California budget does not restore 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal providers California lawmakers approved a $156.4 billion state budget plan yesterday that does not restore a 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal for providers – meaning that California continues to balance its budget on the backs of California's neediest and most vulnerable patients. Thanks to California Medical Association (CMA) advocacy, in coordination with the "We Care for California" coalition, the budget does, eliminate retroactive collection of the 10 percent Medi-Cal cut that would have dated back to June 2011, saving Medi-Cal providers more than $42.1 million in retroactive "clawbacks." “Eliminating the retroactive collection ... June 19, 2014 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, State Legislative Advocacy, California State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA HOD adopts CMA's meningococcal vaccination resolution The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) adopted a resolution proposed by the California Medical Association (CMA) that supports meningococcal vaccinations for school children. Resolution 414 asks that the AMA support efforts to require school children to be vaccinated against meningococcal virus under the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines. Testimony on the issue reminded the delegates that this is a complex issue and recommended further investigation into why 30 percent of school children are not getting the meningococcal vaccine. The AMA Council on Science and Public Health ... June 19, 2014 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination, AMA 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Teachers Association joins campaign to defeat MICRA lawsuit measure The California Teachers Association (CTA), the nation’s largest statewide teacher organization and one of the state’s leading voices for public education, has announced its opposition to the MICRA lawsuit initiative. This addition makes CTA the latest major organization to join the historically-broad and bipartisan coalition of California organizations lining up to oppose the measure. CTA joins a growing list of California public and private organizations – including physicians, health providers, community clinics, civil liberties advocates, school boards, labor unions and business groups – that have expressed concerns about the ballot ... June 18, 2014 General MICRA 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA files brief in case challenging the constitutionality of MICRA The California Medical Association (CMA), together with the American Medical Association (AMA), has filed an amicus brief supporting the constitutionality of the non-economic damages cap of California's landmark Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). This appeal is the latest in a protracted line of cases challenging MICRA's constitutionality since the Legislature enacted the statute in 1975. The California Supreme Court has previously upheld the constitutionality of MICRA's cost saving provisions, including MICRA's $250,000 cap on non-economic damages. Despite Supreme Court precedent, after a trial court reduced the non-economic damages awarded ... June 18, 2014 General MICRA, Professional Liability, CMA Legal Case List, Legal Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Pertussis on the rise in California The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is reporting an uptick in cases of pertussis since the beginning of the year. According to the state, a total of 2,649 cases have been reported, with more than 800 new cases reported in April alone—the highest monthly count since the 2010 epidemic. Pertussis can cause serious and sometimes life-threatening complications in infants, especially within the first 6 months of life.Two infant mortalities have been reported this year—the first infant pertussis fatalities reported since 2010. In 2010, 9,159 total cases were reported, including ... June 18, 2014 General Public Health, Immunization, Pertussis, Whooping Cough 0 0 Comment Read More »
Four California physicians elected to AMA offices Four representatives from the California Medical Association (CMA) were elected to offices in the American Medical Association (AMA) at its annual House of Delegates meeting this week in Chicago. Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., a San Francisco-based dermatologist, was elected to the AMA Board of Trustees. Dr. Resneck had previously chaired AMA’s Council on Legislation and also serves on the Board of Directors for the America Academy of Dermatology. Patricia Austin, M.D., an Oakland-based ophthalmologist with more than 30 years of small group practice experience, was elected to the AMA’s Council on ... June 18, 2014 General American Medical Association, Physician Leadership, AMA 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA concerned about possible widespread contract terminations by Tenet Healthcare Corp. Physicians and medical staffs in many different counties have notified the California Medical Association (CMA) about recent action by Tenet Healthcare Corp. that could negatively affect all 11 of Tenet’s hospitals in California. CMA attorneys are looking into the issues and already have some serious concerns. There are reports that Tenet intends to terminate all existing contracts for anesthesiology, ER and hospitalist services at its hospitals. The Dallas-based hospital system would then award one contract to an out-of-state medical group to provide such services to all of its hospitals in ... June 18, 2014 General Legal Advocacy, Hospital Medical Staff 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physicians renewing licenses experiencing delays The Medical Board of California is asking physicians who need to renew their medical licenses to do so early due to delays associated with the implementation of a new online licensing and enforcement system. This transition is resulting in disruptions in cashiering and other services and is affecting both online and mail renewals. Currently, the medical board is experiencing delays of 6-8 weeks to update its website and provide physicians with a current wallet license. Physicians whose licenses are expiring are encouraged to submit renewals as soon as possible to ... June 18, 2014 General Medical Board of California, Licensure 0 0 Comment Read More »
Sunshine Act dispute proposal threatens physicians' due process A newly proposed dispute resolution process for inaccurate Physician Payments Sunshine Act data would deny physicians their due process rights, the American Medical Association (AMA) and California Medical Association (CMA) told the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in comment letters this week. Under the Sunshine Act, drug and medical device manufacturers are required to report their financial interactions with licensed physicians – including consulting fees, travel reimbursements, research grants and other gifts. Any payments, ownership interests and other “transfers of value” will be reported to CMS for publication ... June 18, 2014 General CMS, Physician Payment Sunshine Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
Job Announcement for the Medical Board of California The Medical Board of California is currently recruiting for Medical Consultants for the San Bernardino and San DiegoDistrict Offices. Please see job announcement for the details on this position. Feel free to contact: Steve Richter, Supervising Investigator; San Bernardino (909) 383-6815 or Steven.Richter@mbc.ca.gov or Eric Ryan, Supervising Investigator, San Diego (858) 467-6837 or Eric.Ryan@mbc.ca.gov. June 9, 2014 General MBC, Medical Consultants, Medical Board of California 0 0 Comment Read More »
