CMA publishes 2016 Legislative Wrap-Up The delivery of health care, and its costs, remains at the forefront of California politics. Dramatic changes, such as the Affordable Care Act, escalating health care premiums, consolidation of health plans, rising drug costs and the implementation of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), continue to create uncertainty in the marketplace, causing a relatively new state legislature to question nearly every aspect of health care delivery in California. The result during the 2016-2017 legislative session was a record number of significant legislative challenges to the ... October 13, 2016 General State Legislative Advocacy, State Legislature, State Legislation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Blue Shield to update fee schedule effective December 1 Blue Shield recently announced changes to its physician fee schedule that will take effect December 1, 2016. The new rates are now available on the Blue Shield website (under "Helpful Resources," click “Professional Fee Schedule” then click “Search the Claims Fee Schedule”). To view the new fees, change the default date of service on the “Search Fee Schedule” page to December 1, 2016, (effective date of the change) or later. Physicians can also request a copy of the new fees for up to 20 codes by completing the allowance review ... October 13, 2016 General, Managed Care Blue Shield 0 0 Comment Read More »
Hardware upgrades will impact Medi-Cal systems in October Required systems upgrades to the California Medicaid Management Information System (CA-MMIS) are scheduled to take place during two weekends in October. This is an upgrade of the hardware where many Medi-Cal services run. Upgrades will start during the regular daily maintenance period, which begins at midnight, and will continue through extended maintenance windows on October 9 and October 16. During these windows, providers will be unable to submit transactions. To reduce the impact on providers, upgrades are scheduled during a period when the systems are used less frequently. A System Status ... October 13, 2016 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Amador physician featured in Big Tobacco's latest misleading ad, CMA responds The latest misleading ad from the tobacco industry-funded No on Prop. 56 campaign prominently features a retired ob-gyn from Amador county, Arnold Zeiderman, M.D. In the ad he claims, “I do everything in my power to stop people from smoking, but that's not what Prop. 56 is really about." The Executive Committee of the California Medical Association and physician leaders across the state today issued an open letter to Dr. Zeiderman, urging him to reconsider his role as spokesperson for the tobacco industry and join with the rest of the ... October 13, 2016 CMA, General Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tobacco Tax, Ballot Measures, Pediatrics, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Tobacco 0 0 Comment Read More »
Did you know physician assistants can now certify state disability and family leave claims? In September 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that authorizes physician assistants (PAs) to certify disability insurance (DI) and paid family leave (PFL) claims after a physical examination and under physician supervision. Individuals seeking DI or PFL benefits in California are required to file a claim that includes a certificate from a treating physician or practitioner. PAs in California were previously unable to certify these claims because they were not included in the definition of “practitioner.” For more information about the physician's role in certifying for benefits, view the Employment ... October 13, 2016 General State Disability Insurance (SDI), Paid Family Leave (PFL), Physician Assistants 0 0 Comment Read More »
When was your last HIPAA risk analysis? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) tool, which is designed to help health care providers in small to medium sized practices conduct information security risk analyses of their organizations, as required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. New features of the tool include Windows 10 compatibility and improved reporting features. The tool, available at www.HealthIT.gov, is the result of a collaborative effort by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) ... October 13, 2016 General Protected Health Information, HIPAA Security Rule 0 0 Comment Read More »
$1.1 billion in Zika funding approved by Congress Funding for public health efforts against the Zika virus was finally approved by Congress with the passage of a stopgap measure to avoid a federal government shutdown. The spending measure includes $1.1 billion to fight the virus, capping a fierce months-long debate over the money that dismayed public health experts. The White House first requested $1.9 billion in funds to fight Zika in the spring. But Republicans initially resisted the request, before finally putting forward their own $1.1 billion Zika funding bill in July. The Republicans' bill failed to pass ... October 13, 2016 General Public Health, U.S. Congress, Zika Virus, Department of Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Life-saving tobacco tax measure holds narrow lead in Field poll A new Field poll shows that California voters narrowly favor Proposition 56, but also reflects the effect of Big Tobacco's mammoth spending and deceptive messaging. The Field poll found that Prop. 56 is ahead by 53 percent to 40 percent, with six weeks before Election Day. “This is not a surprise. Tobacco companies have spent $200 million over the last 10 years in campaign contributions to defeat tobacco taxes,” said Yes on 56 Campaign Manager Jim DeBoo. “They know the tax itself will help prevent passing this deadly, costly habit ... October 13, 2016 General Election, Political Advocacy, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Ballot Measures, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physician morale continues to decline, with 80% of physicians feeling overextended U.S. physicians continue to struggle to maintain professional satisfaction levels as they are forced to adapt to changing delivery and payment models, according to a Physicians Foundation survey of 17,000 U.S. physicians. The 2016 Survey of America’s Physicians: Practice Patterns and Perspectives found that 80 percent of physicians report being overextended or at capacity, with no time to see additional patients. Not surprisingly, 54 percent of physicians surveyed rate their morale as somewhat or very negative, with 49 percent saying they are either often or always feeling burnt out. Physicians identified ... October 13, 2016 General Physician Well-Being, Physician Wellness 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physicians demand more out of digital health tools before widespread adoption A new survey by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that while the majority of physicians are enthusiastic about digital health tools, the level of enthusiasm far exceeds current adoption rates. The survey of over 1,300 physicians covered a broad range of digital health tools, including telemedicine, mobile health, wearable devices, remote monitoring, mobile apps and others. Eighty-five percent of physicians surveyed said that digital health tools can be advantageous to patient care, with the potential to improve work efficiency, increase patient safety and improve diagnostic ability. Physicians also said ... October 13, 2016 General Digital Health Tools 0 0 Comment Read More »
