Health Officer issues smoke advisory from Holy Fire San Bernardino County Health Officer Dr. Maxwell Ohikhuare advises county residents with sensitive health conditions who live near areas affected by the Holy Fire to stay alert to changing smoke levels and be prepared to act accordingly. The Holy Fire is burning to the east of Trabuco Canyon near the border of Orange County and Riverside County within the Cleveland National Forest. Although the fire is burning in surrounding counties, conditions may bring smoke into portions of San Bernardino County. Smoky conditions can be hazardous for young children, the elderly, individuals ... August 8, 2018 General, Press Releases Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
2017 MIPS performance scores and 2019 payment adjustments now available Physicians can now log in to the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) website to view their final 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance scores and payment adjustment information for the 2019 payment year. It is important to note the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not be sending out letters this year, so physicians are encouraged to log into the QPP website to learn about any payment adjustments they will receive in 2019. Physicians should be aware that the MIPS payment adjustment is required to be budget neutral. That means ... July 23, 2018 Medicare MACRA, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
First infant death from Pertussis (whooping cough) confirmed News from the Department of Public Health San Bernardino County www.sbcounty.gov For Immediate Release July 17, 2018 Contact: Lana Cao Public Health Information Officer San Bernardino County Department of Public Health Phone: 909.387.9147 Email: Lana.Cao@dph.sbcounty.gov First infant death from Pertussis (whooping cough) confirmed Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has claimed the life of a San Bernardino County infant less than six months of age. This is the first confirmed death from the disease in California since 2016. “This infant’s death is a tragedy for the family and our community. My sincerest condolences are extended to the family at this difficult time,” ... July 17, 2018 General, Press Releases Immunizations, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Leading health organizations announce filing of statewide soda tax measure for 2020 Today, a ballot measure to protect public health through a state soda tax was filed for the 2020 ballot by two of California’s leading health care provider organizations – the California Medical Association (CMA), representing 43,000 California physicians, and the California Dental Association (CDA), representing 27,000 California dentists. This announcement comes four days after the multi-billion-dollar soda industry held the state of California hostage with a dangerous ballot threat that jeopardized the fiscal outlook of local governments, forcing the state to pre-empt local authority and pass an unprecedented 12-year moratorium ... July 11, 2018 CMA, General Political Advocacy, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
CDPH revises guidance on Parkinson's reporting requirements Effective July 1, 2018, physicians and licensed independent practitioners will be required to report cases of Parkinson’s disease to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Licensed independent practitioners holding the following credentials who diagnose or treat Parkinson’s disease patients are required to report: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.), Physician’s Assistant (P.A.), and Nurse Practitioner (N.P.). All providers required to report must first register with CDPH through the designated gateway at https://hie.cdph.ca.gov/. In April, CDPH issued details about how health care providers can comply with the reporting ... July 11, 2018 General Department of Public Health, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Take the #MoveWithHeart pledge This American Heart Month, the California Medical Association is joining the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in a national pledge to #MoveWithHeart. We invite you to submit a pledge by recording a video of yourself and upload it to Twitter or Instagram using #MoveWithHeart or go to www.MoveWithHeartPledge.com. Participate in just three simple steps: Record a short video of yourself saying “I pledge to move more for my heart health.” Share it on Twitter or Instagram using #MoveWithHeart. Challenge friends ... February 5, 2018 General Cardiology, Heart Health, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
February is Heart Month: Help spread the word Did you know that 1,458,000 people in California have coronary heart disease? Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it is largely preventable and there are many things your patients can do to reduce their risk. To mark the start of this year’s #HeartMonth, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and its The Heart Truth program have developed a toolkit to help raise awareness about heart disease. The toolkit contains educational materials to use in your practice and your community, social media ... February 5, 2018 General Cardiology, Heart Health, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Save the date for the 2018 California Immunization Coalition Summit The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) will be hosting its annual Summit April 16-17, 2018, at the Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento. The summit theme will be Onward and Upward and will focus on utilizing public health successes to engage with new partners, grow the coalition network, and educate and support local communities. The CIC is a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to achieving and maintaining full immunization protection for all Californians to promote health and prevent serious illness. For updates and registration, visit www.immunizeca.org/about/cic-summit. January 30, 2018 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
It's not too late to get a flu shot With widespread influenza activity in California, physicians are encouraged to remind patients that it’s not too late to get their flu shot. Although influenza season usually peaks between December and February, flu activity can occur as late as May. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to respond fully. Vaccine effectiveness does vary for the different strains and year by year. Vaccination will still prevent infection in a large number of cases. If disease does occur after vaccination, the vaccine can reduce the severity of flu symptoms. An ... January 30, 2018 General Flu, Immunization, Influenza, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physicians: What YOU can do to help prevent gun violence The United States continues to struggle with an epidemic of firearm violence. Physicians are in a unique position to assess risk, provide education and change behaviors related to firearm violence, and they may also address this issue more broadly as a consumer safety and public health issue. The California Medical Association (CMA) recently convened the Firearm Violence Prevention Technical Advisory Committee, composed of physician experts. The committee performed a comprehensive review and analysis of existing CMA policy, epidemiological data and current scientific research and developed a CMA position statement on ... December 28, 2017 General Guns, Firearms, Public Health, Reporting Abuse/Violence 0 0 Comment Read More »
