Thought Leadership Resource Center for Physicians
Physician Thought Leadership Resource Center
Part of our role as a professional medical society is to be a resource provider for our members. We are fortunate to have created partnerships and alliances with organizations that seek to provide educational and support materials that can be support of our member’s efforts to provide the best in care to their clients. We encourage our members to engage with the content presented here and reach out to the providers should they wish more information and support.
Click the arrows next to each category to learn more.
Asset Strategy Consultants and MSDC have partnered to offer enhanced financial wellness options for physicians and their practices. Individual physicians can speak with an ASC advisor to help plan for their long term goals. You can also speak with MSDC or ASC on how your practice can join the MSDC PEP 401k plan, to help your employees affordably plan for retirement. Click here to lean more about the MSDC Pooled Employer 401k Plan.
MSDC, the Healthy Physician Foundation, and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) are partnering to bring you more CME and content on the growing topic of lifestyle medicine. These interactive courses, done by experts, allow you to meet CME requirements, including in some cases the DC required public health courses.
When you use the MSDC link above to take one of these courses, a portion of the fees will go to support the Healthy Physician Foundation. The Foundation will use this money to support physician wellness, including lifestyle medicine training.
DACS provides support to primary care and specialty prescribers in addressing the needs of their patients with substance use disorders and chronic pain
management. All services are free and include:
- Phone consultation for clinical questions provided by expert addiction medicine specialists
- Education and training opportunities related to substance use disorders and chronic pain management
- Assistance in the identification of substance use and behavioral health resources and referrals that meet the needs of the patients in your community.
Funding for DACS is provided by The District of Columbia Government, DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA), Pharmaceutical Control Division (PCD). DACS is administered by the University of Maryland School of Medicine staff and faculty.>
Rx4Miracles
can help relieve the “sticker shock” your patients feel each time they pay for a prescription. The Rx4Miracles Prescription Savings Card provides savings for both brand and generic medications, requires no enrollment, no income requirements
and is open to everyone. Rx4Miracles also generates funds which go back to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to support their efforts to improve and change pediatric healthcare and its impact on kids, families, and communities.
Funds granted through our partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals help deliver specialized care, critical research, equipment, and resources necessary for hospital teams to provide life-saving care to the children
in our community.
Rx4Miracles helps uninsured and underinsured individuals afford their prescription medications. However, Rx4Miracles can also be used by individuals who have health insurance coverage with no prescription
benefits, which is common in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans. Additionally, individuals who have prescription coverage can use Rx4Miracles for non-covered medications.
In collaboration
with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals we are working to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible.
Savings for you. Funds for them.
Click here to view a flyer with information.
Creating a future where disease is a thing of the past.We are Janssen, the Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson. We are focused on treating and preventing some of the most complex and devastating diseases of our time in oncology, immunology, neuroscience, infectious diseases & vaccines, cardiovascular & metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension. We pursue the most promising science, wherever it might be found. Learn more at www.janssen.com.
Atlantic Health Partners is MSDC's vaccine buying partner to support member immunization efforts. AHP offers most
favorable vaccine prices, terms, and purchasing support. For information about the program please contact Jeff or Cindy at 800-741-2044 or info@atlantichealthpartners.com
www.atlantichealthpartners.com
Thought leadership articles
Suicide Prevention Resources for At-Risk Patients
Content provided by UnitedHealthcare Community & State District of Columbia
September is Suicide Prevention month, and the District Dual Choice Program has a wide range of resources available to aid enrollees during these difficult times including a 24/7 Nurse Line. Even though suicide is not classified as a mental illness, most often mental illness is the leading cause of suicide. Mental illnesses such as substance abuse disorders, depression, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia have all been linked to suicide.
Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental health issues each year. (1) In fact, 1 in 5 older adults over age 55 has some type of mental health concern.(2) For dual-eligible individuals (people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare) the problem is even bigger. For example, did you know that:
- 41% of dual eligible individuals have at least one mental condition (3)
- Nearly half of the under-65 dual-eligible population have severe mental disorders (4)
Dual eligibles are also more likely to have serious long-term health problems compared to those who have either just Medicare or just Medicaid.(5) That includes diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease.
What’s more, dual eligibles have to navigate both the Medicaid and Medicare health care programs. This can make it harder for them to find their way and get care and support services they may need. That’s where a dual-eligible health plan can help.
So how can the District Dual Choice Program help individuals who are in need of behavioral help assistance? Behavioral health is as important as physical health. That’s why behavioral health services (also called mental health services) is one of the many extra benefits that are included with most dual-eligible health plans from UnitedHealthcare.*
Dual health plans (also called Dual Special Needs Plans or D-SNPs) are a type of Medicare plan. They’re for people who have both Medicaid and Medicare. Dual health plans can help simplify care and help make life easier for dual-eligible enrollees.
Many people who are dually eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare have serious, ongoing health conditions. They may need to see a number of different doctors and specialists. That could also include therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, or other behavioral health doctors to help with mental health challenges.
A dual-eligible health plan can make it easier to manage a wide variety of care providers. Dual health plans can help you find a psychiatrist or other mental health provider near you. If necessary, dual plans can help coordinate mental health and substance use disorder treatment services with physical health care services. It takes a lot of time and effort juggling multiple appointments, plus all the paperwork from Medicaid and Medicare. A dual health plan can help keep everything straight.
For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare.
1 National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Health By the Numbers. Last updated March, 2021. Accessed September 15, 2021.
2 https://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/mental_health.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America Issue Brief 1: What Do the Data Tell Us? Atlanta, GA: National Association of Chronic Disease Directors; 2008. Accessed September 15, 2021.
3 https://www.cms.gov/files/document/reporttocongressmmco.pdf FY 2020 Report to Congress. Accessed September 15, 2021.
4 Justice in Aging, Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Dual Eligibles: An Opportunity for Advocates Denny Chan May 24, 2016. Accessed September 15, 2021.
5 https://www.cms.gov/files/document/reporttocongressmmco.pdf FY 2020 Report to Congress. Accessed September 15, 2021
6 Not all medical conditions can be treated through telehealth. The telehealth doctor will identify if you need to see an in-person doctor for treatment.
*Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/area. Limitations and exclusions apply.