Senator Holly Mitchell to keynote 2018 NEPO Summit Physicians for a Healthy California is thrilled to announce that California State Senator Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) is joining the 2018 Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) Summit as keynote speaker. Senator Mitchell is a strong advocate for children, passionate defender of women’s rights and the environment, and fighter for equity and justice. She is also the founder and chair of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Inequality. The 2018 NEPO Summit will be held September 13-15 in Pasadena. This year's theme, Building the Best You: Celebrating the Joy ... August 29, 2018 CMA, General Cultural Competency, Physician Leadership 0 0 Comment Read More »
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan preps for entry into additional Medi-Cal and Medicare Advantage markets Looking to potentially enhance its footprint in the Medi-Cal and Medicare Advantage marketplace by 2021, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Community Plan of California has issued unilateral contract amendments to contracted physicians in seven California counties. Additionally, UHC providers in the seven counties who are not currently contracted for the Medicare Advantage product will receive a combined contract amendment for participation in both UHC Community Plan of California (Medi-Cal) and UHC Medicare Advantage products. As a condition of participation in the Medi-Cal Managed Care request for proposal process in late 2019 or early 2020, ... August 23, 2018 Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare Commercial Payors, Payor Contracting, Public Payors 0 0 Comment Read More »
Have you updated your My CMA profile yet? The California Medical Association’s (CMA) new website is loaded with a suite of digital tools that will help you get the most from your membership. One exciting new feature is the My CMA dashboard. If you haven’t already, please login, update your profile, and chose your preferences and areas of interest. By doing so, we will be able to deliver custom content and personalized alerts to your My CMA dashboard based on your user preferences. On your My CMA dashboard, you will also be able to find all of your ... August 21, 2018 CMA Advocacy, California Medical Association, CMA 0 0 Comment Read More »
2018 NEPO Summit: Register by Aug. 27 and save $100 Act now to save $100 off registration for the 2018 Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) Summit, to be held September 13-15 in Pasadena. This year's theme, Building the Best You: Celebrating the Joy of Medicine, will address issues of physician burnout and provide solutions to create a culture of wellness and physician well-being. The three-day summit is an innovative educational event for physicians, public health professionals, health care advocates and community leaders that offers policy and best practices for reducing health disparities, building diversity in the workforce and increasing cultural ... August 16, 2018 General Cultural Competency, Physician Wellness 0 0 Comment Read More »
House votes to expand health savings accounts On July 25, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills (H.R. 6199 and H.R. 6311) that would expand how health savings accounts (HSAs) and other tax-preferred accounts can be used on health care spending. HSAs, which are paired with high deductible health plans, allow people to contribute pre-tax earnings each year and save for medical expenses. The first bill—H.R. 6199, which passed 277 to 142—would allow individuals with HSA-eligible high-deductible health plans to use up to $250 a year (or $500 a year for families) on services like primary ... August 15, 2018 General Access to Care, Health Care Reform, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medi-Cal to unveil updated provider enrollment system this summer The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will soon be releasing an update to its Medi-Cal provider enrollment system, called the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE). The current iteration (2.0) of the PAVE system, originally launched on November 18, 2016, transformed DHCS’ provider enrollment from a manual paper-based process to a web-based portal that providers could use to complete and submit their applications, verifications and to report changes. The original launch included most physicians and allied provider types. The new update (3.0) will include even more eligible ... August 15, 2018 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, Practice Management, Public Payors 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health Officer issues smoke advisory from Holy Fire San Bernardino County Health Officer Dr. Maxwell Ohikhuare advises county residents with sensitive health conditions who live near areas affected by the Holy Fire to stay alert to changing smoke levels and be prepared to act accordingly. The Holy Fire is burning to the east of Trabuco Canyon near the border of Orange County and Riverside County within the Cleveland National Forest. Although the fire is burning in surrounding counties, conditions may bring smoke into portions of San Bernardino County. Smoky conditions can be hazardous for young children, the elderly, individuals ... August 8, 2018 General, Press Releases Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Join Molina Healthcare and San Bernardino County Medical Society in our diaper/adult briefs drive for those in need Molina Healthcare and San Bernardino County Medical Society are teaming up to help families in need. Here's why: 5.3 million children under age 3 live in low-income households. 1 in 3 adults suffer from incontinence. Diapers/briefs cost $80 each month. Can we count on you to help Molina and San Bernardino County Medical Society reach our goal of 30,000 in 2018? Imagine you have just enough money to buy the diapers or adult briefs you desperately need, or to buy food--but ... August 7, 2018 General San Bernardino County Medical Society, Molina, Molina Hope's Diaper Drive 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA advocacy expected to reduce administrative burdens for Parkinson's registry Effective July 1, 2018, licensed independent practitioners, including M.D.'s, D.O.'s, P.A.'s and N.P.'s who diagnose or treat Parkinson’s disease patients, are required to report cases of Parkinson’s disease to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) after first registering with CDPH through the designated gateway at https://hie.cdph.ca.gov. The data collected will measure the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s throughout California, providing more understanding to improve the lives of patients. The California Medical Association (CMA) and other stakeholders have worked closely with CDPH to reduce the administrative burden these reporting requirements ... August 7, 2018 CMA Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA/AMA responding to proposed Medicare payment rule On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and MACRA Quality Payment Program (QPP) rule. This is the first year that CMS is combining the Medicare fee schedule and QPP rules. There are a number of positive elements in the proposed rule. These include: New payments for physician services that are not part of a face to face office visit (virtual check-ins, remote consults of patient videos and photographs, and online consultations with other physicians) ... August 7, 2018 CMA, Medicare Advocacy, MACRA, Public Payors 0 0 Comment Read More »
