tepsteel.com

 

March 16 2021 – With support from a $1 million community foundation grant, a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine neurologist will begin a study that provides genetic testing and counseling for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
 
 
The study – the only one of its kind in Florida – is offered in conjunction with the Parkinson’s Foundation, which recently launched “PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease,” a new national initiative. The goal of PD GENEration is to improve Parkinson’s care by accelerating and supporting research to advance improved treatments and personalized medicine.
 
“Our new study will provide patients and their physicians with personalized information about the genes associated with Parkinson’s disease,” said Carlos Singer, M.D., professor of neurology and founding director of the Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence of the University of Miami. “There are drugs in development that target these gene abnormalities, so the test helps advance the delivery of precision medicine for PD patients.”
 
Dr. Singer said Parkinson’s disease is associated with well-known genetic mutations found in about 10-15 percent of patients. The testing will focus on seven genes associated with PD, including some that can be dormant and passed down to future generations.
 
The study will be conducted via telemedicine and is for patients living in Broward County. In some cases, an in-person evaluation will be necessary, and patients will be seen at UHealth’s Fort Lauderdale and Plantation locations.  Participants need to have a diagnosis of PD, but can take part at any stage of the disease.
 
The study was made possible by a $1 million grant from the Sharron and Joseph Ashby Hubert Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward to support participation for Broward County residents. “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity shown by the Sharron and Joseph Ashby Hubert Fund of the Community Foundation of Broward to help us expand the PD GENEration program to better serve the Parkinson’s community in South Florida,” said John L. Lehr, president and CEO of the Parkinson’s Foundation. “This program will help people with PD better understand their diagnosis while improving Parkinson’s care by accelerating and supporting research.”
 
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence, one of 33 designated medical centers in the U.S. with a specialized Parkinson’s care team that practices the latest treatments and research while providing the best care. In addition to personalized treatments, deep brain stimulation, and clinical trials, the center provides UHealth PD patients and their families with support groups, educational symposiums and many other services.
 
“With such a high concentration of people with Parkinson’s in South Florida, we are proud to fuel this vital and necessary research with a landmark grant from the Sharron and Joseph Ashby Hubert Fund,” said Amanda Kah, charitable funds services manager at the Community Foundation of Broward. “This cutting-edge research could potentially c


http.dp.ua

MDVIP the Only National Primary Care Network to Earn Spot on Prestigious List 
 
March 16, 2021 — MDVIP, the market leader in personalized healthcare with a network of over 1,100 primary care physicians nationwide, has been honored by Fortune and Great Place to Work® as one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in Healthcare & Biopharma™. MDVIP is among 25 small & medium healthcare employers honored around the country and is the only national primary care network to earn a spot on this year’s list.
 
MDVIP’s national ranking is based on feedback from more than 825,000 employees working at healthcare and biopharma companies across the U.S. Employees anonymously answered over 60 questions addressing key performance indicators, including their experiences of trust, the company’s values and the effectiveness of company leadership.
 
“We are extremely proud of this recognition from Fortune and Great Place to Work®, which reflects the confidence and trust of our workforce and their shared commitment to MDVIP’s mission and purpose ‘to make healthier lives happen,’” said MDVIP Chairman and CEO Bret Jorgensen. “I’ve been inspired by the dedication and resilience of our employees during this past year of unprecedented challenges brought on by COVID-19. They adapted and pivoted quickly in every area of our business to provide essential support and resources to our network of primary care physicians and their staffs, who are working tirelessly on the frontlines of the pandemic response.”
 
Over the last 12 months, the company’s workforce assisted MDVIP-affiliated practices to implement new measures to ensure patients continued receiving the care they needed, including:
•Providing technology, insurance, legal & regulatory support for doctors to rapidly expand their telehealth services
•Hosting over 100 webinars for doctors to engage and educate their patients on COVID-19
•Supporting physician applications for, and procurement of, government support from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other relief initiatives
 
“Congratulations to MDVIP on its placement on the Best Workplaces in Healthcare & Biopharma™ list,” said Michael C. Bush, CEO Great Place to Work®. “All of us owe a debt to the doctors, nurses, scientists and other colleagues in the industry over the past year, and we are honored to recognize the organizations that have done right by these pandemic heroes, including the many people working behind the scenes to support them.”
 
MDVIP, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has been a Great Place to Work-Certified® company since 2018. In its most recent survey, over 90 percent of MDVIP employees said they have a consistently positive experience at the company.
 
