Happy Monday! Enjoy your NCMS Morning Rounds.
August 30, 2021
Legislative Update
We’re still in the budget negotiation process. As mentioned previously, the House and Senate named their conferees—point people who are a part of negotiating what the final product between the House and Senate budget will look like. Both the House and Senate have passed their budgets and are in the process of deciding what will be included or excluded from that final budget product. Stay tuned for updates on the budget negotiation process.
Some bills moved this week, which include:
SB228 – Allow Employers to Offer EPO Benefit Plans. The NCMS expressed concerns to both the House Insurance Committee and House Health Committee. These exclusive provider organization plans (EPOs) already exist in North Carolina. Our concern was that we needed additional rules for these specific plans as they function in the state.
Ultimately the decision was made not to add any amendments to this bill. It moved through House Health and the House floor, receiving a concurrence vote on last Thursday in the Senate. The bill has been sent to the governor.
HB608 — Dignity for Women Who are Incarcerated. This bill is back on the House side for a House concurrence vote. We’re continuing to follow this bill closely and are asking the House to concur on this bill.
SB711 – NC Compassionate Care Act, more commonly referred to as the ‘medical marijuana bill.’ This is the bill we’ve talked about several times. It’s been through several committees and received a favorable vote in the Senate Health Care Committee last week, with a lot of discussion. Three different amendments were added to this bill. Visit our legislative blog to see the most up-to-date version.
This Wednesday we’re hosting a virtual event, The Importance of Grassroots Advocacy—How You Can Make a Difference. This will be an in-depth conversation on what it’s like to be an elected official.
Learn more and register for this informative event here.
LEAD Conference: Call for Resident/Student Poster Abstracts
The North Carolina Medical Society invites residents, fellows and medical students, to submit posters detailing original clinical research or clinical vignettes to our 8th annual poster competition. Accepted posters will be judged by a panel of North Carolina health care professionals. The winners will be announced at the 2021 NCMS Virtual LEAD Conference and be given a cash prize.
Please coordinate your participation with your Training Program Director and submit a poster abstract to Megan Eberle at the NCMS via email to [email protected] no later than September 13, 2021.
Please note the following instructions:
- Abstract Eligibility: Original abstracts that either have or have not been presented at other meetings will be considered. They are eligible if they have been published; however, abstracts based upon full papers that have been published are not eligible.
- Abstract Format: Title should be brief and clearly state content of paper. List name and degree for each author. Organize body of abstract as follows: (a) Purpose for study, (b) Simple statement of methods, (c) Summary of results, (d) Statement of discussion, (e) Statement of conclusions, (f) List of references.
- Poster Presentation: Each accepted poster will be asked to provide an audio recording to walk attendees and judges through your presentation. Click here for instructions to audio record over a PowerPoint presentation.
For more instructions and information, please view the abstract submission form.
We hope you will attend the meeting regardless of whether you submit an abstract for the poster session. Registration brochures will be emailed this fall. Please contact the NCMS to be put on the mailing list. As always, meeting registration is free for residents, fellows and students.
Questions? Contact Megan Eberle, [email protected].
NC Medical Board Review Panel Opportunity
The NCMS has the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the NC Medical Board Review Panel. The Review Panel was established in 2008 by state statute to review all applicants for the physician, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner positions on the North Carolina Medical Board. The Review Panel reviews applicants under criteria established by the statute. The Review Panel operates under its own Bylaws.
View appointee criteria for appointment here. Individuals interested in applying should complete application here and submit to Evan Simmons at [email protected] by September 3, 2021.
In the News
Stop Using N95 Masks Made By This Company, FDA says, Becker’s, 8-26-21
Learning Opportunity
The Importance of Grassroots Advocacy – How You Can Make a Difference, Wednesday, September 1, 2021 / 6:00pm
The North Carolina Medical Society is pleased to announce a unique event for North Carolina physicians and physician assistants to convene with your colleagues who represent you and your profession in the NC General Assembly and the US House of Representatives.
Please join us for a one-hour interactive forum to hear about their experiences and their insights about physician engagement in advocacy activities.
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!