AAFP Virtual Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccines
Wednesday, December 16th at 6:00PM MST
With news on the COVID-19 pandemic changing seemingly every day, it can be difficult for family physicians to keep track of everything that’s happening – and in the next 10 days, the AAFP and other organizations will be delivering a burst of new information on the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines. For family physicians, one key meeting will be the AAFP’s special Virtual Town Hall, which will be held Dec. 16 from 6 – 7 p.m. MST to discuss issues related to the approval and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. All members are invited to participate. Learn more
and where to stream the meeting here.
Latest Edition of UAFP Journal Available Now
The bi-annual edition of the UAFP Journal should be arriving in your mailbox soon (if you haven't already received it). The journal is also available online here. Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting the articles from the Journal in the Weekly Beat and our social media channels. If you have an idea for an article in an upcoming edition, let us know.
E&M Summary Now Available
On December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, along with the CMS fact sheet. To help family physicians understand the changes, the AAFP has created a summary of the MPFS. The AAFP’s comments on the proposed final rule can be found in a September 28 letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. Your voice is still needed to protect primary care payment increases in the MPFS – speak out today to tell Congress that CMS must move forward with planned E/M changes on January 1 and urge them to pass legislation to provide relief from budget neutrality for all physicians.
The AAFP has recently joined a new coalition bringing together states, consumer and patient groups, and health care clinicians from across the country to launch Get Covered 2021, a new national initiative designed to help uninsured Americans enroll into health insurance and promote COVID-19 safe practices. “Get Covered” is a call to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID as well as encouraging family and friends to get health insurance. We encourage you to share this campaign on social media and
directly with your patients through email. A social media toolkit is available here and a draft email for your patients is available here.
Automated Case Investigation and Contact Tracing The Utah Department of Health and Utah’s local health departments are using a new automated case investigation and contact tracing program starting this month. This new program will help us reach people who have tested positive or been exposed to COVID-19 faster.
A public health worker will try to reach someone by phone after testing positive for COVID-19 or if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19. If the public health worker is unable to reach that person by phone, they may receive a text or email. The text or email will come from Utah public health contact tracing teams and include a link to a form which will ask them about where you they have been exposed to the virus and who else may be at risk for getting COVID-19.
UDOH COVID-19 Vaccination Information for ProvidersThe Utah Department of Health Immunization Program is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in supplying COVID-19 vaccine. The goal is to have enough COVID-19 vaccine for all people. The initial roll-out of the vaccine will be in limited supply and vaccination efforts may focus on those at highest risk for contracting COVID-19 or developing serious illness from COVID-19. The UDOH provider page includes the following information: - COVID-19 Provider Interest
- COVID-19 Provider Training
- COVID-19 Provider Forms
Sign Up for COVID-19 Vaccine NewslettersStay up to date with newsletters from the Utah Department of Health. Sign up for the newsletter at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine and make sure you scroll about 1/3 of the way down the page until you see the sign up (image below):
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