Welcome to a new week and your NCMS Morning Rounds.Sept. 28, 2020NCMS Legislative UpdateLast Thursday, President Trump announced an Executive Order focused on health care during a visit to North Carolina. Included in the order were provisions on prescription drugs, price transparency and surprise billing. NCMS staff currently is analyzing the content of the order to assess its impact and also is seeking your input. Read the order here. Please reply to NCMS Director of Legislative Relations Sue Ann Forrest, MPA with any comments or feedback you may have. As with any Executive Order, implementation takes time and requires review and possible changes to a variety of regulations. Reminder: you can still request an absentee ballot if you want to vote by mail – or drop it off at an early voting site. Early in-person voting begins Thursday, Oct. 15 and continues through Oct. 31. Learn more at the NC State Board of Elections website. NC Medicaid Addresses AccuDial ShortageIf you are a neurologist or prescribe the seizure medication AccuDial, you may be aware that it has been in short supply lately. For Medicaid beneficiaries who need the drug, the generic version, Diastat, is not on Medicaid’s approved drug list. When NCMS Vice President for Specialty Society Management Services and Executive Director of the NC Neurology Society Alan Skipper, CAE, CMP called NC Medicaid to inquire about this, the pharmacy services director told him the generic, Diastat, would be covered through the end of October 2020, after which the shortage of AccuDial will be reassessed to determine if the coverage window for Diastat should be continued. Questions on the prior authorization process for this should be directed to NCTracks at 1-866-246-8505. Public Health Impacts of Climate and Weather EventsThe University of North Carolina School of Public Health is conducting a research study on the health Impacts of climate and weather events particularly as they relate to public health preparedness. The researchers are seeking health care professionals to answer a series of questions to help them understand your needs and concerns related to climate/weather events, emergency management and public health preparedness. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete and must be done before this Wednesday, Sept. 30. By participating in this research study, you will be entered to win your choice of:
If you have any issues accessing the survey, please reach out to Principal Investigator, Dr. Ferdouz Cochran ([email protected]). In the NewsA Failure of Empathy Led to 200,000 Deaths. It Has Deep Roots, The Atlantic, 9-22-20 Learning OpportunityDon’t miss the opportunity tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. to ask several NC experts about navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will include infectious disease expert Ibukun C Akinboyo, MD, Medical Director of Pediatric Infection Prevention, Duke University Hospital; mental health expert Carrie Brown, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health NCDHHS; and testing expert R.W. “Chip” Watkins, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Regional Medical Director, Community Care of NC. Following brief presentations, the focus of the meeting will be on moderated Q&A. Please click here to connect via zoom. 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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