4/15/2021 AMCNO Updates

                                                                                                                                     

 

An Introduction to the New AMCNO Board Members

The AMCNO Board of Directors will be officially transitioning to several new members.

Kristin Englund, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, will be installed as the new President, succeeding current AMCNO President Thomas E. Collins, MD.

Shirisha Avadhanula, MD, an endocrinologist at Lutheran Hospital, will serve in District 1. Eric Shapiro, MD, a gastroenterologist affiliated with University Hospital, will serve in District 2. Dr. Englund will serve in District 3.

Three physicians will serve as at-large members: Mary LaPlante, MD, an obstetrics and gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic; Marie Schaefer, MD, a sports medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic; and Jianguo Cheng, MD, a pain management physician at Cleveland Clinic.  

The AMCNO would like to warmly welcome all these new Board members, and we wholeheartedly thank our outgoing members, who served during an unprecedented time in our organization’s and world’s history.

Detailed articles about our new Board members will also be featured in our upcoming issue of the Northern Ohio Physician, so please be sure to be on the lookout for it!
 

What Physicians Need to Know about Information Blocking Rules

Last year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a rule implementing provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act, requiring physicians to comply with new regulations on the access, exchange and use of patients' electronic health information (EHI), according to the American Medical Association (AMA). Information blocking is defined as practices that are likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage the access, exchange or use of EHI.

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April Webinar Series - Intersecting Pandemics: The Opioid Epidemic and COVID -19

The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Siegal Lifelong Learning Program recently announced a free webinar series they are co-hosting for the month of April that will examine how COVID-19 has impacted the opioid crisis in Ohio.

Intersecting Pandemics: The Opioid Epidemic and COVID-19 will take place virtually on Tuesdays in April (6 – 27), from 10 am – noon.

Topics include:

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ravenel Richardson at [email protected].
 

The Center for Health Affairs Shares New COVID-19 Resources in Weekly Update

In the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases in Ohio, The Center for Health Affairs (CHA) recently shared safety protocol reminders and updated information related to the pandemic, including rescinded Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 orders, guidance for vaccine providers working with employers, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people, and CDC vaccine resources for providers.

The CHA also provided information about a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Webinar Series: “Respirators and Other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Health Care Personnel Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” It will be held Tuesday, April 27, at noon EST. Registration is not required, but more information can be found here. Previous webinars from this series, including slides and transcripts from each session, are also available on that FDA site.
 

AMA Provides COVID-19 Vaccine Script to Assist with Patient Inquiries

The American Medical Association (AMA) recently released a “COVID-19 Vaccine Script for Patient Inquiries.” The document was created to assist physicians and staff in responding to the expected high volume of patient calls about COVID-19 vaccinations. It can be modified as needed to reflect physicians’ practices and their community, county, and state circumstances.
 

April 24 is DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host its National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 24, from 10 am – 2 pm.

This semi-annual event provides Americans with an opportunity to help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths by properly disposing their unwanted, unused, or expired prescription medications in a safe manner.

Here is a list of participating collection sites in Ohio, and here is a list of permanent drop-box locations.

Visit the DEA’s Take Back Day website for more information about the program and for additional resources.