Government Banned from Requiring Proof of Vaccination
Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order banning the government from mandating residents to provide proof of vaccination. The order bars state and local agencies and jurisdictions from requiring residents to provide a “vaccine passport” in any setting.
The Governor clarified that he strongly encourages Arizonans to get vaccinated, but does not feel that it is the role of the state to mandate vaccination.
“The residents of our state should not be required by the government to share their private medical information.”
Governor Doug Ducey
Private businesses, health care centers, daycares, and schools are exempt from the order however, any business that is in contract with the state is held to the order.
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Read MoreArMA Joins Physician Organizations in Asking for Veto of SB1456
Last week, the Arizona Medical Association joined the Arizona chapter of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AZ-ACOG), the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AZ-AAP) in asking Governor Ducey to veto SB1456.
The bill prohibits comprehensive, age appropriate, medically accurate sex education for Arizona children. Creating access to medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education by using an evidence-based curriculum and reducing sociodemographic disparities in its receipt remains a primary goal for improving the well-being of teenagers and young adults.
The letter prompts Governor Ducey to veto the bill, calling on the importance of sexual education and outlining what an effective program would entail:
“Sexuality education should begin in early childhood and continue through a person’s lifespan… Programs should not only focus on reproductive development prevention of STIs/HIV, and unintended pregnancy, but also teach about forms of sexual expression, gender identity, healthy sexual and nonsexual relationships, communication, recognizing and preventing sexual violence, consent, and decision making. They also should include state-specific legal ramifications of sexual behavior and the growing risks of sharing information online.”
Letter to Governor Ducey
SB1456 impedes access to this important education and is therefore harmful to an adolescents/student’s health. Further, it promotes curriculum that excludes LGBTQ+ students, which contributes to an unsafe school environment. Click here to read the letter.
Read MoreApply Now: CMS Primary Care First Model
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are now accepting applications for the 2021 Cohort of the Primary Care First Model (PCF). PCF is open to medical practices that provide primary care services in 26 regions across the country, including Arizona, with an application deadline of April 31, 2021. PCF is a set of voluntary alternative five-year payment options that reward value and quality by offering an innovative payment structure to support the delivery of advanced primary care. PCF is founded on the principles of the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model design: prioritizing the doctor-patient relationship; enhancing care for patients with complex chronic needs, and focusing financial incentives on improved health outcomes. Learn more about PCF on the CMS website here.
Physicians considering applying for the PCF model to start in 2022 are also invited to register now for a webinar to be offered Tuesday, April 13, from 4-5PM PST by the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the CMS Innovation Center. The live webinar will allow participants to hear from CMS and medical society experts about the model and how participation could affect their practice revenues. Additional details, including the request for applications, a map of the 26 regions, and lists of the practices and other payors that are participating as part of the 2021 cohort are available on the CMS Primary Care First website.
Read MoreArMA’s Third Priority Bill Reaches the Ninth Floor
After a long and uphill battle, SB1377 received final approval from both chambers and is on the Governor’s desk. This bill protects physicians and their practices from frivolous lawsuits arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, by codifying that a healthcare professional or institution is not liable for an act or omission arising from providing services related to the pandemic unless it can be shown by clear and convincing evidence that the act or failure to act was the result of willful misconduct or gross negligence. The legislation was touted by the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) as a way to say “thank you” to the extraordinary efforts of so many who are serving as healthcare heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and legislators responded. When signed, it will make the Governor’s Good Samaritan Executive Order the law of the land regardless of the potential end to the public health emergency.
This is the third ArMA priority to make it to the Governor’s desk this year, and great news for Arizona physicians!
Senate Extends Medicare Sequester Moratorium
Last week, the Senate voted to pass an agreement reached by Leaders Schumer and McConnell to extend the two percent Medicare sequester moratorium that would have expired on April 1. The bipartisan legislation will provide a nine-month extension of the moratorium, through December 31. It also contains some technical corrections related to rural health clinics and disproportionate share hospitals.
The House of Representatives passed different legislation earlier that would both extend the moratorium through the end of the pandemic and eliminate an additional four percent Medicare sequester scheduled to take effect on January 1, which was required by PayGo rules to offset part of the cost of passing the American Rescue Plan COVID-19 stimulus package. Consequently, the House will need to pass the Senate language when it returns from its Easter recess in mid-April. The House is expected to vote favorably, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expected to hold off on processing April claims until then to avoid making reduced payments.
Read MoreExecutive Order Eases COVID-19 Restrictions; Arizona Medical Association Responds
On Thursday, March 25, 2021, Governor Ducey announced a new phase of COVID-19 mitigation for Arizona and issued an Executive Order. The order does several things, including:
- Events with 50 people or more will no longer need the approval of local governments.
- The business guidance will transition from requirements to recommendations. Businesses may continue requiring masks, social distancing, and other requirements, but only if they choose to do so.
- Bars will be able to resume regular operations.
- Local mask mandates are eliminated, with the exception of government buildings and public transportation.
According to the Governor’s press release, the decision was made due to the increasing vaccination rates (over 3 million doses administered to date), ten weeks of declining case counts, and hospitalization rates at their lowest since September 2020.
The Arizona Medical Association acknowledges that throughout the state, we continue to see meaningful declines in cases and hospital occupancy, with the rate of vaccination continuing to rise. However, Arizona physicians want to remind everyone that while we are on the right path, we’re not out of the woods yet.
“Even with the relaxing of the restrictions, our responsibilities do not change,” stated Dr. Ross Goldberg, President of the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA). “Until we reach herd immunity, which is 70-85% of Arizonans fully vaccinated, we must continue to do what we know works to reduce the spread of COVID. That includes continuing to wear a mask in public and physically distancing from those outside your household. We have been pretty good at predicting surges in the past, and we ask everyone to do what they can to help us avoid another one. We are still responsible to each other.”
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Read MoreArMA Priority Bills Signed into Law
Two priority bills of the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) — both sponsored by ArMA member Rep. Amish Shah — were signed into law recently by Governor Ducey. HB2621, the ‘uniform form’ bill, has a delayed effective date in order for physicians and representatives from the health plans to develop the uniform form for prior authorization requests and will go into effect on January 1, 2022. HB2622, which extends nonretaliation protections to physicians and healthcare workers regardless of their employer, will go into effect on the general effective date, 91 days after the legislature adjourns sine die.
ArMA congratulates and thanks Dr. Amish Shah for being a champion for physicians and their patients in Arizona!
Read MoreCDC Ranks Arizona Third in Nation for Vaccine Coverage
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that looked at states’ effectiveness in vaccinating vulnerable populations ranked Arizona third in the nation. The report was conducted using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which is acknowledged nationally and uses several indicators including — but not limited to — age, minority status, and housing type.
Arizona is one of the few states where vaccine coverage in counties with high social vulnerability outweighed counties with low social vulnerability. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) has been conducting extensive outreach to underserved areas of Arizona in order to increase vaccine access. The department’s pilot program began in the Phoenix metro; ADHS volunteers canvassed underserved areas on foot, registering residents for vaccination and securing them transportation to vaccination site.
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