URGENT! Contact your Member of Congress immediately to cancel the Medicare payment cut! Congress has decided to include any year-end Medicare payment issues in its must-pass bill to keep the federal government operating. Congress must pass this legislation by November 17 to avoid a government shutdown. Therefore, we must act now to demand positive changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2024. Due to budget neutrality rules, the 2024 fee schedule includes a harmful 3.4% payment cut that will take effect if Congress does not act. With an expected 4.6% rise in health care inflation this year, the cut will be devastating for physician practices ... November 9, 2023 Advocacy, Medicare Medicare, Reimbursement 0 0 Comment Read More »
SCCMA Past President is Installed as CMA's 155th President November 5, 2023 - Redwood City OBGYN Tanya W. Spirtos, MD, installed as CMA's 155th President Redwood City ob-gyn Tanya W. Spirtos, M.D., today was installed as the 155th president of the California Medical Association (CMA) – only the fourth woman to hold that position – at the close of association’s annual House of Delegates meeting. “Serving an organization that represents the very heart of our states health care community, is a role that I take on with a deep sense of gratitude and humility,” Dr. Spirtos said in her address to ... November 8, 2023 CMA, Leadership 0 0 Comment Read More »
SCCMA EHC Member Publishes on Climate Change and the Risks to Pregnant Persons and their Offspring SCCMA Environmental Health Committee Member, Santosh Pandipati, MD, FACOG was recently asked to bring together a panel to author a lead article for a special issue of Seminars in Perinatology dedicated to climate change impacts on women and pregnancy. To download article, please click HERE. Climate change: Overview of risks to pregnant persons and their offspring Santosh Pandipati, Melanie Leong, Rupa Basu, David Abel, Sarena Hayer, Jeanne Conry Climate change is one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity. Pregnant persons, their unborn children, and offspring are particularly vulnerable, as evidenced by adverse perinatal ... October 23, 2023 Advocacy, General, Health Net, Healthcare, legislation, Public Health Climate Change, Environmental Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
HEALTH UPDATE: Resource for patients seeking continued opioid or benzodiazepine therapy HEALTH UPDATE from the Santa Clara Public Health Department, September 15, 2023 To: All Healthcare Providers From: Sarah Rudman, MD, MPH Deputy Public Health Officer And Akanksha Vaidya, MD, MPH Assistant Public Health Officer The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department recently learned of a large number of patients prescribed long-term opioid or benzodiazepine therapy who have lost access to their usual prescriber or are likely to lose access in the near future. When a patient treated with opioids or benzodiazepines suddenly loses access to prescribed medication, they are at risk of severe withdrawal and may seek illicit ... September 15, 2023 Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, General, Healthcare, Patient Care, Public Health Benzodiazepine, Opioid 0 0 Comment Read More »
HEALTH ADVISORY: Outbreak of Aeromonas skin infections associated with athletic event in Sonoma County On August 24, 2023, Sonoma County issued a Health Alert and Media Advisory regarding a Tough Mudder Endurance event that took place on August 19-20, 2023 in Sonoma, CA. Multiple event participants reportedly developed symptoms of rash, sometimes accompanied by fever, myalgias, nausea/vomiting or respiratory symptoms, often 24 hours after exposure to mud at the event. Culture results implicate a pan-sensitive Aeromonas species. Aeromonas species are Gram-negative rods that can cause a range of serious infections. Prompt evaluation of any symptomatic patients is strongly recommended, and empiric antibiotic treatment, ... August 29, 2023 General, Healthcare, Patient Care, Public Health aeromonas, health advisory, outbreak, rash, skin infection 0 0 Comment Read More »
