The AMA and 78 physician organizations are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to step back on a memo encouraging all VA medical facilities to let certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) practice without physician oversight during the COVID-19 national health emergency.

The issue goes beyond CRNAs, however. An April VA directive memorializes VA policy to let health professionals in 32 specialties practice across state lines and encourages facilities to allow health professionals to practice within the full scope of their license, registration or certification. The letter urges the VA to amend the directive to defer to state scope-of-practice laws.

“This combination in effect circumvents state scope of practice laws for the 32 health care professionals defined in the directive. Such a far-reaching expansion is overly broad, unnecessary and threatens the health and safety of patients within the VA system,” says the letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

Another new one this week for the AMA. The whole shebang.

The AMA and many other stakeholders in health care are urging Congress to rectify an apparent CARES Act drafting error that, if left unaddressed, could mean that entities receiving relief funds under the legislation might have to pay taxes on the money they got from the government.

Organizations representing nurses, dentists, hospitals, optometrists, physical therapists and hospices  joined the AMA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others in asking Congress “to clarify and correct” what they “believe are the unintentional tax consequences of policies meant to provide vital funding to health care providers through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) and other programs as part of the nation’s response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

My latest for the AMA. The whole shebang.

The AMA Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) Editorial Panel has adopted a new CPT code to report antigen testing of patients suspected of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The code joins other COVID-19 testing codes already approved by the CPT Editorial Panel, an independent body convened by the AMA that has the sole authority to expedite the review of proposed changes and additions to the CPT code set.

“The new CPT code for antigen testing to detect the coronavirus is the latest in a series of CPT codes developed in rapid response to the pandemic,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD. “Moving quickly during this crisis to meet the medical coding needs of the health care industry has enhanced the reporting of innovative tools now available to advance medicine’s overarching goals of reducing the COVID-19 disease burden, improving health outcomes and reducing long-term care costs.”

My latest for the AMA. The whole shebang.

Earlier this month, Susan R. Bailey, MD, became the third consecutive woman to hold the office of AMA president. Her early tenure has been eventful, and Dr. Bailey has already weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s groundbreaking decision protecting LGBTQ Americans from workplace discrimination, the need for continued vigilance against COVID-19, and more.

Dr. Bailey recently shared time to discuss her life in private practice and how the pandemic is shining a harsh new light on the administrative barriers and other obstacles that interfere with physicians’ ability to deliver high-quality care.

My latest for the AMA is a Q&A . The whole shebang.

The AMA is reminding American patients not to let their guard down on vigilance against the coronavirus as 21 states have reportedly seen upticks in the daily average number of new COVID-19 cases this week, compared with last week.

The seven-day average rose 92% in Alabama, for example. Other states seeing big increases in COVID-19 cases are Oregon (84% rise in seven-day average) and South Carolina, where the seven-day average rose 60%.

“In far too many states—in rural and urban locations—we are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases that could lead to further illness, deaths and other potentially dangerous impacts on health systems across the country,” said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, MD.

My latest for the AMA. The whole shebang.

 In a global pandemic that has demanded an all-hands-on-deck response, the AMA’s outstanding advocacy efforts have led to billions in emergency funding to help physician practices stay viable, secured broad telehealth expansion and telehealth payment parity, and much more.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMA has been the leading physician and patient ally—voicing recommendations to members for the president’s coronavirus task force, key congressional leaders and agency staff, state policymakers and private sector stakeholders.

In an interview with ReachMD, AMA Senior Vice President of Advocacy Todd Askew detailed the organization’s timely and effective action on personal protective equipment (PPE), diagnostic testing, the financial viability of physician practices during COVID-19, and health care inequities.

My latest for the AMA. The whole shebang.

The stress, anxiety and fear associated with COVID-19 job losses, stay-at-home orders and physical distancing requirements can contribute to a “hidden crisis” of intimate-partner violence, child abuse and elder abuse, AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, explained in an op-ed published by NBC News.

“As a psychiatrist who specializes in the mental health of children and adolescents, and in the impact of trauma on children and adults, I know that the likelihood of child abuse rises in tandem with stress. Losing a job, facing a health crisis, grieving the loss of a relative or friend—these and other stressors can increase the risk of domestic abuse,” wrote Dr. Harris.

My latest for the AMA. The whole shebang.