IN THE NEWS

Save the Date for CMA’s Legislative Advocacy Day, April 19 in Sacramento

The California Medical Association (CMA) will host its 49th annual Legislative Advocacy Day in Sacramento on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with legislators on priority health care issues. The meetings will be scheduled and coordinated by your local county medical societies.

This unique event is free of charge to all SJMS/CMA physician members, residents and medical students. Plan to join your colleagues as they prepare to lobby their legislative leaders and serve as champions for the house of medicine!

Set April 19 aside to become an advocate for your patients and colleagues! Register now at https://www.cmadocs.org/eventinfo/sessionaltcd/LEGDAY23/t/legislative-advocacy-day to register or email SJMS at Jessica@sjcms.org!

Registered attendees will also receive webinar training on legislation and policy affecting the practice of medicine on March 29.

• Are practicing in an area affected by natural disaster, officially declared disaster or emergency zone

• Are granted a waiver based on other extraordinary circumstances

To claim the exemption, physicians must register with the California Board of Pharmacy. This will allow allow pharmacists to confirm that a physician is exempt from the requirement.

Since California’s e-prescribing mandate originally took effect in January 2022, it has proven to be a costly burden for low volume prescribers, many of whom are retired or semi-retired physicians who maintain a license. E-prescribing software often comes with a monthly subscription cost, and for providers who write only a handful of prescriptions a year, the software can cost upwards of $20 per prescription. This bill aligns California law with federal regulations and will ease this burden at a time when physicians are still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shriners Children’s First in the West

Low Volume Prescribers Can Now Request E-Prescribing Exemption

Low volume prescribers and health care practitioners that meet certain criteria can now request an exemption from California’s e-prescribing mandate, under a new law (AB 852) strongly supported by the California Medical Association (CMA).

Under the new law, physicians are exempt from the e-prescribing mandate if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Issue 100 prescriptions or less in a year

Shriners Children’s Northern California has become the first children’s hospital in the West and only the second in the nation to become a verified Level 1 Specialty Children’s Surgery Center – Musculoskeletal from the American College of Surgeons’ Children’s Surgery Verification Program.

“This is more than acknowledgement of excellence in pediatric orthopedic care; it is a well-deserved recognition of our highly talented clinical professionals and support staff who provide exceptional quality multidisciplinary care to every patient, every day,” Michelle James, M.D., chief of orthopedic surgery at the hospital told staff.

The Children’s Surgery Verification (CSV) Quality Improvement Program was launched by the American College of Surgeons in 2017. Published reports have shown verification to be associated with lower levels of narcotics administration, reduced surgical wait times and shorter hospital stays.

The verification is granted only after an extensive review of hospital structure, processes, and outcomes conducted by a team of reviewers that includes pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses.

Scrubs Presentations to Health Careers Academy freshmen by Health Plan of San Joaquin Chief Medical Officer

Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) celebrated freshmen at Health Careers Academy (Stockton) with the annual presentation of scrubs for each student. HPSJ Chief Medical Officer Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD, said: “Each student has been selected to join Health Careers Academy and begin in earnest their journey into the healthcare field. We ask them to put their best foot forward and use their time well, with support from school leaders, faculty, their peers, and the community. These are our community’s future physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, therapists, data analysts and more. Ultimately, we want each student to feel supported by their community which is eager to have them back to practice locally and to mitigate the current healthcare workforce shortage.”

St. Joseph’s Medical Center Completes

400th Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center (SJMC) has reached the milestone of completing 400 transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures, led by Dr. Richard Waters, TAVR team cardiologist. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that focuses on replacing a thickened aortic valve that has difficulties fully opening, due to either aortic valve stenosis or aortic valve regurgitation, both of which cause reduced blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. "We are pleased to be able to provide this effective and less invasive aortic valve replacement option to members of our community and offer an advanced level of cardiac care close to home,” said Dr. Richard Waters.