The Physician Leaders Forum—cosponsored by the Kansas Medical Society (KMS) and the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA)—was a no-cost virtual event bringing together Kansas physician leaders and fostering discussion regarding critical issues impacting health and health care in Kansas. The focus of this virtual event was physician resilience and wellbeing in a post-COVID environment. A recording of the event—held on June 29, 2021—is available here.
The Kansas Medical Society Professionals’ Health Program is hiring a full-time Clinical Case Manager. Under the direct supervision of the KMS PHP Program Director, this position provides appropriate activities/talks for intakes, intervention, support, treatment facility referral, monitoring of program participants with health related issues such as substance use disorders, mental and emotional health issues, and other issues resulting in PHP involvement. Applicant will meet with participants for monitoring with appropriate interaction to meet criteria set forth in KSBHA Professional Development Plans and Consent Orders.
The legislature will return May 26 for the official conclusion of the 2021 session, Sine Die, a traditionally ceremonial day albeit one that could entail some official business, such as votes to override vetoes.Otherwise, bills considered by the legislature this year have either expired or may carry over to next session. Following is a look back at the primary issues we were tracking this year and where things stand ahead of the 2022 session.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
The 2021 legislative session adjourned early Saturday morning, May 8th at nearly 2:00 a.m. During the final week of the session, the efforts to pass APRN legislation intensified considerably but, in the end, the legislature took no action on the issue. This late-session push for the APRN bill was for all practical purposes taken over and controlled by staff and lobbyists for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity. The two business groups wanted legislative leaders to circumvent the normal legislative process rules in order to pass an APRN bill even though such legislation had not been passed by either health committee nor debated on the floor of the House or Senate during the prior four months of the regular legislative session.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
As we reported last week, the legislature will return May 3 for a brief wrap-up session to complete work on bills awaiting final action, including legislation authorizing the independent practice of medicine and surgery by APRNs.
In recent weeks, legislators have been receiving hundreds of emails in support of the APRN issue in a statewide advocacy campaign conducted by Americans for Prosperity and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. These business groups contend that physician-directed collaborative practice agreements are nothing more than unnecessary “permission slips,” which create access to care problems depriving Kansans of basic health care, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. Although no new APRN bill has surfaced yet, we expect one will be introduced as soon as the legislature returns.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
The Legislature reached first adjournment Friday and began a three week legislative break. They will return on May 3 for a brief, perhaps week-long wrap-up session to complete work on bills awaiting final action, as well as omnibus budget measures.
In the past couple of weeks—despite not having been passed by either the Senate or House Health Committee—efforts have intensified to pass some form of the APRN independent practice legislation, as an amendment to an unrelated bill now working through the process of reconciliation for consideration in the wrap-up session. Though our efforts have thus far stopped this issue from advancing before first adjournment, the work is not truly conclusive until the legislature completes its work in the first week of May.
New Kansas Emergency Management Act signed into law
This week, Gov. Kelly signed into law the updated Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA). The law extends the state of disaster declaration for COVID-19 through May 28, 2021, and gives the governor limited authority to issue executive orders in response to the ongoing pandemic. The new KEMA law revokes the governor’s current executive orders (which were set to expire on March 31), while allowing the governor to re-issue such orders via certain processes. The governor said this week that she intends to re-issue several executive orders, including one requiring face masks in most public places and in outdoor settings where adequate social distance cannot be maintained. She also said that this order would apply to all counties that opted out of the previous face mask order. Legislative leadership responded saying it would oppose such a mask mandate; under the new KEMA law, the legislature has the authority to rescind such executive orders.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
With Friday’s adjournment, the Legislature has passed its first major deadline of the session, when most bills need to have been approved by at least one chamber. After a short break, legislators will have about three weeks to further consider bills that are still alive this session. After the next deadline on March 31, typically only those bills that have fully moved through both chambers (as well as exempt bills, such as a budget bill) will be eligible for passage this session.
