SMCMA Physician

News in Brief

The SMCMA celebrated 113 years serving the medical community of San Mateo at the SMCMA Annual Meeting. Nearly 90 attendees were hosted at the elegant Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae. In addition to dinner, dancing with a live DJ, and awards, Dustin Cochran, CMA President, spoke on CMA’s upcoming legislative agenda.

The CMA & SMCMA have supported the physicians at Tulare Hospital with financial and legal assistance in a bitter legal battle over the self-governance rights of its medical staff. A settlement has officially been reached in favor of the medical staff.

Citing long-term medical and psychological effects, the SMCMA successfully pushed for a CMA resolution calling for a halt to the Trump administration’s separation of children from families at the border.

Along with a redesigned CMA website, CMA launched a rebrand for it and the 37 component organizations that make up the CMA. Each county has a new logo, as well, and SMCMA will be launching a revised website.

Following the lead of dozens of cities and counties across California, San Mateo County filed a lawsuit against the nation’s top three opioid distributors, claiming the companies are “reaping billions of dollars in profits while knowingly fueling” the opioid epidemic.

The California Department of Justice has certified the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) – California’s prescription drug monitoring database – is ready for statewide use. Effective October 2, 2018, physicians must consult CURES prior to prescribing Schedule II, III or IV controlled substances to a patient for the first time and at least once every four months thereafter if that substance remains part of the patient’s treatment.

In late May, the CMA killed Assembly Bill 3087 (Kalra) - a legislative proposal that would have created a commission of unelected political appointees empowered to arbitrarily cap rates for all health care services in all clinics, hospitals and physician practices in California. By unilaterally setting the price for all medical services, the bill would have eliminated the commercial health care market in California.

The CMA and other stakeholders worked closely with California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to reduce the administrative burden of reporting Parkinson’s disease by health care professionals. The California Parkinson’s Disease Registry collects data to measure the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s throughout California, providing more understanding to improve the lives of patients. The latest update dramatically narrows the breadth of data elements that providers must report to the Registry.

The SMCMA Board of Directors and staff met to develop a three-year strategic plan for the organization. The plan identifies four goal areas the SMCMA will work on between now and 2021. The plan focuses on: engaged membership, a strong voice for physicians, promoting health, and the strength of the SMCMA.

Leadership from the SMCMA recently supported SB 221 - Senator Scott Wiener’s bill which would ban firearm and ammunition sales at the Cow Palace. Firearm violence prevention is a priority for the SMCMA, and leadership feels this bill will improve public safety.