Happy Thursday! Please enjoy your
NCMS Morning Rounds.
March 5, 2020
2020 Primary Election Results for Two NCMS Members
Two NCMS members were on the Super Tuesday primary ballot seeking seats in the NC General Assembly for their respective districts.
Mark Hollo, PA-C was narrowly defeated in the Republican primary in the 42nd NC Senate District by Hickory businessman Dean Proctor. Proctor received nearly 13,000 votes to Hollo’s 11,800 in the district that includes Catawba and Alexander counties. Hollo, who served in the NC House of Representatives from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2010 to 2015 thanked his supporters on his Facebook page, stating he is “proud of the race we ran.”
Kristin Baker, MD, a psychiatrist from Concord comfortably won the Republican primary race in 82nd district for the NC House of Representatives representing Cabarrus County. Dr. Baker defeated retired Judge Billy Hamby and Parish Moffit. Baker tallied 3,839 votes in unofficial results, followed by Hamby with 2050 and Moffit with 1,206. Dr. Baker now will face Aimy Steele, a school principle from Concord, who won the Democratic primary for the district. Congratulations, Dr. Baker!
Rep. Perrin Jones, MD, an anesthesiologist from Pitt County, ran unopposed in the NC State House District 9 seat to represent Pitt County. In November’s General Election, he will face Brian Farkas, the Democratic winner in Tuesday’s primary.
Dr. Jones currently is serving in the General Assembly after being appointed to the District 9 seat after fellow NCMS member US Rep. Greg Murphy, MD, moved on to the US House of Representatives to fill the late US Rep. Walter Jones’ seat.
Coronavirus Updates + Resources
The NCMS continues to be in close contact with the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) as the Covid-19 situation continues to evolve. We will keep you updated with any information of particular interest to you as a health care professional.
State health officials are updating their website frequently, so check this page for the latest news for health care providers: Information on Covid-19 for NC Health Care providers.
The state also has a toll-free Covid-19 Helpline — 1-866-462-3821 — to answer questions from the general public. To submit questions online, go to www.ncpoisoncontrol.org and select “chat.”
Here are links to some other key websites and information on Covid-19:
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 website. The CDC is offering a webinar this afternoon from 2 to 3 p.m. on “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update—What Clinicians Need to Know to Prepare for COVID-19 in the United States.” Learn more about how to participate in this call.
- World Health Organization’s (WHO) coronavirus website, which includes FAQs and international travel advice.
- The AMA has created a Covid-19 ‘Resource Center for Physicians.’ Access it here.
Information on the response to the spread of the virus is available in this recording of Tuesday’s Congressional hearing before the US House Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, in which US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials detail the department’s work to prevent and slow the spread of the disease; assist repatriated Americans; protect the food, drug and device supplies and develop diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Watch now.
Also on Tuesday, the American Hospital Association (AHA) encouraged HHS to consider using a national disaster program to reimburse providers for treating uninsured people affected by the novel coronavirus
AHA President Rick Pollack said in a statement: “No one should think twice about seeking screening or treatment due to costs. We also urge them to cover both patients who have coronavirus and those who are under investigation for coronavirus.”
The National Disaster Medical System generally pays providers 110 percent of Medicare rates. Read more.
Research Study on Vets’ Use of Health Care
If you care for military veterans, please consider asking them to participate in research being done by the Carolina Governor’s Working Group in partnership with the Governor’s Institute and a Campbell University Masters of Public Health candidate. The research focuses on veterans’ use of health care services and their reintegration success when returning from overseas deployment.
If you think one of your patients may qualify, access the three screening questions and more information about the study.
In the News
Who is Getting Sick and How Sick? A Breakdown of Coronavirus Risk by Demographic Factors, STAT, 3-3-20
Learning Opportunity
The NC Medical Group Management Association, the NCMS Foundation and Curi, a Medical Mutual Co., will host this month’s Lunch & Learn Webinar on the topic of “Community Collaboration and Addressing Social Determinants in the Evolving World of Value Based Care” on March 17 from noon to 1 p.m. The featured speaker is Brian Klausner, MD, who directs many of WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh’s population health efforts – advocating for patients and vulnerable populations in the community and driving quality improvement. Learn more and register here. You will be asked to register on the NCMGMA website if you haven’t already done so. If you have questions, please contact the NCMGMA office at [email protected].