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SCCMA BioEthics Committee Share a Model Policy on Health Care Decisions for Incapacitated Patients Without Surrogates (Update to SCCMA 2001 Policy)

The SCCMA Bioethics Committee updated a policy written in 2001. The new document, Health Care Decisions for Incapacitated Patients Without Surrogates: Revisions to the 2001 SCCMA Model Policy, is intended as guidance to provide procedural mechanisms whereby ethically and medically appropriate health care decisions can be made on behalf of adult persons who lack health care decision-making capacity and for whom no willing and able surrogate decision-maker can be identified. The original policy was written in 2001. Because the previous policy was over 20 years old, it was felt by the Bioethics Committee that a revised ...

CMA statement on Supreme Court's order granting stay in medication abortion case

Donaldo Hernandez, M.D., the president of the California Medical Association (CMA), issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court order granting a stay in the lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its approval of mifepristone. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s order today to stay the lower court rulings is great news, as it means mifepristone will remain available in the interim for the lives and welfare of millions of people who might need this drug that has been FDA-approved as safe and effective for 23 years. “As ...

12 ways to be a Physician Advocate

Critical issues affecting physicians and the practice of medicine are being decided in the legislative arena now. Health care reform, workforce, Medi-Cal and scope of practice are just a few of the vital issues being debated and voted on by elected officials in Sacramento. The California Medical Association (CMA) has some of the best lobbyists and lawyers in the Capitol, but the most powerful advocate in advancing the cause of physicians and patients is YOU. Below are 12 ways that YOU can be a physician advocate. Use Your Voice Hearing from physicians ...

California Launches Initiative to Improve Quality of Life for People with Dementia

CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA New Cognitive Health Assessment and Warmline Help Practitioners Identify Dementia Primary care providers in California have a new dementia screening tool, the cognitive health assessment, available to help identify cognitive decline in their patients (age 65 and older) and determine next steps. Dementia Care Aware, a statewide initiative led by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), provides training on this new assessment and support through a warmline to help primary care providers successfully screen for dementia in ...

MBC Will Soon Stop Accepting, Processing Paper P&S Applications

    Beginning June 1, 2023, the Medical Board of California (Board) will no longer accept or process paper-based applications for a Physician’s and Surgeon’s (P&S) License. The Board will remove the paper application from the Board’s website on May 19, 2023.  The Board began transitioning to a paperless application process on February 1, 2023, when it stopped accepting and processing paper-based applications for Postgraduate Training Licenses (PTL) and the application to transition from a PTL to a P&S License.  The transition to a paperless application process helps both applicants and the Board ...