Given that timeline, here is the status of some of the bills we have been involved with this session.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
I’d like to preface this week’s update by noting that this is among the rare times that we are calling all KMS members to action—that is, to send a brief note to one or more legislators as suggested below. But first, I will give you the context from recent developments in the legislature.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
This week, three bills proposing to allow nonphysician practice of medicine were made public, two of which have hearings scheduled for next week.
House 2256 and Senate Bill 174 seek to remove the requirement for a collaborative practice agreement between an APRN and a physician, where the former seeks to treat patients independently with no statutory limits on their scope of practice. Currently the bills are scheduled for hearings on 2/17 in House Health and Human Services and on 2/18 in Senate Public Health and Welfare (note: it is possible one or both of these hearings will be delayed). We plan to testify in opposition to both. Live streams of all House and Senate health committee meetings are available on YouTube (under “Upcoming live streams”).
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
Since our last update, several proposals have emerged in the legislature that may implicate the practice of medicine in Kansas.
First, you have likely seen in recent news reports that Gov. Kelly plans to again support a bill to expand Medicaid, but this time by tying the proposal to passing a medical marijuana bill and using tax revenue from marijuana sales to cover the state cost for expanding Medicaid. Although a specific bill(s) has yet to be introduced, for Kansas physicians and other proponents of Medicaid expansion, this approach may prove to be problematic. Clearly it is critical that Kansans have access to care—and therefore KMS has always supported Medicaid expansion—however, we oppose medical marijuana, while it remains unapproved by the FDA.
Legislative update from KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
Just two weeks in to the 2021 legislative session and it is already unlike any before it. Within the first week, committees were meeting on priority issues, racing against what some have taken to calling the “COVID clock” — acknowledging the likelihood of legislators’ increased exposure to COVID-19 with each passing day under the dome. In addition to their constitutional duty to pass a budget funding state programs by the end of June, top legislative leaders identified two other priorities.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
While calendars bring new activities and resolutions, they rarely alter the challenges and opportunities before us as a mere matter of a date in time. And so, while we bid a hearty adieu to 2020, we greet 2021 with informed perspective and expectations for what might lie ahead. The medical community—and the world at large—has weathered much these last nine months and, like the rest of the globe, has been wearied by the experience and seeks hope of brighter days on the horizon.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
Circumstances in our professional and day-to-day lives continue to change, perhaps more rapidly now than previously in the pandemic. The Kansas Legislature is, of course, affected by these circumstances as well, and is currently considering potential new approaches to their process—as well as a significantly revised schedule—to their work for the upcoming session. While we are in close communication with legislative leadership, it is too early to predict what shape their plans may take.
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
The pandemic environment continues to evolve and, in many Kansas communities, COVID-19 infections are on the rise more than ever. KMS continues to work closely with state and federal leaders to gather and disseminate pertinent information and resources for you and your patients.
With FDA approval of the first vaccines this week, there is naturally heightened interest in how and when vaccinations will become available across Kansas. We know that many of you are getting questions from patients for which you do not yet have answers. Likewise, we know you want to ensure that you and your staff members can be vaccinated as soon as possible, so that you can provide the safest possible care for your patients.
CDC announces codes for COVID-19-related conditions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced six new ICD-10-CM codes to track conditions related to COVID-19. The new codes are intended to track: COVID-19 screenings; potential exposure to COVID-19; personal history of COVID-19; multi-system inflammatory syndrome; other systemic involvement of connective tissue; and pneumonia due to COVID-19. The codes will become effective Jan. 1, 2021. Full information is available here.
As we continue to face challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, KMS seeks to support our membership with a variety of resources. The Federation of State Professionals’ Health Programs (PHP) and the KMS PHP has compiled the following list of free resources available that will hopefully assist you in maintaining your own health. If you need additional resources or emotional support, the KMS PHP staff can be reached 24 hours a day at (785) 235-2383.
