Membership Insider

JOIN OR RENEW TODAY

As a member of the Santa Clara County Medical Association (SCCMA) and California Medical Association (CMA), you join more than 4,500 members in Santa Clara County and 50,000 members throughout California of all specialties and practice settings who are actively protecting the practice of medicine and defending public health. We cannot do this alone. Your support through SCCMA/CMA membership is critical to the success of our efforts on behalf of the profession of medicine. Please join or renew your membership today!

NEW MEMBERS – Join SCCMA/CMA online today at https://www.cmadocs.org/join. CURRENT MEMBERS – Hurry – renew online at https://www.cmadocs.org/renew before your membership is dropped on March 1.

MONTHLY PAYMENT OPTION AVAILABLE – new and renewing members have the option of paying dues with a credit card on a monthly basis. Simply select the monthly dues option when joining or renewing online.

Next CalHealthCares Loan Repayment Program Application Cycle Opens

The next CalHealthCares’ application cycle begins January 24, 2022. CalHealthCares provides loan repayment on educational debt for California physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients. Eligible physicians can apply for a loan repayment award of up to $300,000 in exchange for a fiveyear service obligation. Eligible dentists can apply for a loan repayment award of up to $300,000 in exchange for a fiveyear service obligation or a Practice Support Grant of up to $300,000 in exchange for a 10-year service obligation. The program is funded by Proposition 56 (2016) voter-approved, state tax revenues. The FY 2021-2022 (Cohort 4) CalHealthCares application cycle closes February 25, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Read more at www.phcdocs.org/Programs/CalHealthCares.

CMA Launches Free Online CME on Health Equity and Diabetes Prevention

The CMA and the California Department of Public Health are proud to present “Break the Bias: Health Equity and the Importance of Screening and Referring for Diabetes Prevention” as a free, online continuing medical education (CME) opportunity for physicians in California. California experienced a large percentage increase in deaths from 2019 to 2020, including from diabetes (17.7%), with differences in death rates within each race/ethnic group increased for all race/ethnic groups, and disparities in rates between groups increased (Data Brief: 2020 Increases in Deaths in California). This one hour and 50-minute virtual CME features experts sharing how screening patients for prediabetes, referring them to the National Diabetes Prevention Program, and identifying and overcoming barriers to screening and referral can advance health equity. The program is available on-demand at cmadocs.org/webinars.

AMA Releases No Surprises Act Tool Kit

The American Medical Association (AMA) has released an initial toolkit for physicians on the implementation of the No Surprises Act (NSA). Many of the provisions of the NSA take effect on January 1, 2022. The federal No Surprises Act (NSA) prohibits out-of-network health care providers and facilities from balance billing commercially insured patients, in certain circumstances. The NSA and its implementing regulations set a method for determining the patient cost-sharing for these outof-network situations, and when state law does not establish a provider payment methodology, the NSA establishes an independent dispute resolution (IDR) arbitration system to establish provider payment.

This toolkit focuses on three operational challenges that physicians will need to address immediately in order to be compliant with the new requirements. The AMA will update the toolkit as additional guidance is available. View the toolkit at https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/ama-nsa-toolkit.pdf.

COVID-Related Stress and Work Intentions in a Sample of U.S. Health Care Workers

A new Mayo Clinic Proceedings article led by the AMA explores the relationship between COVID-related stress and work intentions of U.S. health care workers. The article found that physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers are at the highest risk of reducing clinical work hours or leaving their practice, with one in five physicians and two in five nurses intending to leave their practice altogether. Factors associated with a greater intention to reduce work hours or leave a practice include higher levels of burnout, stress, workload, fear of infection, anxiety or depression due to COVID-19, and the number of years in practice. The article concluded that organizations should implement measures to enhance health care workers’ sense of value, create supportive environments, and reduce work overload through better teamwork to reduce stress and prevent turnover. View the article at https://bit. ly/3EWQRQm.