, or pharmacy located in the Commonwealth. The bill contains an emergency clause and is identical to SB 1205.

Full Bill Text Here 

Centra Medical Group (CMG) First in the Nation to Offer its Physicians and PAs the SafeHaven™ Program

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CMG completes trial and fully launches unique program supported by MSV and VITAL WorkLife.

To support the needs of physicians and PAs struggling with stress, burnout and the effects of COVID-19, the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) launched the clinician well being program, SafeHaven™.

SafeHaven™ was created by the passage of the Virginia legislation, which is the first of its kind in the nation, signed in March 2020. The law allows healthcare providers to seek professional support to address career fatigue, burnout and behavioral health concerns with confidentiality and civil protections. This will allow physicians and PAs, who typically avoided using such programs because they were unprotected, to get the help they need without fear of losing their medical license. Currently the MSV is working with the Virginia General Assembly to expand the program to other clinicians and medical students, so SafeHaven™ clients can open up the program to their full healthcare team.

Through SafeHaven™, Centra Medical Group’s physicians and PAs have gained access to healthcare specific resources from VITAL WorkLife. The resources offered include VITAL WorkLife’s Clinician Well Being Resources solution, a comprehensive set of resources that includes peer coaching, elite concierge services and expanded behavioral health resources to promote work/life balance and well being for physicians, PAs and their families.

“The SafeHaven™ program is one of many initiatives we are working on to carry out our strategic framework which places “People First”.  We need to support and take great care of our caregivers, so that they are then able to provide excellent care to our patients and community,” said Tiffany Niide, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Physician Wellness and Engagement at Centra Medical Group. “We are thrilled to be the first healthcare system in the nation to offer these groundbreaking resources and legal protections to our clinicians.”

SafeHaven™ is excited to welcome the Centra Medical Group as its first health system and looks forward to a successful partnership that supports physicians and PAs so they can continue to do the work they love.

Download the Full Press Release (PDF)

To support the needs of physicians and PAs struggling with stress, burnout and the effects of COVID-19, the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) and VITAL WorkLife have partnered to offer physicians and PAs a comprehensive set of well being resources they can use without risk to their medical license, SafeHaven™.