January 18, 2020
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It's officially Carnival season in Louisiana! LSMS Past President, Susan Bankston, MD, kicked off the celebration with her husband, David Voss, being crowned King Artemis XIX. 👑
Are you Mardi Gras royalty, attending a ball, or in a parade? Send us your photos by emailing LSMS Communications Associate, Gina Garner, at ggarner@lsms.org or by tagging @LaMedSoc on social media. ðŸŽðŸ“¿
For more information on the 2020 Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates, click here.
If you are a member of a recognized parish medical society interested in serving as a delegate, you have two options towards participation:
- You may be nominated by your society.
- You may nominate yourself.
Any members still interested in serving as a delegate at the 2020 House of Delegates must fill out the form below. As elections have ended, all NEW interested members must be approved by the House of Delegates Committee on Credentials. If you have any questions about this process, please contact LSMS Sr. Director of Member Services and Administration, Terri Watson, terri@lsms.org.
CLICK HERE to submit your name.
ADDITIONAL EVENT DETAILS BELOW:
Join us for beer, wine, and appetizers on Thursday, January 23, 2020, 6-8 p.m., at the Baton Rouge Marriott for a welcome reception to kick off the 2020 Annual Meeting... Mardi Gras style! This event is open to all registered delegates and guests.
LSMS award recipients are honored during a special Luncheon at the Annual House of Delegates meeting. This year's will be held on Friday, January 24, 2020, noon-1:30 p.m., at the Baton Rouge Marriott. Tickets for the Awards Luncheon can be purchased by CLICKING HERE.
Come dance the night away with "Party @ Joe's" on Friday, January 24, 2020, 7-10:30 p.m. at the Inauguration Gala Honoring the 140th LSMS President, Katherine Williams, MD. You won't want to miss this fun-filled night with your peers! Tickets are available now by CLICKING HERE. Your ticket gets you into the exclusive party boasting a buffet-style dinner, drinks, dancing, and a night full of music. Tickets are $75 per person or $150 per couple. Space and tickets are limited so don't delay!
LAMPAC to host breakfast, 2020 outlook, and annual meeting
LAMPAC contributors should have received your invitation to attend a membership breakfast on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 7:30 a.m. at the Baton Rouge Marriott. Please be sure to register. If you haven't received the invite, please contact Maria Bowen, mbowen@lsms.org, for further information.
Not a LAMPAC contributor? Start your contribution today to be eligible to attend the update and annual meeting by clicking here. If you would like to enroll in the monthly payment option, please contact Maria directly.
Membership Update
THANK YOU, Renal Associates of Baton Rouge, for renewing as a 100% physician membership group in 2020! 🎉
Renal Associates of Baton Rouge is the largest nephrology practice in Louisiana. Specialties include nephrology, problem hypertension, management of co-morbidities in chronic kidney disease, electrolyte disorders, and hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
Several Ochsner physicians and LSMS members had the honor of attending the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Washington, D.C. for former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason on Wednesday, Jan. 15. From left to right are Dr. Arnab Ray, Dr. Eric Ehrensing, Dr. Granville Morse and Dr. Stephen Kantrow. Gleason was honored for his work with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease he was diagnosed with in 2011. (Picture provided by Ochsner Health System.)
Receiving a white coat is an iconic rite of passage for a doctor-in-training. On Saturday, January 11, 2020, The University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School held its 10th annual White Coat Ceremony at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie.
During the ceremony, 116 doctors-in-training received their white coats and were presented with Humanism in Medicine pins, a visual reminder displayed on the lapel of each White Coat to remind students to keep compassion and empathy at the center of clinical practice.
For more information on the UQ Ochsner Clinical School, visit https://ochsner.uq.edu.au/
The LSMS staff would like to congratulate the LSU Football Team on capturing the National Championship title and send a big thank you to all the team physicians for keeping the players healthy!
Need Your LAMMICO Dividend Check to go Elsewhere?
