Finally Friday and here is your NCMS Morning Rounds.Dec. 4, 2020Financial Recovery Program Applicants – Today’s the Day!If you applied to the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation (NCMSF)-administered Financial Recovery Program (FRP), today, Friday, Dec. 4, by 5 p.m. is the deadline to upload all your documented expenses in order to receive funding. Applicants will have the ability to challenge denials and update requests with insufficient details until 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. The state-funded FRP was designed to assist eligible independent practices throughout the state that are experiencing economic distress due to the pandemic. The awards for this grant program are based on reimbursement for COVID-19-related expenses incurred between March 1 and Nov. 30, 2020. For more information visit the FRP webpage here. Updated COVID-19 Guidance from the StateThe most recent guidance from the state includes information for you, your practice staff and patients on how to stay safe during the holidays in both English and Spanish. Other guidance documents include information on cloth face coverings and why they are necessary and effective. The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) compiles all its latest COVID-19 guidance for the public and health care providers on its COVID-19 Guidance webpage here. Legislative Committee Reviews Remote Instruction DataThe Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Education met earlier this week to receive an update from the NC Department of Public Instruction on remote instruction data for 2020. NCMS staff is following the work of this committee since education, specifically reading proficiency, is a key health indicator in the NC Institute of Medicine’s Healthy NC 2030 report. The NCMS is using this report as a guide as we work to improve health in the state. The Committee learned that the majority of students (81 percent) are attending virtual education regularly. With state funding, 100,000 learning devices were purchased and distributed to help facilitate virtual learning and there are requests for more. Every county is struggling with connectivity and many schools have implemented ‘park and learn’ spaces for students to access broadband services, the committee learned. About 53 percent of students who qualify for free/reduced lunch are indeed receiving meals. Addressing access to healthy food is another Healthy NC 2030 health indicator. Learn more about this committee and its work on the NCMS Legislative Blog here. In the NewsWho’s Gotten a Coronavirus Vaccine? It’s a Simple Question — But America May Not Be Ready to Answer It, The Advisory Board Forum, 12-1-20 Learning OpportunityJoin the Charlotte Area Medical Group Management Association on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a webinar focused on ‘Utilization of PA/NP Workforce in the Current Healthcare Environment.’ Panelists will address the utilization of Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in the future and how their roles may expand to support our future health care system. Learn more and register for this free virtual event here. Don’t forget today’s Power Hour at its NEW TIME – noon! Today we will continue to explore racism and health equity. The focus is on the need to actively engage in how to address this critical issue in North Carolina and what we as individuals, as organizations and as a society can do to actively drive change. Join our guests as they provide their thoughts and perspectives around the topic and share specific action. Learn more and register here. If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!
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