Industrial Commission Seeks to Implement Opioid Rules
SB 407 - Employee Misclassification Changes
Primary Sponsors: Sen. Andy Wells (R-Catawba)
This bill would require that the Industrial Commission implement rules related to opioids and pain management. This portion of the bill would become effective on the date it became law.
In addition, the bill would remove that the Industrial Commission study causes of injury and recommend ways to prevent injuries.
Senate:
This bill was referred to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee on March 29, 2017. It was withdrawn from this committee on April 6, 2017.
This bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee on April 6, 2017. This bill received a favorable report in the Senate Finance Committee on April 26, 2017.
The bill was placed on the Senate's Supplemental Calendar on April 26, 2017. The bill passed second and third reading in the Senate on June 26, 2017.
The bill will now move to the House.
House:
This bill was referred to the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee on April 27, 2017.
This bill was withdrawn from the House Rules, Calendar, and Operations Committee and re-referred to the House Judiciary III Committee on June 19, 2017.
A proposed committee substitute received a favorable report on June 28, 2017.
This bill was added to the House Calendar on June 28, 2017.
Rep. Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe) sent forward an amendment that would remove section 6 of the bill which stated that employees would not be payable if an injury/death resulted from the use of an intoxicant, controlled substance, willful, neglect, or willful disobedience of a safety regulation.
This amendment passed 114-1.
The updated version of the bill passed the House on second reading with a vote of 116-0 on June 28, 2017.
This bill passed the House on third reading with a vote of 104-2 on June 29, 2017.
This bill was sent to the Senate on June 30, 2017.
Legislature Adjourns
The North Carolina legislature adjourned it's long session around 2:00 a.m. this morning. However, the adjournment resolution adds two more sessions this year:
- August 3 - This session would mainly focus on overriding vetoes from Governor Cooper, but could also include bills that are currently in conference, nominations, and other topics.
- September 6 - This session could involve appointments, veto overrides, referendums on constitutional amendments, and impeachment proceedings.
This means that many of our legislative battles are not over due to this extension.
The resolution also adds a November 15 deadline for court ordered legislative redistricting.
A short overview of all of our high priority topics for this session will be posted next week. However, the legislative blog is up to date on all the movement of the bills NCMS tracked this session.
Senate Delays Vote on Health Care Bill; Read the NCMS Position on BCRA
The Senate has decided to postpone its vote on the proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), which will provide more time for the NCMS to communicate its grave concerns to our Senators. To ensure the best outcome in reforming our health care system, a more deliberative approach must be taken. Political expediency will likely create new problems and add to the problems with previous reforms.
As proposed, the BCRA will negatively affect our state’s most vulnerable citizens. Approximately 2.03 million North Carolinians rely on the Medicaid program to cover their health needs. Review a summary of the bill by the AMA.
The BCRA would weaken the health infrastructure in our state. For North Carolina’s rural and urban safety-net hospitals and physician practices, Medicaid funding is a financial lifeline. Of the 1,348,300 North Carolinians who will lose health coverage under the BCRA, almost half, (47%) are indigent and will lack the resources needed to secure health coverage anywhere else. This puts them, and North Carolina’s health infrastructure, back in the untenable and unsustainable condition that prevailed before 2010.
The bill in its current format would have devastating effects on our citizenry and our health care system. North Carolina has already taken a bold step in reforming its Medicaid program and is pursuing a waiver from CMS with the goal of more budget predictability and substantial savings to the program. These are the Medicaid program goals that Congress and the North Carolina General Assembly have pursued for years. The Medicaid funding cuts in BCRA would seriously undermine the viability of those reforms.
The NCMS continues to provide leadership in developing guides for numerous medical and surgical specialties on how to practice successfully in an accountable care environment. This month, the NCMS launched an educational program for doctors that includes a hands-on tutorial on how to practice under the new MACRA guidelines. The physicians of this state have already shown tremendous leadership and taking great steps in meeting the needs of our uninsured and underinsured population. The BCRA, in its current form, would only exacerbate the challenges the state and its indigent citizens are facing in obtaining health services when needed. The NCMS will continue to express its grave concerns regarding BCRA and the impact it will have on our state. Stay tuned for updates on this important issue.
