Posted November 19, 2020 Earlier this year, the KMA Physical Education and Medical Aspects of Sports Committee (Sports Committee) provided clinical information to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) regarding return to play for fall sports. Since that time, the KHSAA, in consultation with the Sports Committee, has also developed the “KHSAA COVID-19 Return to Play Form” that student athletes must have completed by a physician prior to returning to competition following a COVID infection. As fall sports enter

Posted November 10, 2020 Dr. Dale Toney Op-Ed in Northern Kentucky Tribune Insurance plays a vital role for everyone in our health care system, whether you’re enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, an employer-sponsored plan or one off the marketplace. But what happens if insurers refuse to cover the vital services you need to manage your health and connect with your doctors? This has been a growing concern among patients and their physicians for years but has escalated as we continue to

Posted November 9, 2020 On Monday, drug maker Pfizer announced that an early analysis of its COVID-19 vaccine trial was shown to be more than 90% effective in preventing the virus among trial volunteers who had not been previously infected. Pfizer developed the vaccine with German drugmaker BioNTech. Few details from its clinical trial were made public, but were based on the first formal review of the data by an outside panel of experts. The data was released by Pfizer

Uncertainty seems to be the name of the game these days. COVID-19 numbers rising – elections – financial markets going up and down.  Months of unknowns can make anyone stressed and weary, and as physicians, we certainly aren’t immune to those feelings, although sometimes it can be harder for us to acknowledge. As our KFMC President Shawn Jones, M.D. mentioned in his recent Herald-Leader interview regarding physician burnout, “We always are so good at putting other people first and the

LOUISVILLE, Ky., November 2, 2020 – African-Americans and other persons of color in Kentucky and across the country have experienced significant and disproportionate incidence and deaths related to the novel coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic African-Americans and Hispanic or Latino people are both about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people. The Kentucky Medical Association (KMA), the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the University of Kentucky College of Public Health

Posted October 26, 2020 Yesterday, Gov. Beshear announced that Kentucky had reached a total of 97,866 cases of COVID-19, with 953 positive cases added on Monday. The state’s positivity rate also increased to 5.84 percent after hovering around 5 percent for almost two months. Gov. Beshear also made recommendations to counties that were classified as being in the “red zone,” meaning their rate of positive COVID-19 cases reached 25 per 100,000 people or higher per day. The governor said if

LOUISVILLE, Ky., October 26, 2020 – Schools in 101 districts and 51 state operated technology centers across Kentucky are displaying a total of nearly 12,000 metal signs and window or door stickers announcing that their campuses are tobacco-free, thanks to a partnership among the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky (FHKy), the Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) and the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care (KFMC). The Tobacco-Free for Students partnership provided the free signs, as well as more than 20,000 policy change announcement

Official CMS news from the Medicare Learning Network(R) New recoupment terms allow providers and suppliers one additional year to start loan payments CMS announced amended terms for payments issued under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program as required by recent action by President Trump and Congress. This Medicare loan program allows CMS to make advance payments to providers, which are typically used in emergency situations. Under the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act, repayment will now begin

David Bensema, MD, MBA, is a Past-President of the KMA.  He currently serves as KMA Budget Committee Chair and serves on the American Medical Association (AMA) Governance & Finance Committee.  For more information on the White Coat Investor, go to www.whitecoatinvestor.com. KMA offers unbiased basic financial planning seminars to medical students and residents. Last year, a residency director complimented this training at a KMA Board of Trustees meeting and when he did, heads around the table shook and more than

My first few weeks serving as President of the KMA certainly got off to a running start. I was proud to begin my year by representing Kentucky physicians as part of the KMA and KFMC’s public health campaign, “Raise Your Guard, KY,” in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky. Raise Your Guard, KY encourages Kentuckians to see their physician for well-visits and to update their vaccinations in an effort