Two Weeks to Go in MN Legislative Session: Health-Care-Related Updates

The Minnesota Legislature has about two weeks left in the 2022 Legislative Session.

Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) legislative rep Dave Renner, CAE, provides an update from the Capitol on the passage of frontline worker pay; continued movement on MAFP priority issues (e.g., updates to the All-Payer Claims Database, rural primary care residency training funding and limits to mid-year formulary changes); mental health support for health care workers and more.

2022 MN Legislative Session Update: Health & Human Services Omnibus Bill, Reinsurance Program Extended + More

Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) legislative rep Dave Renner, CAE, shares the latest health-care-related updates from the Minnesota Legislature, including highlights from last week’s hearing on the Minnesota House Health and Human Services omnibus bill; the extension of the state’s reinsurance program; movement to pass opioid legislation; and support for addressing health care worker mental health and well-being.

Addressing the factors contributing to physician burnout

While there is not a singular cause for burnout, family physicians from across Minnesota have voiced shared concerns around payment and reimbursement models, prior authorization, patient documentation and anti-science rhetoric. The Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians are working to address these concerns.

We Must Do Something About Physician Burnout, Depression & Suicide

In the past four months, the Twin Cities physician community has lost several of our own to suicide. Tragically, we are not alone—about 300-400 physicians in the U.S. die each year from suicide, with physicians facing a suicide risk nearly 2-3 times higher than the general population.

Now more than ever, it’s critical for health care clinics/hospitals/systems, payers, physicians and more to come together to address burnout and the increase in physician suicide. Not only do we need to normalize physicians seeking help for mental health concerns and remove stigma and punishments, but we also need to recognize that our healers are human too and they need support like everyone else.

WE NEED A BETTER SOLUTION FOR THE TERRIBLE DISEASE OF BURNOUT

Family physician and certified life coach Michelle Wenner Chestovich, MD, shares about the increased risk of physician suicide and how the culture of medicine must change to address the epidemic of physician and provider burnout.