Already time for Wednesday’s NCMS Morning Rounds.Feb. 17, 2021Beyond COVID-19 — Urging Parents Not to Forget Other VaccinationsThe American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is encouraging parents to catch up on regular immunizations their children might have missed due to the pandemic. “While there is not yet a Covid-19 vaccine that has been approved for children, there are vaccines that prevent against other deadly diseases,” the group’s president Lee Savio Beers, said in a recent statement. “These diseases have not gone away during the pandemic, and so it is very important that children stay up to date on all their immunizations, in partnership with their pediatrician.” Read the AAP’s statement here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recently released its annual recommendations on immunizations for children and adolescents. The recommendations are not significantly different than previous years other than the interim recommendation for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in people 16 and older, and the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in people 18 and older. Read the CDC’s recommendations here. A recent survey conducted by Avalere on the impact the pandemic has had on immunization reveals a decline in adolescent and adult immunization rates. Review the survey results and analysis here. This Week’s Urgent Practice Survey Awaits Your InputAlong with the NC Medical Group Management Association (NCMGMA) and Curi, the NCMS has been regularly sending a practice survey to help assess how your practice is faring during the pandemic. Over the past year, we have been able to track trends in the impact the pandemic is having on practice finances, availability of personal protective equipment, use of telehealth and other challenges. This information is essential to our resource development and advocacy efforts on your behalf. Please take a minute and complete the survey to let us know how your practice is doing at this point. To see what the survey data revealed about the impact of the pandemic on North Carolina medical practices, review this 2020 survey summary. Latest NC Medical Board Podcast Focuses on Victim ServicesThe latest episode of MedBoard Matters, the NC Medical Board’s podcast, is titled, ‘Crossing the Line: Professional Sexual Misconduct.’ Podcast host, Jean Fisher Brinkley, speaks with Marissa Hoechstetter who is a survivor of sexual assault by her physician and is now an active patient advocate speaking out to raise awareness and demand greater accountability. Also featured is NC Medical Board paralegal, Wanda Long, who is the staff member who originated the role of Victim Services Coordinator at the Medical Board. In the NewsPeople May Need To Get Covid-19 Vaccine Yearly, J&J CEO Says, Advisory Board, 2-12-2021 Learning OpportunityNorth Carolina Academy of Sleep Medicine Annual Virtual Conference | Feb. 26-27. NCASM invites you to participate in two full days of expert speakers. This meeting provides an outstanding opportunity for both technologists, physicians, and other sleep professionals to receive current data and information from specialists in the field to improve healthcare outcomes. Additionally, the conference provides an excellent forum to meet and network with others. If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!
|