SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

News

Georgia medical marijuana licenses finally awarded; growing to begin
AJC
A final vote awarded Georgia medical marijuana production licenses to two companies Wednesday, a major step toward ending a seven-year delay that left registered patients with no way to legally buy the drug that they’re allowed to consume. | READ MORE

Judge denies U.S. bid to stop UnitedHealth plan to buy Change 
Reuters 
A U.S. judge on Monday denied the Justice Department's bid to stop UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) from buying Change Healthcare (CHNG.O), in a blow to the U.S. administration's tougher enforcement of antitrust issues. | READ MORE

Physician burnout higher in 2021 than 2020, study shows 
Healthcare Dive
Provider burnout was rampant before the COVID-19 pandemic, but multiple studies have shown the crisis is exacerbating the issues as physicians and nurses have had to face increased risk of harassment and violence on the job as well as staffing shortages. | READ MORE

Legal fight over $10B in Kentucky Medicaid contracts may be over, at last
Courier Journal
The fight over who gets to share in managing $10.7 billion worth of state Medicaid business appears to have been settled by the state Court of Appeals. | READ MORE

Monkeypox Updates

Georgia Department of Public Health has launched new updates for providers regarding Monkeypox. | READ MORE

MAG Reference Committee Nominations due MONDAY

Presidents and Executive Directors, we encourage you to nominate one or more of your members to serve on one or more of the following reference committees...

- Reference Committee A - Health Policy (Sunday, October 9)

- Reference Committee C&B - Constitution & Bylaws (Tuesday, October11)

- Reference Committee C - Legislation (Sunday, October 16)

- Reference Committee F - Finance (Tuesday, October 18) 

Please note that the reference committees for this year's HOD meeting will take place on a virtual basis to enable as many MAG members to particpate in our policymaking process as possible. 

Also, note that we are looking for nominations for candidates to serve as a teller or as a member of the Credential Committee.

Please click on the ‘Submit nominations’ link below to submit your nominations for one or more of the reference committees and for teller and the Credential Committee by the end of the day on Monday, September 26, 2022. SUBMIT NOMINATIONS

MAG Q3 Journal is now LIVE

The Medical Association of Georgia has launched the latest edition of the MAG Journal. | READ MORE

MAG House of Delegates

MAG House of Delegates Registration Open
The 2022 MAG House of Delegates, MAG's primary policy-making body, will meet this year at the Hyatt Regency Savannah from October 21-23. | READ MORE

MAG Call for Candidates: MAG to elect 2022-2023 Officers at HOD 

The Medical Association of Georgia will conduct the elections for its officers for 2022-203 during the House of Delegates meeting at the Hyatt Regency Savannah on Saturday, October 22. 

The HOD will elect MAG’s president-elect, secretary, treasurer, and second vice president. The HOD will also elect four American Medical Association (AMA) delegates and three AMA alternate delegates. The balance of MAG’s Board of Directors will be elected at the county and district levels.

MAG members who are interested in running for a MAG office should contact Deralyn Swilley at dswilley@mag.org or 678.303.9291. The only requirement to run for a MAG office is that the candidate must be a MAG member for the past two years.

The following is a list of the candidates who have announced their plans to run for a MAG office for 2021-2022:

President-Elect

• Michael Davidson Brown, MD, MBA, FCCP 
• Charles Wilmer, MD FACC FSCAI  

Second Vice President – Nydia Bladuell

Speaker – James W. Barber, M.D. 

Vice Speaker – John L. Sy, DO, MS, FACEP  

Treasurer – Randy F. Rizor MD 

AMA Delegate - John S. Antalis, M.D.

AMA Alternate Delegate - Shamie Das, M.D.

Their candidate letters can be viewed on the MAG HOD website here.

MAG President-elect Thomas Emerson, M.D., will be installed as MAG’s president for 2022-2023 on October 22.

MAG House of Delegates CME Event Preview

Active Shooter CME 

Today we live in a world where terrorism, the actions of unstable people, and the dangerous impulses of friends and relatives are very real and becoming increasingly more frequent. Massive bleeding from any cause, but particularly from an active shooter or explosive event where a response is delayed, can result in death. Attendees will learn how to act as an immediate responder and save lives. 

Emergency Cardiac Care CME 

According to the mission of the American Heart Association, Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) programs are intended to reduce disability and death from acute circulatory and respiratory emergencies, including stroke, by improving the chain of survival in every community and in every health care system. Attendees will learn to define the clinical scenarios requiring Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC), to explain how systems of care can increase survival in patients with Cardiac Emergencies, to depict how disparities in care can be ameliorated by initiating systems of care for Cardiac Emergencies, to delineate new treatments for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest, and discuss if it is time for a Nation-Wide system of ECC like Trauma and Stroke Centers.

GAMPAC Events