Posted September 21, 2020
Yesterday, KMA, the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky launched a new public health campaign aimed at encouraging Kentuckians to schedule well-visits with their physician and update their immunizations to maintain optimal health.
“Raise Your Guard, KY” was announced by Gov. Beshear during his 4pm press conference on Thursday with a video that included incoming KMA President Dale Toney, M.D., Falls City Medical Society President Lewis Hargett, M.D., Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky Medical Director Jeff Reynolds, M.D., Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky President and CEO Ben Chandler, and Kentucky Public Health Department Director of Health Equity Vivian Lasley-Bibbs. The video also includes a message of support from Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. The full video can be viewed here.
In addition to the video, Raise Your Guard, KY has created a website, www.RaiseYourGuardKY.org (www.levantalaguardiaky.org), with resources and information on vaccinations and a link to KMA’s Physician Finder tool. Information on the website is also available in Spanish. The statewide campaign coincides with Immunization Awareness Month and will feature billboards, advertisements on radio and streaming services such as Hulu and Crackle, as well as targeted social media ads in areas of the state where there has been a drop in vaccination rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint press release on the campaign is available here.
KMA members are encouraged to share the campaign on social media using “#RaiseYourGuardKY.”
Click here for an overview of the campaign.
Final KMA Virtual Annual Meeting Town Hall Event, “The Future of Medicine for the Emerging Physician” Tomorrow; “Meet the Mandates” Begins Aug. 28
The final virtual town hall event offered as part of the KMA’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting will be held tomorrow, Aug. 22, from 12-1:30 p.m. ET. “The Future of Medicine for the Emerging Physician” will discuss changes to patient care including access and engagement and financial/business considerations post COVID-19. Panelists will include medical students, practicing physicians and representatives from the legal and business world. Registration is still available here.
Next weekend, the KMA Annual Meeting will host its “Meet the Mandates” events for the first time in a virtual setting, during which physicians can receive all of their mandated CME before the end of the three-year cycle. Presented in partnership with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, Meet the Mandates will kick off on Friday, Aug. 28 with Domestic Violence Education and Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma. On Saturday, Aug. 29, participants can take part in Clinical Considerations of Substance Abuse and Critical Components of Proper Prescribing (House Bill 1). The KMA gratefully acknowledges the unrestricted educational grant from the FSMB Foundation in the amount of $10,000 to support this activity.
More information and the full schedule for Meet the Mandates is available here.
KMA Physical Education and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee Provides Clinical Information to KHSAA
The KMA Physical Education and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee provided clinical information to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) Board of Control this week regarding return to play for fall sports. The document, available here, pertains only to physicians who may evaluate and treat student-athletes diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and is based on a number of clinical resources.
Mandatory Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances
Kentucky Revised Statute 218A.182, passed by the General Assembly in 2019, mandates the electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) in Kentucky effective January 1, 2021. The Kentucky mandate is similar to the federal Medicare Part D EPCS mandate effective January 1, 2021, but applies to all controlled substances prescribed in Kentucky, regardless of payer.
Some controlled substance prescriptions will be exempt from the Kentucky EPCS mandate. The complete list of exceptions is found in KRS 218A.182. Examples include:
- Prescriptions issued by veterinarians
- Prescriptions issued for hospice patients or residents of a nursing facility
- Prescriptions issued during a temporary technological or electrical failure
- Prescriptions issued for extemporaneous compounding
- Prescriptions issued by practitioners who have received a temporary EPCS waiver from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS)
A practitioner who is unable to comply with the EPCS mandate may petition the cabinet for a temporary waiver based on:
- Economic hardship
- Technological limitations outside the practitioner’s control
- Other exceptional circumstances
Practitioners who wish to seek an initial temporary waiver must submit a completed Temporary Exemption Form to the cabinet no later than November 1, 2020.
Additional information regarding EPCS prescription requirements and temporary waivers are available in Kentucky Administrative Regulation 902 KAR 55:130 and on the CHFS-OIG Drug Enforcement website.
If you have an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system that is not currently EPCS certified, you should contact your EHR vendor as soon as possible to determine how to implement EPCS. If you prescribe controlled substances in Kentucky, please take the appropriate steps now to ensure compliance with the Kentucky EPCS mandate. Failure to do so may result in penalties, including licensure board referral and fines.
More information is available here.
Kentucky Department for Public Health COVID-19 Webinar
The Kentucky Department for Public Health will present its next update clinical/public health update on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in Kentucky on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.
The presentation will give a brief update on the current COVID-19 situation in Kentucky and will focus on the recent Clinician Reporting Guidance, the Laboratory Reporting Guidance, antigen and saliva testing.
Registration is available here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5071350457609345808. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
