Our Chapter was featured not once, but twice in Cardiology Magazine’s “2024 Top Ten Advocacy Highlights.” We celebrate our victories on Prior Authorization reform and Non-Compete Clauses!
What You Need to Know About Maryland’s New Ban on Non-Compete Clauses and the Importance of Advocacy was a Town Hall held recently featuring Gene Ransom, the CEO of Med Chi (the Maryland State Medical Society). This is joint educational session was hosted by the Advocacy Committee of Maryland Chapter ACC in conjunction with our allies at Maryland’s ACP Chapter. Click here to view a recording of this valuable session.
The MDACC Advocacy Committee was focused on three local bills currently introduced in Annapolis during the 2025 Legislative Session. See below for outcomes:
Now that the legislative session has wrapped up, I wanted to send a final rundown of cardiology-specific bills that passed/did not pass in Annapolis. Thankfully, we had very favorable results this year. Those who attended the Legislative dinner in Annapolis with the AHA will recognize these bills:
Would require public libraries to place an AED in prominent areas by Jan 1, 2026
Introduced by Delegate Boafo after a postal carrier died of SCD in the bathroom of a public library (his widow is Boafo’s friend and constituent); ACC Advocacy has highlighted this bill as a priority nationally.
Hearing is scheduled in House committee on 2/12 at 13:00
Would require Medicaid, health plans, HMOs and MCOs to cover CAC scoring for patients with at least three of the following risk factors: diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, or a family history of CAD
Sponsored by Delegate Woods, who specifically reached out to Joe for comment; Sammy has already written a letter of support from MD ACC.
This is the subject of the Med Chi alert [medchi.org] I shared Friday. Maryland trial lawyers are lobbying for this bill, which would repeal Maryland’s current caps on non-economic damages in civil actions for personal injury and wrongful deaths.
This would open the door to higher malpractice judgments and higher costs for medical malpractice insurance coverage.
Sponsored by Delegate Ziegler; Med Chi has identified this as a high priority bill to oppose. It is being re-introduced after failing in the 2024 legislative session.
Committee hearing scheduled for the bill on 2/19
Our position: Oppose
Result:Did not make it out of committee
Recent MDACC Advocacy EffortS
Prior Authorizations Reform
The MDACC supports reforming the utilization review policies. HB 785/SB 515 provide a strong starting point.
Non-compete Clauses
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), under direction from President Biden, recently issued a proposed rule which would bar nearly all non-compete clauses in employment contracts and would nullify existing non-competes as “an unfair method of competition.” Non-compete clauses are widely used in physician (and some APP) employment contracts in Maryland and are considered enforceable by Maryland courts. Physician non-competes are not enforceable in 10 states, including California, Alabama, and Massachusetts.
AED Access
MDACC Governor-elect, Dr. Sammy Zakaria has been front and center lobbying on behalf of the Maryland Chapter to enhance access to AEDs in restaurants. Hopefully, these two bills, SB0624/ HB1074 and SB299/ HB288 will become law as they are important bills that will save lives.
