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 Celebrates 205 Years at 2022 Annual Meeting
MSDC members, guests, and DC leaders gathered at the AIA Courtyard and Event Center on Friday to celebrate the Society's annual meeting of members. The meeting coincided with the Society's founding over 205 years ago and took place less than one mile from the location where the Society's first leaders gathered to found MSDC.
The highlight of the event was the inauguration of Susanne Bathgate, MD, as the Society's 158th president. Dr. Bathgate becomes president of the Society at the conclusion of the meeting, and offered a forward-looking vision in her inaugural address. Dr. Bathgate offered a vision for the Society working towards protecting the patient/provider relationship from undue interference. As a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, she highlighted her own community's struggles against politicians as a guide for how physicians can be proactive in advocacy to promote good policy. She reiterated the Society's commitment to reforming prior authorization, reducing fatalities due to opioids, and other medically appropriate policies.
The business meeting began with special remarks from the Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia, the Honorable Phil Mendelson. The Council Chair encouraged the physicians present to remain involved in advocacy and share their perspectives before the Council.
MSDC President Dr. Kirsty Nevin then gave her presidential remarks. Dr. Nevin led the Society through a tumultuous year including the Omicron and B.A.5 COVID resurgences, Monkeypox, the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, and more. Dr. Nevin highlighted the Society's successes over the past year, including membership growth, an expanded Healthy Physician Foundation, the creation of a mentoring program, and increased activities both in-person and online. Dr. Nevin thanked Dr. Laurie Duncan, who is leaving the Board this year, and welcomed new Board members Drs. Klint Peebles and Meghan Schott. She also recognized the new President-Elect, Dr. Ashesh Patel.
A new addition to the business meeting was the special recognition and thanks to Councilmember Mary Cheh. CM Cheh is retiring from the Council after this session and has been a major advocate for better health in the District, leading the movement for better access to healthy foods, more affordable prescriptions, and integrating health into other DC priorities. In remarks to the audience, CM Cheh thanked the physician community and reflected on how she worked with physicians throughout her career.
Before and after the business meeting, attendees mixed and mingled in the lobby of the American Institute of Architects. Surrounded by glass, food, and beverage, attendees meet with colleagues, learned from sponsors, and participated in the Healthy Physician Foundation's online auction. In addition, the Early Career Physician Section held its first ever annual meeting within the MSDC meeting, and planned its activities for the next 12 months.
More information, pictures, and details about this event will be shared in the coming days.