Related links:
Bowtie Briefing for June 23, 2017
Gov. Cooper Urges Use of Common Sense Strategies at Local and National Events Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
National Level: Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
| At the first meeting of President Trump’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urged common sense strategies for the federal government to help combat the opioid crisis. In North Carolina, unintentional opioid, heroin and fentanyl related deaths increased 816 percent from 1999 - 2015. Almost 12,000 North Carolinians have died from unintentional opioid overdoses since 1999. View video from the meeting at right: |
Cooper stressed that Congress’ current efforts to roll back health care reforms could jeopardize efforts to stem the epidemic by taking away health care and substance abuse treatment from millions of Americans.
“We can’t arrest our way out of the opioid crisis. Too many people are going through a revolving door of emergency rooms into prison, and we must focus on prevention and treatment,” he said. “The opioid crisis is a complex problem, and solving it will require collaboration from law enforcement, doctors, drug makers and even families of users to work together. It costs our economy in work hours lost and it robs families of their health and security. I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to reverse the epidemic that is raging in too many communities across our state.”
The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis is a bipartisan group chaired by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and includes Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and Professor Bertha Madras, PhD.
State Level: Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit
The state's Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Council hosted a two-day Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit at NC State University, attended by NCMS staff as well as by health care providers, law enforcement, medical administrators and other groups focused on addressing the opioid epidemic. During this summit, Governor Cooper rolled out North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan, which sets ambitious goals, such as:
- Coordinating the state’s infrastructure to tackle the opioid crisis.
- Reducing the oversupply of prescription opioids.
- Reducing the diversion of prescription drugs and the flow of illicit drugs.
- Increasing community awareness and prevention.
- Making naloxone widely available.
- Expanding treatment and recovery systems of care.
- Measuring the effectiveness of these strategies based on results.
Read more about the plan here: "Governor Cooper Announces Bold Action Plan to Turn the Tide of the Opioid Epidemic in North Carolina"
NCMS Hosts Meeting to Address Opioid Epidemic
The NCMS hosted a meeting this week to address the opioid prescribing problem and the emerging societal threat posed by synthetic opioids. The group included 41 health care thought leaders from across the state, representing all aspects of health financing, delivery and regulation. “This is a long-running, complicated problem that affects families and individuals from all parts of our society. The medical community is committed to staying engaged in the effort to formulate and implement solutions until we find what works,” said NCMS President Paul Cunningham, MD.
Facilitating the discussion was Joseph Rannazzisi, JD, RPh, who discussed the various emerging synthetic opioids and the challenges of enforcement. From 2005 to 2015, Mr. Rannazzisi served as Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, where he was responsible for overseeing and coordinating major pharmaceutical and chemical diversion investigations; the drafting and promulgating of regulations; establishing drug production quotas; and conducting liaison with the pharmaceutical industry, international governments, state governments, other federal agencies, and local law enforcement agencies. The meeting was made possible by Steven Mange, senior policy counsel for NC Attorney General Josh Stein, working closely with the NC Medical Board and NC Medical Society.
What You Need To Know about the New Medicare Cards Coming in April
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 requires the removal of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) also known as the SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) from all Medicare cards by April 2019 to help prevent fraud, fight identity theft and protect private information. Come April 2018, your Medicare patients will have a unique, randomly assigned Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) for transactions like billing, eligibility status and claim status.
To help ease the transition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing a process where you can look up the new MBI through a secure tool at the point of service. Also there will be a 21-month transition period where you will be able to use either the MBI or HICN for billing purposes. So, even though your system will need to be able to accept the new MBI format by April 2018, you can continue to bill and file health care claims using a patient’s HICN during the transition period. We encourage you to work with your billing vendor to make sure your system will be updated by April as your Medicare patients begin to arrive at your office with new cards in hand.
Here are 5 steps you can take today to be ready:
- Go to the CMS website and sign-up for the weekly MLN Connects® newsletter.
- Attend CMS’ quarterly calls to get more information.
- Verify all of your Medicare patients’ addresses. If the addresses you have on file are different than the Medicare address you get on electronic eligibility transactions, ask your patients to contact Social Security and update their Medicare records.
- Later this fall, CMS will provide posters and brochures about the new cards you can display in your office.
