CA Assemblyman Richard Pan, MD receives national government service award Assemblyman Richard Pan, M.D., a Sacramento pediatrician and representative for the California State Assembly's 9th District, this week received the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service from the American Medical Association (AMA). The award was presented during the AMA's National Advocacy Conference this week in Washington, D.C. “Dr. Pan’s outstanding leadership in public health has helped California families build safer, healthier communities,” said AMA Chair David O. Barbe, M.D., MHA. “Dr. Pan is recognized for his commitment to improving the lives of Californians for generations to come ... March 7, 2014 General American Medical Association, Awards, Public Health, CMA Governance 0 0 Comment Read More »
Deadlines loom for Medi-Cal EHR Incentive Program The deadline for providers to apply for Medi-Cal electronic health records (EHR) incentive payments the 2013 program year is March 31, 2014. After that date, the State Level Registry (SLR) will no longer accept 2013 applications. For the 2014 program year, providers who are attesting to adopting, implementing or upgrading certified EHRs can currently apply to the SLR for 2014 program year incentive payments. However, the SLR is currently unable to accept applications from providers attesting to meaningful use for 2014. The SLR will not begin accepting 2014 meaningful use ... March 7, 2014 Medi-Cal Electronic Health Record, Incentive Payments, Insurance/Reimbursement, Medi-Cal, EHR, Health Information Technology 0 0 Comment Read More »
Surviving the third month of Covered California As of February 15, Covered California reports that more than 828,000 individuals have enrolled in exchange plans, which surpasses its original target. With that figure expected to grow by the end of the 2014 open enrollment period, it is critical that physicians and their staff know what to expect. To help answer some of the more common questions, the California Medical Association (CMA) offers this third tip sheet to help physicians survive the third month of Covered California. Also see "Surviving the First Month of Covered California" and "Surviving the ... March 7, 2014 Managed Care Health Insurance Exchange, Practice Resources, Covered California 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA announces sponsored bill package for 2014 The California Medical Association (CMA) recently announced its sponsored bill package for 2014, which includes legislation that would increase access to care in California, restore the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider rate cut and strengthen physicians' rights when contracting with managed care plans. Below are summaries of CMA's eight sponsored bills: All Products Clauses (AB 2400) This bill would prohibit health service plans from executing agreements with physicians that contain provisions requiring them to participate in all networks or products that are currently offered or that may be offered by the health ... March 7, 2014 General Legislative Advocacy, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Tips for Steering Clear of Problems with Pain-Med Prescribing By Karen K. Davis, MA, CPHRM, Risk Management; NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company and the NORCAL Group The following tips will help you prescribe narcotics/opioids appropriately to patients in chronic pain: Obtain a thorough history and determine the specific cause of pain. Patients who request pain treatment should receive a comprehensive assessment aimed at finding a specific physical process to explain their pain. Stephen Richeimer, MD, Chief of Pain Medicine at the University of Southern California, says, “Assessment is a key issue. The history and physical examination provides the information that ... March 5, 2014 General narcotics/opioids, pain medication prescrbing 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA study says physician cost of ICD-10 transition will be dramatically higher than original estimates A new study conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that physician practices will have to spend anywhere from an estimated $83,290 for a small practice up to $2,728,780 for a large practice in order to meet the transition to ICD-10 code set by the October 1, 2014, deadline. In a letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the AMA said “the transition to ICD-10 represents one of the largest technical, operational and business implementation in the health care industry in the ... February 20, 2014 General ICD-10 0 0 Comment Read More »
Field Poll shows broad voter support for health warning labels on sugar sweetened beverages Sacramento- The California Medical Association (CMA) is pleased to see the recently released poll figures suggesting that California voters support the notion of applying health-warning labels on sodas and other sugar sweetened beverages. The poll, which was conducted by The Field Poll and The California Endowment, found that 74 percent of voters support the requirement to apply health warning labels to sugar sweetened beverages, with 52 percent of voters “strongly” endorsing the requirement. Support for the labeling of potentially harmful beverages was also bipartisan, with 80 percent of Democrats, 64 ... February 20, 2014 General Advocacy, State Legislative Advocacy, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
First infant death reported as rates of pertussis more than double in California The California Department of Public Health recently reported the first death of an infant from pertussis since 2010, the last time the disease peaked in the state. That year, pertussis reached epidemic levels with more than 9,100 cases and 10 deaths in California alone. Whooping cough rates typically rise and fall in a three- to five-year cycle. According to public health officials, pertussis cases had been declining since they peaked in 2010, but began to go up again in mid-2013. The state's preliminary case count for 2013 is 2,372, up ... February 20, 2014 General Faccination, Pertussis, Department of Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Legislation introduced to restore Medi-Cal funding Today Assembly Budget Chair Nancy Skinner and Assembly Health Chair Richard Pan, M.D., introduced two bills, one that would restore the 10 percent Medi-Cal physician payment cut that went into effect this year and another that would extend the temporary Medi-Cal primary care rate increases called for under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “I have sought to make the Medi-Cal program more cost-effective, transparent and accountable,” said Dr. Pan. “The legislation that we are introducing today continues this effort.” Medicaid rates in California are the lowest in the nation, while the ... February 20, 2014 Medi-Cal ACA, Insurance/Reimbursement, Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal Cuts, State Legislative Advocacy, Affordable Care Act, We Care for California 0 0 Comment Read More »
Covered California removes provider directory, again Following numerous complaints from both enrollees and providers, Covered California has removed its provider directory from the exchange website until further notice. "While the combined provider directory was a useful service for many consumers, some enrollees located physicians thought to be in their plan, and subsequently discovered they were not,” exchange staff wrote in a statement, noting that enrollees who relied upon information present in the provider directory should contact their health insurance plan to verify the provider is in the exchange network. CMA is also encouraging patients to contact ... February 12, 2014 Managed Care Covered California 0 0 Comment Read More »
