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.
MSDC Board Member Testifies For Free Prostate Cancer Screenings
MSDC Board member and presumptive 2024 President-Elect Dr. Dock Winston testified today that DC insurers should be required to cover prostate cancer screenings.
MSDC policy supports insurers covering health screenings and treatments that lead to better patient outcomes and healthier people. B25-229, the Cost Free Coverage for Prostate Cancer Screening Amendment Act, would provide cost-free coverage of one prostate-specific antigen test and digital rectal exam per year. It would also prohibit any health insurer from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing requirement for prostate cancer screening. As a urologist, Dr. Winston feels especially passionate about this issue.
The DC Council's Committee on Business and Economic Development held a hearing on B25-229 and two additional bills. The legislation is co-introduced and co-sponsored by the entire Council, which makes its passage likely.
Dr. Winston's testimony (seen below) is an example of how physicians can be key health witnesses on important issues, and shape how a bill is considered. If you would like to learn how you can testify or advocate before the Council, contact Robert Hay (hay[at]msdc.org).
_____
September 28, 2023
Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie
Chair, Committee on Business and Economic Development
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chair McDuffie,
The Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC) is the largest medical organization representing metropolitan Washington physicians in the District. We advocate on behalf of all 11,000 plus licensed physicians in the District and seek to make the District “the nation’s model for patient care and physician practice”.
I am providing comments today on behalf of MSDC – as its incoming President-Elect – but also as a urologist and District resident. B25-229 would provide cost-free coverage of one prostate-specific antigen test and digital rectal exam per year. It would also prohibit any health insurer from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing requirement for prostate cancer screening.
MSDC supports this legislation and urges your committee to mark-up and pass this bill as soon as possible.
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among American men, after skin cancer. In fact, a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every two minutes. Black men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men, and 2.1 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. The District has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rate of prostate cancer deaths and is 7th among states in prostate cancer incidences.
However, we know that early detection and treatment for prostate cancer is incredibly effective in preventing death. The 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer diagnosed in its earliest stages is nearly 100% while the same rate for advanced or metastatic prostate cancer drops to 32%. This legislation would allow District men access to affordable, convenient prostate cancer screenings where they can speak with medical experts about treatment and prevention. We thank Councilmember Allen, and the eleven other co-introducers, for introducing this bill, and urge the committee to pass it as soon as possible.
Please reach out to the MSDC office if our membership can be of assistance on these or any issue. We look forward to working with you and the Committee to make the District the nation’s model for patient care.
Sincerely,
Dock Winston, MD
Director, Medical Society of DC Board