Advocacy Successes
Physician Advocacy Successes
Good health policy is made with physicians in the discussion.
MSDC, working with its members, partners, and other organizations, has won major policy victories to help its members practice medicine. Below is a sampling of those victories. Do you want to be a vital part of the next policy victory helping improve the health of the District? Contact us today.
Opioid Policy
- MSDC was added to the opioid fund oversight panel by the Council in its legislation authorizing the oversight body
Scope of Practice
- MSDC supported legislation to ban the sale of flavored electronic smoking devices and restrict the sale of electronic smoking devices.
- Working with a coalition, MSDC added funding to the DC budget to support the hiring of more license specialists to help with the delay in processing medical licenses.
Women's Health
- B24-143, to regulate certified midwives, passed the Council with MSDC's support
Health Equity
- Mayor Muriel Bowser signs into law the Electronic Medical Order for Scope of Treatment Registry Amendment Act of 2019. The eMOST Registry Amendment Act permits the creation of an electronic database of advanced directive wishes for District residents that can be tied into the health information exchange.
- Mayor Bowser signs into law the School Sunscreen Safety Temporary Amendment Act of 2019. The bill permits students to bring and apply sunscreen during the 2019-2020 school year.
- MSDC comments on the importance of funding United Medical Center (UMC) and health facilities in Wards 7 and 8 in the mayor's budget. Those comments are used almost verbatim in CM Trayon White's comments advocating for funding of United Medical Center.
Scope of Practice
- DC Health publishes draft regulations removing the 3 mandatory CME hours for HIV/AIDS awareness and replaces them with a requirement to fulfill 10% of mandatory CME hours with a topic from a public health priority list. DC Health then waived the requirement for 2020.
- The Strengthening Reproductive Health Protections Act of 2020 is signed into law with MSDC support. The bill prohibits government interference in reproductive decisions between a patient and doctor, and prohibits employers from penalizing physicians for practicing reproductive medicine outside of their work hours.
- The Mayor's Commission on Healthcare Systems Transformation releases its final recommendations. One recommendation is for the District to explore options to make providing health care more affordable, including financial relief for higher malpractice insurance rates.
- The Council removes "telephone" from the list of prohibited types of telemedicine to allow physicians and other providers to be reimbursed for telephone telemedicine appointments after MSDC and health community advocacy.
- MSDC worked with the Council to modify onerous language in the Health Care Reporting Amendment Act that potentially would have penalized physicians from seeking help for substance abuse or addiction issues.
Opioid/Drug Policy
- The Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF) waives prior authorization for key medication assisted treatments (MAT) treating substance use disorder patients in Medicaid.
- The Mayor signed into law The Access to Biosimilars Amendment Act of 2019, a top MSDC priority as it would help prescribers to prescribe more cost-effective drugs for patients.
Behavioral Health
- The Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, a major priority for MSDC and DCPA, officially becomes law. The legislation requires all health benefit plans offered by an insurance carrier to meet the federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.
Health Equity
- The District Council passes B22-1001, The Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Amendment Act of 2018. The bill prohibits the sale of Short Term, Limited Duration health plans and Association Health Plans (AHPs) in the DC Health Benefits Exchange.
Scope of Practice
- DC joins 28 other states in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact with B22-177 becoming law. The IMLC is designed to ease physician licensure in multiple states.
Women's Health
- The Maternal Mortality Review Committee is established by law. The Committee is responsible for finding solutions to maternal health crisis in the District. District physicians are an important part of this vital committee.
- B22-106, The Defending Access to Women's Health Care Services Amendment Act, becomes law. The act requires insurers to cover health care services like breast cancer screening and STI screenings without cost-sharing.
Opioid Policy
- Right before the Council adjourned for the session, it passed B21-32, the Specialty Drug Copayment Limitation Act. The bill limits cost shifting by payers for prescription drugs.
Behavioral Health
- B21-0007 passes the Council. The Behavioral Health Coordination of Care Amendment Act of 2016 permitted the disclosing of mental health information between a mental health facility and the health professional caring for the patient.
Women's Health
- MSDC was proud to have worked on B21-20. The law requires payers to cover up to 12 months of prescription contraception, advancing women's health and equality.
Prior auth bill introduced but work left to be done
As shared recently, MSDC is delighted that Councilmember Pinto and eight of her colleagues reintroduced the Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act of 2023. This legislation would have the biggest, most positive impact on the practice of medicine in years. Among other things, the bill would:
- Require prior auths to be for medical reasons only
- Set time limits on the denial and approval processes
- Require those reviewing prior auths to be locally licensed and of relevant specialties
- Expand the amount and kind of public reporting needing to be done on insurers' sites about prior auth
The bill was introduced formally on February 7. However, Chairperson Phil Mendelson assigned the bill to the Business and Economics Committee, not the Committee on Health as hoped. While MSDC has a good relationship with Mr. McDuffie, the Chair of the Committee, we view this as healthcare and wellness legislation, not a money and business bill.
This week, MSDC President Dr. Susanne Bathgate sent a letter to Chair Mendelson, asking him to consider a re-referral. The message is copied below but Dr. Bathgate stressed that the issue last Council was considered a health issue, and should be considered as such this Council.
While we wait for a hearing announcement, what can MSDC members and physicians do?
- Learn about the bill via our section-by-section guide
- Reach out to the following Councilmembers who have not declared support for the bill: Chair Mendelson, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Councilmember Matt Frumin, and Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (we can help).
- Thank the Councilmembers who have supported the bill (see here).
- Email Robert Hay to be added to the prior auth communication list
There is more to come on this issue, so stay tuned to MSDC for updates and ways to get involved.
Dear Chair Mendelson:
As President of the Medical Society of DC and Chair of the Board of Directors, we write to you today to ask you to reconsider your assignment of B25-124, the Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act, to the Committee of Business and Economics.
We do not do this lightly, and do this not because we disrespect Chair McDuffie. Rather, we feel it is important the bill is considered by the Committee on Health because prior authorization is a healthcare, not business, issue.
At the heart of this issue is who should make medical decisions for patients. For too long, insurance companies have been allowed to delay or deny care for patients without recourse or reporting. Our members can tell stories of patients denied care across specialties and treatment. We list some of the most egregious examples on our website (e.g., a patient denied prescription birth control until they tried a generic five times).
Last Council session, this legislation was assigned to the Committee on Health. The Mayor’s Healthcare Work Force Task Force addresses this issue as a healthcare burnout and workforce issue, not an insurance business issue. Assigning the legislation to the Committee on Health allows it to be considered as a bill concerning the health of District residents and their care, which is what it is.
We thank you for your service to our patients and urge you to re-refer B25-124 to the Committee on Health.
Sincerely,
Susanne Bathgate, MD
President, Medical Society of DC
J. Desiree Pineda, MD
Chair of the Board of Directors, Medical Society of DC