Enjoy your Thursday NCMS Morning Rounds.
May 27, 2021
If you have not yet completed our 4-question survey on the NC Health Information Exchange (NCHIE) your input will help our advocacy on your behalf. Take the survey now. We also invite you to send us any questions you might have about connecting to the NCHIE. Simply reply to this email with your question and NCMS staff will work to get it answered. Thank you for engaging with us on this topic!
NCMS, NCPeds and Family Physicians Encourage COVID-19 Vaccine for Teens
Yesterday the NCMS, NC Pediatric Society and the NC Academy of Family Physicians sent a joint press release to statewide media urging families to get their teenagers vaccinated against COVID-19. Read the release here.
“As we have said since the first COVID-19 vaccine was authorized early this year, everyone who is eligible should get vaccinated. It is the most immediate and effective way to stop this pandemic,” said NCMS President Philip Brown, Jr., MD, in the release.
Currently, the Pfizer vaccine can be given to teenagers ages 12 and up. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports in North Carolina more than 100,000 children 0 to 17 years old have tested positive for COVID-19 and the percent of COVID-19 cases in children 17 and under has been increasing.
Earlier this week Moderna said its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects kids as young as 12 in its clinical trials, which will likely put it on track to become the second option for that age group in the U.S. The vaccine producers also are in the midst of clinical trials with younger children.
Podcast on Role of Doulas in Supporting Women with Substance Use Disorders
The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently released an informative podcast discussing the use of doulas in supporting women in recovery and treatment for substance use disorders.
Two doula certified peer recovery specialists from the Illinois Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Opioid Use Disorder Program, Melinda McMichael, and Joyce Miller, share their experience working at the intersection of substance use care and birthing support. Amy Chen, Senior Staff Attorney of the National Health Law Program’s Doula Medicaid Project and Jessica Stieger, AMCHP Program Manager for Infant Health and Certified Doula, also discuss the role of Medicaid, state public health and opportunities to promote doula care for people with substance use disorders.
Listen to the full podcast here.
Mark Your Calendar for the NCDA’s Summer Meeting, July 9-11
The NC Dermatology Association (NCDA) will host its 2021 Summer Meeting at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville on July 9-11.
The program features outstanding faculty who will address current topics of interest to the practicing dermatologist. The meeting includes a networking hub with vendors presenting products and services to help your dermatology practice. Learn more about the program here.
In the News
CDC releases Breakthrough Infections report: 5 Notes, Becker’s Review, 5-25-21
Learning Opportunity
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to invite the public to attend its two upcoming webinars titled CMS Quality Measurement: Where It’s Headed and How We’ll Get There and Driving Quality in the US: How CMS Evaluates its Measure Portfolio. These webinars will illuminate the CMS’s efforts to enhance the quality of quality measures.
In the first webinar, CMS will discuss goals for advancing quality measurement in the next 5-10 years, focusing on streamlining measures to reduce burden and the transition to digital quality measures. CMS staff will provide an overview and highlight key components of its newly finalized Digital Quality Measurement Blueprint.
CMS Quality Measurement: Where It’s Headed and How We’ll Get There
o Tuesday, June 15 from 3 – 4 p.m. (Register here)
o Thursday, June 17 from noon – 1p.m. (Register here)
The second webinar will walk audiences through CMS tools and processes, specifically the MMS Blueprint, Pre-rulemaking process, Quality Measure Index, and Impact Assessment, to evaluate the quality of its quality measures throughout the measure lifecycle.
Driving Quality in the US: How CMS Evaluates its Measure Portfolio
o Tuesday, July 13 from 1 – 2 p.m.(Register here)
o Wednesday, July 14 from 3 – 4 p.m. (Register here)
Both webinars will provide information to key quality measurement resources available to the public. Each webinar will be offered twice this summer:
Please register in advance if you can attend, as space will be limited. We request that you please only register for an event if you plan to attend.
For questions about the webinar, please contact [email protected].
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!