State Medical Society, Foundation and PAC
Elect New Officers and Directors

By Bhushan Pandya, MD
President of Medical Society of Virginia (MSV)

I bring greetings on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV). The MSV is proud to share an update from a very successful General Assembly session. As the representative for all physicians in the Commonwealth, we hosted four White Coats on Call lobbying days with an increased participation of 30% (456 doctors participated). Thank you to the members of VOS for your involvement in this effort. Together as the House of Medicine, our presence and our efforts were notable.

Please visit the MSV website for a full report: Legislative Update

Some Highlights from the Session:

Thursday, February 16, the Virginia Board of Medicine (BOM) adopted mandatory prescribing regulations to address the Commonwealth's opioid epidemic. The regulations outline safe prescribing practices for opioids and buprenorphine. MSV provided physician feedback throughout the process and supports the final regulations. Our website contains a summary of the regulations and other resources that address the regulations. MSV worked with the Governor’s office, legislators, and the BOM, thereby maintaining physician control over the practice of medicine.

Certificate of Public Need Reform (COPN)
HB 2337, sponsored by Del. John O'Bannon, MD (R-Henrico), proposed replacing the current COPN process with a permitting system in the most densely populated areas of Virginia. The bill was reported out of the House Health, Welfare, and Institutions committee, but failed to be taken up by the House Appropriations committee prior to crossover, effectively killing the bill.

SB 1556, sponsored by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, MD (R-Henrico), similarly proposed replacing the current process with a permitting system, but applied statewide and for only certain services. This legislation, along with several others, failed to report out of the Senate Education and Health Committee. Instead, the issue was rolled into a special subcommittee that will study it after session ends.

Licensure Parity
MSV partnered with Del. Danny Marshall (R-Danville) and Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta) to introduce legislation leveling the playing field between US and international medical school graduates (IMGs) by establishing a universal requirement of one year of residency prior to being able to receive a medical license. These bills passed both the Senate and House and now await the governor's signature.

Health Insurance
Del. Jay Leftwich (R-Chesapeake) and Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) each carried a bill requiring plans to accept assignment of benefits requests. While this legislation was unsuccessful in passing, the issue will be sent to the Health Insurance Reform Commission for review.

On behalf of the Board of MSV, we appreciate your support during the General Assembly Session. MSV is diligently pursing avenues of engagement and participation of its members in the component and specialty societies. MSV bylaws were recently revised to give more opportunities to the specialty societies to participate in the House of Delegates, which is the policy making body.

In the rapidly changing world of medicine, it is more important than ever to work together as we power the House of Medicine.