Could COVID Be the Positive Tipping Point for Primary Care?

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

By Brent Hazelett, MPA, CAE NCAFP Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

For years we have all been patiently waiting while the world has been telling us that the move to value was coming like a freight train and we better all get on board or get run over. It appears all it might have taken is a pandemic and the worst economic downturn in our lifetime. Both private and public payers are scrambling to implement changes seemingly overnight that normally would take years. NCAFP leaders have been in countless conversations with payers, both during this pandemic and before, and these conversations are resulting in a better understanding of just how much damage this healthcare system has done to primary care, which has only been exacerbated during this pandemic.

There is no doubt that practices relying on fee-for-service revenue during COVID have been hurt the most, while those with substantive value-based care contracts in place have fared much better. Our goal as an Academy continues to be to provide our members with the resources they need to not just survive but thrive in today’s healthcare environment. Our work on your behalf continues and we are buoyed by ongoing changes in the marketplace that are increasingly recognizing the immense value family medicine plays in reducing cost and increasing quality.

Telemedicine, long underpaid (when paid at all) is finally being recognized as a viable means of effectively providing primary care in certain circumstances. No

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doubt telemedicine is here to stay and NCAFP will be fighting to ensure payment for these services remains at a level that compensates your care accordingly.

Blue Cross recently announced their new “Accelerate to Value” platform for independent practices, whereby the payer seeks to support independent practices through financial stabilization, a transition to value-based care, and the possibility of a capitated payment for a core group of primary care services. The NCAFP has been in many conversations with BCBS leaders over the past several years, espousing the importance of supporting primary care and the value you provide to their policy holders every single day. These conversations with payers, one of the key tenets of the NCAFP Payer and System Advocacy Committee, are making a difference. Whether you believe this latest payer program is ideal or not – certainly, there are imperfections – the NCAFP believes these changes are moves in the right direction. Payers that are placing more value and resources into primary care are payers we want to work with on your behalf.

Additionally, NCAFP leaders have been working closely with the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, an organization at the forefront of the healthcare policy discussion both at the state and national level. The Margolis Center is dedicated to the transformation of healthcare and no doubt has played an increasing role bringing the key stakeholders in North Carolina together for meaningful discussion and action. Stay tuned as your Academy works with other organizations to improve healthcare for the citizens of NC, and create a positive and rewarding working environment for family physicians that allows you to thrive, and paves the way for future medical students to choose the best specialty in medicine.

We are proud to work on your behalf and welcome any feedback you have to help us more effectively work for you.

Booster Dose of Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine now required for Students Entering 12th Grade

Effective Aug. 1, 2020, a booster dose of meningococcal conjugant vaccine (MenACWY) is required for students entering the 12th grade in public, private or religious schools in North Carolina. Students who do not meet this requirement may not be allowed to attend school until they receive the booster dose.

“The MenACWY vaccine is the best protection against meningococcal disease, which most often affects young people,” said Kelly Kimple, M.D., M.P.H., Chief of the Women’s and Children’s Health Section of the N.C. Division of Public Health. “It is vital that children and adolescents continue to receive all their immunizations on schedule to ensure they are fully protected against all vaccine-preventable diseases, including some of the major causes of meningitis.”

Recognizing the importance of immunization, Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed July as Adolescent Immunization Awareness Month in North Carolina. Now, more than ever, public health reminds us of the importance of continued routine vaccination to keep children healthy and avoid the risk of vaccine-preventable disease.

Office Signage and Material on COVID-19 Prevention Available from NC DHHS

The NC Department of Health and Human Services has a whole host of materials available for healthcare providers to use in educating patients and the public about how to prevent COVID-19. Some of the materials include:

• A Social Medial Tool Kit • A Prevent and Protect Medical Tool Kit • And a Know Your Ws: Wear, Wait and Wash Tool Kit. • Available in English and Spanish

This toolkit contains signage of various sizes for physician offices, video Public Service Announcements, and even messaging for your E-Mail signature. You can find the key materials about the 3Ws at https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/ materials-resources/know-your-ws-wear-wait-wash#wait