The Fortune Best Workplaces in Healthcare & Biopharma™ list is published here: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/health-care/2021
 
About MDVIP
Based in Boca Raton, Florida, MDVIP leads the market in membership-based healthcare that goes far beyond concierge medicine services. With a national network of over 1,100 primary care physicians serving more than 350,000 patients, MDVIP is at the forefront of consumer-directed care. MDVIP-affiliated physicians limit the size of their practices, which affords them the time needed to provide patients with more individualized service and attention, including an annual, comprehensive preventive care program and customized wellness plan. Published research shows that the MDVIP primary care model identifies more patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, delivers more preventive health services, and saves the healthcare system millions of dollars through reduced hospitalizations and readmissions. In response to the growing consumer demand for a more personalized healthcare experience, hospital systems are incorporating the MDVIP model into their primary care offering. For more information, visit www.mdvip.com. Follow MDVIP on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
 
About the Fortune Best Workplaces in Healthcare & Biopharma™
Great Place to Work based its ranking on a data-driven methodology applied to confidential Trust Index™ survey representing over 825,000 employees working in the Healthcare & Biopharma industries in the United States. To learn more about Great Place to Work Certification and recognition on Best Workplaces lists published with Fortune, visit Greatplacetowork.com.
 
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Great Place to Work helps organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™. To learn more, visit greatplacetowork.com, listen to the podcast Better by Great Place to Work, and read A Great Place to Work for All. Join the community on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
 


medinua.com

 

March 16, 2021 – Head and neck oncologic surgeon Meghan Crawley, M.D., joins Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute. Dr. Crawley specializes in head and neck surgery and reconstruction. She has extensive experience in robotic surgical techniques and microvascular free tissue transfer for patients that need large reconstructions.
 
“I would like to welcome Dr. Crawley to our head and neck cancer team,” said Leonard Kalman, M.D., executive deputy director and chief medical officer at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute. “Her training in the latest surgical techniques, including restorative reconstruction, will make her a valuable asset to Miami Cancer Institute.”
 
Dr. Crawley joins Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where she completed a fellowship in head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstructive surgery.
 
Her research has been featured in several peer-reviewed publications, including Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, The Laryngoscope, Diabetes Care, Gastroenterology and the Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology.
 
In 2017, she was awarded the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s Humanitarian Travel Grant for mission work in Haiti. During this medical mission trip, Dr. Crawley treated patients with advanced thyroid disease and oral cavity tumors.
 
Dr. Crawley earned her medical degree from University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She completed her residency in head and neck surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and her fellowship in head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstructive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
 
She will see patients at Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute, located at 8900 North Kendall Drive in Miami.
 
About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals, more than 23,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.


 
March 15 2021 – Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is increasing the Medicare payment amount for administering the COVID-19 vaccine. This new and higher payment rate will support important actions taken by providers that are designed to increase the number of vaccines they can furnish each day, including establishing new or growing existing vaccination sites, conducting patient outreach and education, and hiring additional staff. At a time when vaccine supply is growing, CMS is supporting provider efforts to expand capacity and ensure that all Americans can be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
 
Effective for COVID-19 vaccines administered on or after March 15, 2021, the national average payment rate for physicians, hospitals, pharmacies and many other immunizers will be $40 to administer each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This represents an increase from approximately $28 to $40 for the administration of single-dose vaccines, and an increase from approximately $45 to $80 for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines requiring two doses. The exact payment rate for administration of each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will depend on the type of entity that furnishes the service and will be geographically adjusted based on where the service is furnished.  
 
These updates to the Medicare payment rate for COVID-19 vaccine administration reflect new information about the costs involved in administering the vaccine for different types of providers and suppliers, and the additional resources necessary to ensure the vaccine is administered safely and appropriately.
 
CMS is updating the set of toolkits for providers, states and insurers to help the health care system swiftly administer the vaccine with these new Medicare payment rates. These resources are designed to increase the number of providers that can administer the vaccine, ensure adequate payment for administering the vaccine to Medicare beneficiaries, and make it clear that no beneficiary, whether covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, should pay cost-sharing for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.
 
Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines
 
As a condition of receiving free COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government, vaccine providers are prohibited from charging patients any amount for administration of the vaccine. To ensure broad and consistent coverage across programs and payers, the toolkits have specific information for several programs, including:
 
Medicare: Beneficiaries with Medicare pay nothing for COVID-19 vaccines and there is no applicable copayment, coinsurance or deductible.
 