On December 4, 2019, the LAMMICO Board of Directors declared a 5% dividend, marking the 13th consecutive dividend since 2008. For more information on this year's dividend, please click here.
LAMMICO will make all dividend checks payable to the policyholder unless LAMMICO is otherwise notified. Some insureds request that dividend checks be made payable to entities other than the named policyholder.
If you would like your dividend check to be issued payable to a group / hospital / employer / corporation / individual other than the named policyholder, legal written documentation is required. For this purpose, please download and complete the 2019 Dividend Payee Form below. All completed forms should be submitted to LAMMICO no later than February 1, 2020 via email to Sherri Pitre at spitre@lammico.com (preferred), fax to 504.841.5301 or mail to LAMMICO, attention: Sherri Pitre.
For more information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions or contact your Marketing Representative or the LAMMICO Finance Department at 800.452.2120.
Burnout & Suicide: Which Specialists Suffer the Most?
Which physicians are most affected by suicide and burnout? In the 2020 Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report, take a deeper look at how physicians differ by generation. Are baby boomers more stressed out than millennials? Do Gen Xers cope better than baby boomers?
Property and Casualty Insurance Commission Update
Louisiana's Property and Casualty Insurance Commission met on Thursday, January 16, 2020, to discuss specific legislative proposals aimed at lowering insurance rates in Louisiana. Receiving word that a few of the items on the list could have a significant (and negative) impact on physicians, LSMS Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Maria Bowen attended. Below are two proposals with very concerning impacts.
- Put forth in a draft bill on collateral sources was a rate setting section which would have defined "reasonable medical expenses" to mean "no more than one hundred forty percent of the Medicare reimbursement rate for non-hospital services and two hundred percent of the Medicare reimbursement rate for hospital charges." Several attendees and participants expressed concerns with the inclusion of this language and argued that this particular piece of the proposal had nothing to do with collateral sources. All references to Medicare and Medicaid were removed from the proposal along with the entirety of the section that included rate setting. The attachment as marked up is how the proposal now reads. Click here to read the proposal.
- A conversation related to opioid abuse was held with the aim recommending that the legislature enact a requirement for the use of a closed pharmacy formulary in workers compensation claims. As a member of the Commission, Judge Sheral Kellar, Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation suggested that this item needs to be taken up by her department and appointed commissions rather than through legislation originating from the PCIC. LSMS and others in the meeting also believed that LWC was a more appropriate setting for the conversation and were supportive of seeing the recommendation tabled.
For additional documents or information, please email Maria Bowen at mbowen@lsms.org.
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Gov. Edwards Delivers Second Inaugural Address, Highlighting Key Second Term Priorities
Gov. John Bel Edwards was sworn in for his second term as governor, delivering an inaugural address that highlighted early childhood education and workforce development as his top priorities for Louisiana over the next four years.
He will also focus on continued funding for roads and bridges, getting to work on coastal restoration projects that will create more land than Louisiana is losing and ensuring Louisiana has the best cybersecurity defense of any state.
The Governor's remarks, as prepared, are below.
"Thank you, Deacon Dan Borne for the introduction.
I also want to thank Washington's own Artillery for the 19 gun salute and the 159th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard for the flyover. You know, we have 491 men and women in the Louisiana National Guard and Air National Guard currently deployed and over the next twelve months more than 2,000 soldiers and airmen will be deployed to the Middle East. So please join me in thanking them and their families for their service and praying for their safe return.
President Cortez, Speaker Schexnayder, Members of the Legislature; Governors Jindal and Edwards; Senators Cassidy and Kennedy; Congressmen Scalise and Graves; Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, other statewide elected officials and my fellow Louisianans.
Thank you all for being here today. You know in some cultures, rain is a sign of good luck, so that's what we're going to see this as.
Obamacare signups fall to record low in Louisiana for second straight year
The number of people who signed up for health coverage through Louisiana's individual exchange fell to its lowest point on record for the second straight year in 2020, amid a double-digit rate hike and a Republican-backed lawsuit seeking to throw out the law.
Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act's individual market--commonly known as "Obamacare" - fell to 87,748 this year, from 92,948 last year. Nationwide, enrollment was relatively steady, dipping slightly to about 8.3 million in the 38 states that, like Louisiana, use the federal HealthCare.gov website.
Page Cortez chosen as president of the Louisiana Senate
Sen. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, was elected Senate president Monday morning by his colleagues.
"I am so humbled at the opportunity that you all have provided," Cortez said in brief remarks to the chamber.
The vote was 39-0.
Cortez succeeds outgoing state Sen. John Alario, R-Westwego, who served in the Legislature for 48 years.
Two of Cortez's earlier rivals for the job - Sens. Rick Ward III, R-Port Allen, and Ronnie Johns, R-Sulphur - nominated him for the post and moved to suspend the Senate rules that call for the election to be done by secret ballot.
Clay Schexnayder wins Louisiana House Speaker after push from Democrats
A divided Louisiana House on Monday installed Gonzales Republican Clay Schexnayder as speaker, capping a months-long, contentious battle for the post and delivering a blow to conservative leaders who sought to put state Rep. Sherman Mack in the position.
Schexnayder, a 50-year-old former race car driver and mechanic, was propelled to office by the Democratic caucus, which voted as a bloc for him along with a contingent of Republicans who stuck with him despite attacks lobbed by a PAC run by Attorney General Jeff Landry and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy.
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Summary E&C Health Hearing on Cannabis Policies
On January 15, 2020, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, "Cannabis Policies for the New Decade." The hearing focused on examining the implications of reforming marijuana's classification as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, the potential of cannabis research, and federal efforts to review and approve cannabidiol (CBD) products.
The Subcommittee examined the following legislation:
- H.R. 171, the Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act (LUMMA), introduced by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Glenn Grothman (R-WI);
- H.R. 601, the Medical Cannabis Research Act, introduced by Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Darren Soto (D-FL);
- H.R. 1151, the Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act, introduced by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL);
- H.R. 2843, the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act, introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Barbra Lee (D-CA);
- H.R. 3797, the Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2019, introduced by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Andy Harris (R-MD); and
- H.R. 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019, introduced by Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Barbara Lee (D-CA).
Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) emphasized the importance of considering the bills, given the evolving cannabis policy landscape in states. Chairwoman Eshoo and Chairman Pallone expressed the need for federal policy to permit research into cannabis and its derivatives. Chairman Pallone also indicated his interest in examining how federal agencies are reducing barriers to research and enabling research on cannabis to thrive.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), and Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) generally supported bills that enhance cannabis research efforts, but cautioned that H.R. 2843 and H.R. 3884, which remove cannabis from Schedule 1, may be "a step too far" given the lack of available data.
A panel of federal witnesses described their agency's efforts to regulate and/or conduct research on marijuana and related substances. Members and witnesses discussed multiple issues, including risks associated with marijuana use, rescheduling or removing marijuana from Substance 1, the urgent need for data and evidence for sound decision-making, administrative efforts to streamline cannabis research processes, and manufacturing of research-grade marijuana. Mr. Strait of the DEA stated that the agency is working to increase the number of registered marijuana manufacturers. Dr. Volkow of the NIH emphasized the critical need for research into cannabis to determine safety, quality, and efficacy for patients. Dr. Throckmorton of the FDA discussed the agency's ongoing efforts to provide answers on the science, safety, and quality of products containing CBD.
Chairwoman Eshoo did not provide a timeline for action on any of the bills.
Please see the below sign-on letter to Administrator Seema Verma in response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' request for information related to the Executive Order on Medicare regulations and scope of practice.
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Amazon Web Services at HIMSS20: Three key trends to watch
AWS says conference attendees should consider predicting patient health events, personalizing the health journey, and promoting interoperability.
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