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Message fr from th the President!
Greetings to all members of NWMO MGMA!
I truly hope this message finds you well. By now hopefully you know our April meeting has been cancelled, but please be sure to sign up for the CMS webinar series scheduled for 4/22 concerning “Addressing Your Pain Points: Behavioral Health.” This is a great opportunity for some free, valuable education straight from CMS’ Rural Health Coordinator Michelle Wineinger. I hope to “see” you all there! Those of you who know me know that I usually have something to say or a snappy comeback, but today I am at a bit of a loss for words. Everyone working in healthcare is experiencing the stress of COVID-19 in some way. To borrow a phrase, we are “drinking from the firehose” with updated regulations from CMS, the Department of Labor and many other payers. Patient visits are down or even non-existent for clinics but approaching or exceeding capacity for hospitals. Employees are either concerned about getting enough hours and pay to cover their bills, or they are pushed to physical limits. Yet each and every one
- f you and your staff are still vital to the Northwest
Missouri’s part in the effort to overcome. One of my major concerns is the well-being of my staff. And that concern extends to my colleagues in this organization. I would encourage each of you to be a calming force in your professional life in some way. Reinforce the rules of your clinic (PPE, parking lot check-in,
- r whatever it might be), but also reinforce that there is hope. Laugh a
little with staff, with colleagues, and with family. Continue to be one of the pillars of your practice. Yet, each of us needs to have a friend, a colleague, a fellow manager or professional to talk to about the things that trouble us, those things we must endure, that cannot be joked about. I would suggest this is where NWMO MGMA can help. Hopefully, established members have already built a network of contacts so all they need to do is pick up the phone, dial, and say “Hey, I need to talk.” I would encourage our longer standing members to reach out to newer members and just say, “Hi! How ya’ doin’?” and begin to establish that bond between members, between healthcare workers, that can so quickly become impenetrable. This is a stressful, tiring time in our profession. So, don’t forget to rest. To reflect. To count your blessings. To hug your loved ones (virtually if necessary). Don’t forget to take proper precautions, whatever those might be. And to borrow the phrase from the CDC website, “stay calm and wash your hands.” Be safe! Stay well! And I’ll see you once we can gather together again!
FACMPE, NWMO MGMA President