KMS Update: Advocacy Day preview and final reminder to submit your ballot for KMS officers
A message from Rachelle Colombo about Advocacy Day
We know it has been a long two years, particularly for physicians and others continuing to cope firsthand with fallout from the pandemic. Much has changed — and continues to change. However, the Kansas legislature continues to meet — where most of the public policy that affects the practice of medicine is enacted. Of course, we continue to advocate for you in the Statehouse and otherwise — and we will do so however circumstances may change.
KMS Update: New emergency declaration issued, Advocacy Day, and other updates
New emergency declaration issued
On Thursday, Gov. Kelly issued a new 15-day state of emergency and signed two executive orders aimed at addressing staffing shortages at hospitals and nursing homes as COVID-19 cases climb in Kansas.
KMS Update: Guidance on new vaccine mandate after court issues injunction; Dr. Clifford elected to legislature; 2022 Advocacy Day schedule; and more
2022 Advocacy Day schedule now available
We are planning to hold the 2022 Advocacy Day in person on January 25 in Topeka. Among other things, Advocacy Day will offer a chance to hear from KMS leadership about the upcoming legislative session, to meet with legislative leaders, and to meet with your specialty society peers. While some specialty societies may also hold events later in the year, Advocacy Day is the one event of the year for all Kansas physicians. The event schedule is now available here: www.kmsonline.org/AdvocacyDay.
KMS Update: 2022 Advocacy Day, guidance on recent vaccine mandate developments, and Legislature calls special session
Physician Leaders Forum
Building on the information shared during the Physicians Leaders Forum in June, this virtual session will focus on physician resilience and wellbeing in a post-COVID environment. A panel discussion will highlight strategies currently being used in Kansas to address physician and health care worker resilience. This event—co-presented by KMS and the Kansas Hospital Association—will be from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2021. More information and free registration here: www.kmsonline.org/PhysicianLeadersForum.
KMS Update: Fall Legislative Series, new COVID-19 funding, and other updates
New COVID-19 relief funding for rural communities
The Biden administration announced plans to distribute $25.5 billion in funding to physicians, hospitals, and other health care facilities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). The portal for funding applications opened Sept. 29 at: https://prfreporting.hrsa.gov.
KMS Update: Where key issues stand at the conclusion of the 2021 legislative session
The legislature will return May 26 for the official conclusion of the 2021 session, Sine Die, a traditionally ceremonial day albeit one that could entail some official business, such as votes to override vetoes.Otherwise, bills considered by the legislature this year have either expired or may carry over to next session. Following is a look back at the primary issues we were tracking this year and where things stand ahead of the 2022 session.
KMS Update: 2021 Legislative session adjourns
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
The 2021 legislative session adjourned early Saturday morning, May 8th at nearly 2:00 a.m. During the final week of the session, the efforts to pass APRN legislation intensified considerably but, in the end, the legislature took no action on the issue. This late-session push for the APRN bill was for all practical purposes taken over and controlled by staff and lobbyists for the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity. The two business groups wanted legislative leaders to circumvent the normal legislative process rules in order to pass an APRN bill even though such legislation had not been passed by either health committee nor debated on the floor of the House or Senate during the prior four months of the regular legislative session.
KMS Update: Urgent renewed call to action on APRN issue
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
As we reported last week, the legislature will return May 3 for a brief wrap-up session to complete work on bills awaiting final action, including legislation authorizing the independent practice of medicine and surgery by APRNs.
In recent weeks, legislators have been receiving hundreds of emails in support of the APRN issue in a statewide advocacy campaign conducted by Americans for Prosperity and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. These business groups contend that physician-directed collaborative practice agreements are nothing more than unnecessary “permission slips,” which create access to care problems depriving Kansans of basic health care, particularly in rural and marginalized communities. Although no new APRN bill has surfaced yet, we expect one will be introduced as soon as the legislature returns.
KMS Update: Call to action on APRN issue, COVID vaccine, and other updates
From KMS Executive Director Rachelle Colombo
The Legislature reached first adjournment Friday and began a three week legislative break. They will return on May 3 for a brief, perhaps week-long wrap-up session to complete work on bills awaiting final action, as well as omnibus budget measures.
In the past couple of weeks—despite not having been passed by either the Senate or House Health Committee—efforts have intensified to pass some form of the APRN independent practice legislation, as an amendment to an unrelated bill now working through the process of reconciliation for consideration in the wrap-up session. Though our efforts have thus far stopped this issue from advancing before first adjournment, the work is not truly conclusive until the legislature completes its work in the first week of May.
KMS Update: Legislature news, vaccine and other COVID-19 updates
New Kansas Emergency Management Act signed into law
This week, Gov. Kelly signed into law the updated Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA). The law extends the state of disaster declaration for COVID-19 through May 28, 2021, and gives the governor limited authority to issue executive orders in response to the ongoing pandemic. The new KEMA law revokes the governor’s current executive orders (which were set to expire on March 31), while allowing the governor to re-issue such orders via certain processes. The governor said this week that she intends to re-issue several executive orders, including one requiring face masks in most public places and in outdoor settings where adequate social distance cannot be maintained. She also said that this order would apply to all counties that opted out of the previous face mask order. Legislative leadership responded saying it would oppose such a mask mandate; under the new KEMA law, the legislature has the authority to rescind such executive orders.
