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Legislative News |
2015 Retirements and Elections Mean Big Changes for Virginia General Assembly and Opportunities for Engagement
By Cal Whitehead
Virginia Orthopaedic Society
(804) 389-2825
All 100 House of Delegates and 40 state Senate districts will hold elections this year. Every Virginia voter will have the chance to vote for their General Assembly representatives. In addition, several retirements and intra-party contests will trigger primaries to select party nominations for the November General Election.
Election year provides ample opportunities to engage the candidates in your community. It can be as easy as visiting their website to sign up for newsletters or high-level interaction through contributions and volunteering. Getting to know your General Assembly members early in their careers can result in long-term and valuable relationships when it comes to policy making. As a supporter and information resource, you can be a “go to” constituent on important issues.
Great resources for engaging in the 2015 General Assembly races:
Virginia Public Access Project - http://www.vpap.org/
Non-partisan, non-profit resource for daily Virginia political news, candidate information, campaign finance details (who gave to whom), PACs, and lobbyists.
Virginia General Assembly - http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/
The Commonwealth’s website for all things legislative. Find your member using “Who’s My Legislator?” Track bills, understand the legislative process, and locate official information from studies and commissions.
We are also available to introduce you to Virginia politics. Please contact Cal Whitehead at cwhitehead@whiteheadconsulting.net if you have questions about races in your community and would like to engage in the political process. We can assist you with identifying the candidates or even hosting a fundraiser.
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VOS Has Success in Another
Busy General Assembly
By Cal Whitehead
Virginia Orthopaedic Society
(804) 389-2825 voice
Virginia’s orthopaedists had another year of extraordinary activity in the General Assembly. VOS had another successful year in several areas that impact members’ practices and patients. Strong participation from an active Board of Directors and a growing number of practice executives has helped VOS advance positive new law and avoid policy disasters.
On January 22, the VOS co-hosted its annual “White Coats on Call” Day on the Hill with MSV. Several Board members were joined by orthopaedists from around the state for visits with legislators at the Capitol. It coincided with a major meeting about the workers compensation reform legislation. Thanks to the doctors who took the day to advocate. |
| From left, John Bauman, Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Orthopaedic Center, discusses the important issues with Abbey Phillips, Chief of Staff for Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D) 71st District and Steven Reece, MD, Sports Medicine. |
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| John R. Prahinski, MD (left) and Gotham Gondi, MD (right) of the Orthopaedic Center of Central Virginia meet with Delegate Kathy Byron, (R) 22nd District on January 22, 2015. |
Here are some specific issues:
HB 1820 (Farrell) Workers Compensation: For over 6 years, VOS and MSV have defeated efforts to pass legislation that would institute a Medicare-based fee schedule for workers compensation care. This session VOS ensured that any legislation would any avoid changes to the system that would drive out high-quality physicians and other providers and create access problems for patients. In HB 1820 the Virginia Worker’s Compensation Commission is ordered to convene a work group this summer to make recommendations to the General Assembly on future reforms. VOS will be represented.
HB 2384 (Byron) Workers Compensation e-commerce: VOS initiated this legislation to require payors and providers to utilize electronic systems to handle claims, payment, and other exchanges of information in care for injured workers. This will modernize these transactions and improve efficiency.
SB 1310 (Martin) Physician Ownership: VOS defeated this bill with help from a grant from AAOS and support from MSV. VOS promotes professional guidelines and existing laws to support legal and ethical physician-ownership models. A 2014 Department of Health Professions (DHP) review of Physician-owned distributorships (PODs) resulted in no recommendations. We expect the distribution company behind the legislation to pursue another bill next session.
HB 1457 (O’Bannon) and SB (776) Physical Therapy Direct Access: Through a constructive interaction with Virginia Physical Therapist Association (VPTA) leaders, VOS negotiated modest changes to the “direct access” laws to allow patients to get PT care without a prescription for up to 30 days, which is consistent with most laws nationwide.
Certificate of Public Need (COPN): Orthopaedists and other physicians continue to face regulatory obstacles when trying to bring innovative and expanded services to patients. COPN laws and regulations continue to protect large hospital systems or incumbent providers from market competition. Major proposed changes were defeated in favor of a study this summer by the Secretary of Health & Human Resources and stakeholders.
Please contact Cal Whitehead with questions. The General Assembly adjourned on Saturday February 28.
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