WELCOME GUEST DR. IRFANA ALI
Dr. David Doman host of Housecall, invites President of the Montgomery County Medical Society Dr. Irfana Ali to discuss the current function of the MCMS. To start it provides doctors, physician and ancillary support. Joining the Society signifies the physicians devotion to Montgomery County, their patients, and the residents. This is an additional commitment to the community. Another important function is that MCMS meets with legislatures on many issues that need to be raised. Like providing more accessed care by having some parity with Medicaid funding, that would allow more physicians to see Medicaid patients. MCMS function is also to provide primary care physicians an opportunity to assist the underserved areas. Another concern for MCMS is how prior authorization is so difficult for patients, and physicians to give the care to their patients as they want because of the prior authorization barrier. These are all issues the Montgomery County Medical Society advocates for with legislators.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ACCESSING THE VACCINES, TESTING, OR PROVIDING PHYSICIANS WITH SUPPLIES VISIT THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEDICINE SOCIETY, MONTGOMERYMEDICINE.ORG AND/OR THE CDC, CDC.GOV.
Don’t be scared to keep up with your regular annual doctors appointments or go to the doctors when sick. That includes keeping your children’s regular vaccine appointments as well. It is safe going to hospitals, urgent care centers, and physicians offices where safety precautions are being implemented. They are very careful about keeping people safe. Masks are being required and questionaries about Covid Symptoms are being conducted before a visit is scheduled. They may have you schedule a televisit if needed.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED
Many unvaccinated patients who Dr. Ali sees in her urgent care are scared because they know someone else who got the vaccine and became sick. Dr. Ali assures that the numbers are in the favor of people not getting sick, so there is no concrete reason to not get the vaccine. People who read misleading information are confused by all the non accurate information feed also by the people around them, who are also feeling the same. They become very reluctant and resistant to hearing the benefits of the vaccine. Dr. Ali hopes people stop distrusting the CDC and scientific community to keep everyone safe from Covid-19.
OTHER HEALTH CONCERNS
Dr. Ali believes Covid-19 will be like influenza, in that it may be seasonal, (more research is needed to determine this) and we will have to learn to live with it, in some form. We will have to go forward and be more cautious when we are sick, go to the hospital, physicians office, or a big venue with a high transmission of the virus. We will need to continue to wear masks at these times. Because of precautions like masks and gloves the flu is down, but still GET YOUR FLU VACCINE. I got mine! The flu is a serious illness and hospitals don’t need to be overrun by flu patients and have it create a double pandemic. Hospital and Urgent Care Centers are both experiencing staffing shortages and do not need added patients. The staff is also contracting Covid-19 and are out of work creating mass staffing shortages.
The pre-existing opioid crisis has gotten worse with the pandemic. The county has worked with the State Task Force that was created 5 years ago with MedChi, the statewide professional association for licensed physicians. They rolled out a statewide educational initiative for physicians with events, prescribing guidelines, screening tools for substance abuse, and how to use opioid alternatives. The task force has a relationship with Governor Hogan’s opioid operational command center. They have helped physicians understand how to use CRISP, the prescription drug monitoring program for Maryland.
National Capital Physicians Foundation (NCPF) supports causes which help the community and contributes to healthy lifestyles and well being. Created in 2016, the physicians wellbeing concept transitioned to one project supported by them. They envisioned having a greater impact on the community and recognized that needed a structure where there be educational and a charitable foundation that could take advantage of public and private grants that support outreach, education, research, and innovation.
The NCPF inaugural program is the Physicians’ Resource Network, which provides high-quality counseling, coaching, education and resources that support physician well-being, resilience and growth.
In addition 2022 foundation will take aim at health insurance literacy issues to support county residents, also as they navigate complicated insurance payment systems and expand its scope.
Watch this episode of Housecall below or on MMC’s YouTube channel and subscribe!