MICRA lawsuit measure assigned proposition number The unprecedentedly broad and diverse coalition working to defeat the trial lawyers’ MICRA lawsuit measure is now officially the “No On 46” campaign, following the assignment of proposition numbers to qualified ballot measures by the Secretary of State’s Office on Monday. If approved by voters, Proposition 46 would increase health costs, reduce access to care and threaten patient privacy, all to make it easier and more profitable for lawyers to sue doctors and hospitals. In addition to increasing the overall number of medical lawsuits and the cost of health care ... July 3, 2014 General Professional Liability, MICRA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Despite CMA concerns, United moves forward with Premium Designation program Sidestepping concerns voiced by the California Medical Association (CMA), United Healthcare is proceeding with the rollout of its "Premium Designation" physician performance program in California. Physicians who wish to request a reconsideration of their Premium Designation status before the results are displayed publicly in the insurers’ network directory on August 6, must do so no later than July 16. CMA had urged United Healthcare to delay implementation for a minimum of six months to allow time for the insurer to address deficiencies with the program and to allow physicians the ... July 1, 2014 Managed Care Managed Care, United Healthcare, Insurance/Reimbursement 0 0 Comment Read More »
Special discount for CMA members - AAPC Regional Conference in Anaheim California Medical Association (CMA) members can save $130 on a conference registration and hotel package for AAPC's Regional Conference at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, September 18-20, 2014. CMA members and their staff pay just $795 for conference registration plus two nights at the Disneyland Hotel—the lowest price AAPC is offering anywhere! The conference includes more than 50 educational sessions, covering hot topics in coding, auditing, practice management, compliance and electronic health records. There are tracks in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, medical auditing and practice management. You can earn up to 19 ... July 1, 2014 General ICD-10, Conferences 0 0 Comment Read More »
California family leave program to expand effective July 1 Beginning on July 1, California's paid family leave (PFL) program will be expanded to provide benefits to workers who take time off of work to care for a seriously ill parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild or sibling. This change was prompted by the passage of Senate Bill 770, which was signed into law by Governor Brown on September 24, 2013. Currently, PFL is only available to workers who take time off of work to care for a seriously ill child, parent, spouse or registered domestic partner, or to bond with a minor ... July 1, 2014 General Paid Family Leave (PFL), CMA On-Call, State Disability Insurance (SDI) 0 0 Comment Read More »
Error on Anthem ID cards results in claim denials In late March, the California Medical Association (CMA) began receiving complaints from physicians in San Diego, Orange and Bay Area counties about denials from Anthem Blue Cross. Practices reported that patients presented to their offices with Anthem ID cards that indicated they had a Covered California/mirror PPO product and subsequent eligibility verification also indicated the patient had a PPO product. However, Anthem later denied the claims stating the services were not covered under the patients' benefit plans because they received services from out-of-network providers. CMA escalated the issue to Anthem and ... July 1, 2014 General Covered California, Health Insurance Exchange, Anthem Blue Cross 0 0 Comment Read More »
Leader's Toolkit course coming to San Diego in September The California Medical Association (CMA) is offering a two-day leadership course, titled the Leader’s Toolkit, for physicians who are seeking leadership roles in organized medicine. The course will be held in San Diego on September 27-28. Participants will learn real world skills and will leave with actionable behaviors, tools and concepts to help them be effective leaders in organized medicine. Some of the issues covered include change management, leading a team, responsibilities of a leader, setting boundaries and priorities, time management, parliamentary procedure and understanding and leveraging critical relationships. Tom Gehring, ... July 1, 2014 General San Diego County Medical Society, Physician Leadership 0 0 Comment Read More »
Provider access issues plague Anthem and Blue Shield as DMHC begins investigation The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) recently began conducting a "non-routine audit" of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California to investigate the accuracy of the plans' provider directories and identify whether either plan violated any network adequacy laws. According to the DMHC, consumer complaints about access issues for both plans prompted the investigation. Blue Cross and Blue Shield are the only two exchange plans using narrowed provider networks for their exchange and "mirror" products. The state is looking at whether the networks are too narrow in some ... July 1, 2014 General Department of Managed Health Care, Covered California, Payor Contracting 0 0 Comment Read More »
Deadline to submit meaningful use hardship exception is July 1 Beginning January 1, 2015, Medicare physicians who have not successfully attested to meaningful use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) system may incur payment penalties, as mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. These payment adjustments will be 1-2 percent of total Medicare charges in 2015, to 2 percent in 2016 and 3-5 percent in 2017 and beyond. The 2015 penalties are based on 2013 reporting data. Physicians who failed to successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2013 can apply for a hardship exception ... June 25, 2014 Medicare EHR, Electronic Health Record, HIT, Medicare, Certified EHRs 0 0 Comment Read More »
Sugary drink warning labeling bill stalls in Assembly Health committee Legislation that would have required sugar-sweetened beverages to bear a label warning consumers of their negative health effects failed to clear the Assembly Health committee yesterday. Senate Bill 1000, California’s Sugary Drink Safety Warning Act, which the California Medical Association co-sponsored, would have placed a simple warning label on the front of all bottles and cans of sugary drinks sold in California. The label, developed by a national panel of nutrition and public health experts, would have read: STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to ... June 19, 2014 General Public Health, State Legislative Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
State budget includes $7 million for new primary care residency slots Following the unprecedented grassroots advocacy by the physician and medical student community, the Legislature approved a state budget that includes $7 million for new primary care residency slots. The budget is now on Governor Brown's desk awaiting his signature. The California Medical Association is urging all physicians to contact the governor's office and urge him to maintain this critical funding, which will help California meet the increased demand for medical services now that millions of additional patients are insured under the Affordable Care Act. Three million dollars would be applied ... June 19, 2014 General Residents and Fellows, State Legislative Advocacy, Graduate Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
