Summertime Legislative Update

By James Pickral
PSV Lobbyist

James Pickral

With the 2016 session of the General Assembly over, PSV has turned its attention to regulatory matters, work groups, and potential 2017 issues. Below are some of the things the society has been working on.

MSV Legislative Summit
PSV attended the MSV legislative summit where 22 items were presented for consideration. Dr. Susan Waller and Dr. Kent McDaniel attended on behalf of the Society. PSV submitted a proposal, presented by Dr. McDaniel, asking MSV to consider supporting legislation streamlining or abolishing the process known as “fail first” or “step therapy.” The family physicians introduced a similar proposal also. MSV is in the process of reviewing submissions and will make their decision in late June.

Civil Commitment
DBHDS has decided to reconstitute the Civil Commitment Work Group. PSV will be actively engaged in this process.

Deeds Commission
The Deeds Commission will continue its work over the course of the year. We expect several pieces of legislation to be introduced in the 2017 session of the General Assembly. We will continue to be heavily involved in the work of the Commission.

ER Care Coordination
We have been invited to participate in the ER Care Coordination Work Group which was mandated in the budget. Below is a description of the work group’s goals as laid out by the Department of Medical Assistance Services:
“The goals of this work group are to develop a statewide Emergency Department care coordination program for our 1.1 million Medicaid members with a focus on ED “super-utilizers;” to identify best practices for ED diversion; and to strengthen information exchange between hospitals, EDs, primary care providers, and behavioral health providers. Our work group will discuss options for implementation of an ED Information Exchange (EDIE) in Virginia and the interface with the HIE. This initiative aligns with DMAS priorities including the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Benefit, and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP).”

Telepsychiatry
telemedicine continues to be a focus of discussion among policy makers. We will continue to work on expanding the use of telemedicine to better serve our patients.

PSV will keep you up to date about all of the above as work progresses. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

[email protected] Phone: (804) 239-3579

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President: Susan J. Waller, MD, FAPA     President-Elect: Joseph Mason, MD, MSW     Secretary: Christopher P. Kogut, MD, FAPA, MSW     Treasurer: Stephen G. Cunningham, MD
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