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.
DC healthcare community comes together to celebrate service, leadership and public health
Last Friday, May 5, MSDC celebrated the second Capital Healthcare Honors at the National Press Club. MSDC President Dr. Susanne Bathgate and past president Dr. Raymond Tu co-hosted the well-attended event honoring DC’s healthcare community and featuring local and national luminaries.
Among the physician leaders present was Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA). Dr. Ehrenfeld called attention to MSDC’s prior authorization reform campaign and urged the community to remove the barriers that prior authorization places on practices, patients, and health.
Dr. Peter Lavine, a three-time MSDC president, received the Certificate of Meritorious Service for service to the profession. He has been a vocal healthcare reform advocate throughout his career and active in organized medicine, serving as the current chair of MSDC’s AMA Delegation. Dr. Ehrenfeld also commended Dr. Lavine for his service to the profession and the AMA.
The late Dr. John Larsen received the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of service to the Medical Society. MSDC President Dr. Susanne Bathgate, a mentee of Dr. Larsen, co-presented the award with DC Health Chief of Staff Dr. Jacqueline Watson, who recognized Dr. Larsen’s service on the DC Board of Medicine. Dr. Larsen’s widow, Joan Larsen, accepted the award on his behalf and shared the poem, The Bridge Builder, by Will Allen Dromgoole.
Dr. James Taylor received the John Benjamin Nichols Award, presented by UnitedHealthcare, for his outstanding contributions to the health of the community. Dr. Taylor is the director of the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease, and he has dedicated his career to this damaging disease which disproportionately impacts African Americans. Daniel Wilson, director of marketing and outreach for UnitedHealthcare, commended Dr. Taylor for his work.
Dr. Constance Bohon received the Dr. Charles H. Epps, III Community Service Award in recognition of her outstanding public service to the community. A vigorous supporter of women’s health, she helped to organize a committee to review maternal mortality in the District and has long fought for maternal health coverage.
At the event, MSDC also highlighted its new pooled employer program and work by its gender equity task force. MSDC thanks the following event supporters for their support: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, UnitedHealthcare, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Prestige Healthcare Resources, MedStar Family Choice – District of Columbia, Bridgepoint, Amerigroup, AmeriHealth Caritas – District of Columbia, and Janssen.
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