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.
The Granite Anniversary of Doctors’ Day Symbolizes Physician Strength and Brilliance
Today is the 90th anniversary of National Doctors Day, an annual observance to thank doctors for the life-saving contributions they make to public health. Granite, the stone that commemorates a 90th anniversary, is fitting for doctors today and every day; they are both strong enough to bear significant weight and display brilliance when under pressure. The Medical Society is inspired by the strength and brilliance of District doctors today, as it has been every day since its founding in 1817.
Doctors' Day was first conceived by Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles Almond, as a day to honor and give thanks to physicians. It took place on March 30, 1933, coinciding with the anniversary of the first administration of anesthesia by US physician Dr. Crawford Long. For the past 90 years it has served as an annual reminder of the role that physicians play in our lives and society at large.
Doctors are at the forefront of many issues of national debate. Unfortunately, delivering life-saving care while navigating hot button issues, has taken a toll on physician wellbeing, making Doctors’ Day more important than ever. Physicians face increasing moral injury and administrative overload, and too many are leaving the workforce, putting additional pressure on those who remain. Regrettably, physicians die by suicide at twice the rate of the general population, according to the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation. A message of appreciation can have a strong positive impact on their wellbeing.
MSDC is inspired by District physicians, especially our physician leaders, who have persevered throughout the pandemic and many other healthcare crises. MSDC President Susanne Bathgate, MD, shared her reflections on this day of thanksgiving:
To my DC physician colleagues, thank you for all that you do today and throughout the year. I am humbled to work in the District of Columbia amongst a community of physicians who work so tirelessly and care so deeply about the health and wellbeing of the residents of our region. In recognition of this Doctors’ Day, please remember to take good care of yourself as well as your patients.
Here are several ways to recognize physicians on Doctors Day and throughout the year:
- Give a doctor a red carnation, the official symbol of Doctors’ Day.
- Thank a medical doctor. Not just your own, but any doctor you meet or know.
- Post a message of thanks on social media. Use the hashtag #NationalDoctorsDay
- Make the feeling of thanks last beyond today. Thank your doctor every time you visit.
- Remember that behind the strong, brilliant facade, doctors may be at risk. Visit www.healthyphysician.org for wellbeing support.
- Recognize your role in good health. Maintain regular health appointments and follow your doctor’s treatment plan.