- Test your system changes and work with your billing office staff to be sure the practice is ready to use the new MBI format.
Registration Now Open for Several Specialty Society Meetings
NC Dermatology Association 2017 Summer Meeting
July 7-9 | The Omni Homestead Resort | Hot Springs, VA
- Online Registration
- Download the Registration Brochure for complete program details.
- Accommodations: To secure your hotel accommodations, please call (800) 838-1766 and reference the NCDA, or book your room online. Rooms are still available but you are urged to make your reservation promptly.
NC/SC Society of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery 2017 Assembly
August 3-6 | The Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach
- Program & Registration – Registration must be received no later than July 17.
- Accommodations: Book online or call the Marriott Resort at 800-228-9290 and reference the group code OTOOTOA to receive the group rate of $219++. Guest room reservations must be received by July 7, 2017.
NC Spine Society 2017 Annual Meeting
August 18-20 | The Ballantyne Hotel, Charlotte, NC
- Register securely online
- Download the Registration Brochure
- Accommodations: Call 1-888-627-8048 or book your room online. Request the NC Spine Society rate of $229+taxes.
Carolinas Chapter-American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 2017 Annual Meeting
August 25-27 | Pinehurst Resort, Village of Pinehurst, NC
- Online Registration – Early-bird registration discounts end August 1.
- Download the registration brochure for complete program details.
- Accommodations: For room reservations, please use the form in the brochure, or call the Pinehurst Resort at (800) 487-4653 and request the Carolinas Chapter-AACE group rate. The hotel cut-off is July 25.
Harris Award Nomination Deadline Extended
The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) is accepting nominations for the 2017 T. Reginald Harris, MD, Memorial Award through July 21. Now you can make your nomination for this coveted award online at www.thecarolinascenter.org/HarrisAward.
Established in 1999, the Harris Memorial Award honors the life and memory of one of the CCME’s founding members T. Reginald Harris, MD, for his decades of service to the medical community through the North Carolina Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and many other professional, civic and community activities.
Any physician residing and practicing in North Carolina who exemplifies excellence in medicine and the delivery of high-quality patient-centered care may be nominated. Nominations are reviewed by a selection panel of the CCME Board of Directors, with the award being presented at the North Carolina Medical Society’s (NCMS) M3 Conference, Sept. 14-16, in Raleigh.
Plan your summer travels with Exclusive NCMS Travel Discounts
Did you know as a North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) member you have exclusive access to travel discounts through our Marketplace? On average, savings total between 10 to 20 percent, but can sometimes be as much as 50 percent off at thousands of hotels and for car rentals worldwide. Check out this valuable NCMS member benefit as you’re planning your summer getaway!
Music Therapy
HB 192 -Establish Music Therapy Act
Primary Sponsors: Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan), Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke), Rep. Kevin Corbin (R - Cherokee), Rep. Linda Hunt Williams (R-Wake)
This bill defines a music therapists, music therapy, and music therapy services.
The bill defines music therapy as the following:
- The assessment of a client's emotional, physical, and spiritual health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills.
- The development and implementation of treatment plans based on a client's assessed needs using music interventions.
The bill would also allow music therapists to evaluate and document the client's response to treatment.
The bill would also create a North Carolina Board of Music Therapy as well as a license requirement.
The license requirements include the following:
- 18 years of age or older
- Good moral character as determined by the Board
- Completed a program accredited by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) with a bachelor's degree majoring in music therapy from an accredited college/university.
- Completed board certification by the Certification Board for Music Therapists
- 1,200 hours of clinical training, with 180 hours in pre-internship experiences and at least 900 hours in internship experiences.
House:
This bill was referred to the House Health Committee on February 27, 2017.
A proposed committee substitute was heard in the House Health Committee on June 21, 2017.
Rep. Shepherd (R-Onslow) asked what qualifies an individual to be a music therapists.
Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan) stated that ECU and Queens College offer undergraduate programs in music therapy.
This proposed committee substitute was found favorable, and will now move to the House Finance Committee.
This bill has been placed on the calendar of the House Finance Committee on June 26, 2017.
This bill passed the House Finance Committee on June 26, 2017.
This bill passed second reading with a vote of 106-8 in the House on June 27, 2017. This bill passed third reading in the House, and will be sent to the Senate.