Medicare Advantage (MA): For calendar years 2020 and 2021, Medicare will pay providers directly for the COVID-19 vaccine (if they do not receive it for free) and its administration for beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans. MA plans are not responsible for paying providers to administer the vaccine to MA enrollees during this time. Like beneficiaries in Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage enrollees also pay no cost-sharing for COVID-19 vaccines.

Medicaid: State Medicaid and CHIP agencies must provide vaccine administration with no cost sharing for nearly all beneficiaries during the public health emergency (PHE) and at least one year after it ends. Through the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021, the COVID vaccine administration will be fully federally funded. The law also provides an expansion of individuals eligible for vaccine administration coverage. There will be more information provided in upcoming updates to the Medicaid toolkit at: https://www.medicaid.gov/state-resource-center/downloads/covid-19-vaccine-toolkit.pdf. 

Private Plans: CMS, along with the Departments of Labor and Treasury, is requiring that most private health plans and issuers cover the COVID-19 vaccine and its administration, both in-network and out-of-network, with no cost sharing during the public health emergency (PHE). Current regulations provide that out-of-network rates must be reasonable, as compared to prevailing market rates, and reference the Medicare reimbursement rates as a potential guideline for insurance companies. In light of CMS’s increased Medicare payment rates, CMS will expect commercial carriers to continue to ensure that their rates are reasonable in comparison to prevailing market rates.
 
Uninsured: For individuals who are uninsured, providers may submit claims for reimbursement for administering the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals without insurance through the Provider Relief Fund, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
 
More information on Medicare payment for COVID-19 vaccine administration – including a list of billing codes, payment allowances and effective dates – is available at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/covid-19/medicare-covid-19-vaccine-shot-payment.
 
More information regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Requirements, and how the COVID-19 vaccine is provided at 100% no cost to recipients is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccination-provider-support.html.
 
Information on the COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured Program is available at https://www.hrsa.gov/CovidUninsuredClaim.


The University of Miami will convene a national conversation on Wednesday, March 17, to address whether the inoculations must be compulsory and to discuss other related ethical considerations. 
 
WHAT: As the COVID-19 vaccines, now authorized for emergency use, seek final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the next few months, universities, colleges, health centers, and employers everywhere will likely grapple with the same questions: Should they mandate vaccinations? And if so, for who and how?
 
In an effort to inform the discussions on campuses and at academic health centers, the University of Miami will convene a national conversation on Wednesday, March 17, with a panel of renowned experts in public health, infectious diseases, and medical ethics who will address these and related concerns.  
 
Open to the University of Miami community, higher education leaders, and the general public, the hour-long virtual conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m. with remarks from University of Miami President Julio Frenk, the former minister of health of Mexico and former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It will close with remarks from Dr. Henri R. Ford, dean and chief academic officer for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who chairs the American College of Surgeons Committee on Ethics. 
 
Dr. Roy E. Weiss, the University’s chief medical officer for COVID-19 and chair of the Department of Medicine at the Miller School, will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by a live Q&A session. 
 
“This is a controversial topic, but once vaccines get full FDA approval we have to come to grips with a new reality,” Weiss said. “Do we make them mandatory? If so, for who? Just health care workers? The people who deal with students? Everybody? Would religious objections to mandatory vaccines override the good of society that says to get it? And what kind of response would we have for those who don’t comply?” 
 
WHO: Panelists for the discussion include: 
Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean and distinguished professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine 
Kenneth W. Goodman, founder and director of the Miller School’s Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, and director of the University’s Ethics Programs  
Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross, the Carolyn and Matthew Bucksbaum Professor of Clinical Ethics and associate director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago 
 
WHEN: Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. 
 
 
 
 
 
ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
 
The University of Miami is a private research university and academic health system with a distinct geographic capacity to connect institutions, individuals, and ideas across the hemisphere and around the world. The University’s vibrant and diverse academic community comprises 11 schools and colleges serving more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 180 majors and programs. Located within one of the most dynamic and multicultural cities in the world, the University is building new bridges across geographic, cultural, and intellectual borders, bringing a passion for scholarly excellence, a spirit of innovation, a respect for including and elevating diverse voices, and a commitment to tackling the challenges facing our world.