CMA pushes top 10 priorities for Medicare/Medicaid regulatory relief California physicians are overwhelmed with unnecessary, burdensome regulations that take time and resources away from providing quality patient care. These regulations are a major contributing factor to the disturbing trend in physician burnout. The California Medical Association (CMA) submitted comprehensive comments urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce the regulatory burdens under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. As part of the comment period for the proposed Medicare physician payment rule for 2018, CMS is soliciting ideas from physicians to reduce Medicare and Medicaid regulatory hassles. CMA ... September 27, 2017 Medi-Cal, Medicare Medicaid, Medicare, Regulatory Relief 0 0 Comment Read More »
MACRA 90-day reporting deadline approaching Beginning with the 2017 reporting year, eligible physicians who do not participate in the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) will see a negative 4 percent payment adjustment in 2019. QPP is the new physician payment system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). During the 2017 transition year, CMS will allow physicians to select one of three “pick your pace” participation options. Participating at any level in 2017 will ensure that you will not be hit ... September 27, 2017 Medicare CalHIPSO, MACRA, Medicare, Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), Webinars 0 0 Comment Read More »
Noridian reports spike in provider deactivations and lost revenue Noridian, Medicare’s administrative contractor for California, has seen a spike in the number of providers deactivated for not responding to Medicare revalidation notices, resulting in a gap in billing privileges and lost revenue for physicians. Noridian will send revalidation notices via email two or three months prior to the revalidation due date. Revalidation notices sent via email will indicate "URGENT: Medicare Provider Enrollment Revalidation Request" in the subject line to differentiate from other emails. If the email is returned as undeliverable, only then will Noridian will send a paper revalidation ... September 25, 2017 Medicare Medicare, Noridian, Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA urges CMS to further reduce MACRA administrative burdens The California Medical Association (CMA) recently submitted comments on proposed 2018 changes to the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), established by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Though not perfect, CMA is pleased that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has listened to physician feedback and has made changes that will significantly reduce the administrative burdens on physicians, particularly for small and rural practices. We appreciate the agency’s responsiveness to many of our concerns about the ability of physicians to successfully participate in the ... September 25, 2017 CMA, EHR, Managed Care CalHIPSO, MACRA, Medicare, Medicare Quality Payment Program, QPP, Webinars 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS now accepting QPP hardship applications for 2017 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now accepting hardship exceptions from the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) for the 2017 reporting year. Beginning with this reporting year, physicians who do not participate in QPP will see a negative 4 percent payment adjustment in 2019. Physicians who do participate may qualify for bonus payments. Physicians and groups that qualify for the QPP’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) can submit a hardship exception application for one of the following reasons: Insufficient internet connectivity ... August 9, 2017 Medicare CalHIPSO, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, MACRA, Medicare, Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS dedicates new webpage to Medicare Beneficiary Identification number change The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards to prevent identity theft. CMS has said it will in 2018 begin issuing new Medicare cards that replace the current identification number—which is the beneficiary's Social Security Number—with an all-new Medicare Beneficiary Identification (MBI) number. CMS has developed a new webpage to help physicians navigate the transition to the new MBI number, including a recently developed resource on how to talk to your ... August 8, 2017 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, MACRA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Updated payor profiles for 2017 now available The California Medical Association’s (CMA) Center for Economic Services is publishing updated profiles on each of the major payors in California including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA, Health Net, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare/Noridian and Medi-Cal. Each profile includes key information on health plan market penetration; a description of the plan’s dispute resolution process; and the name and contact numbers for medical directors, provider relations, and other key contacts. Don’t waste your time searching the internet for this information – members can download CMA’s Payor Profiles free of charge ... August 1, 2017 CMA, Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, Insurance, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Noridian, Payor, Payor Profiles, Running a Practice, UnitedHealthcare 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS releases proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for 2018 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the proposed 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The California Medical Association (CMA) is pleased to note that there are a number of positive proposed changes that would help physicians improve patient care. CMS is also soliciting ideas from physicians to reduce Medicare and Medicaid regulatory hassles. Highlights of the proposed rule include: Request for information on regulatory relief: CMA applauds CMS’ invitation for physicians to submit ideas for regulatory, policy, practice and procedural changes to improve the health care system to ... July 24, 2017 Medicare CMS, Fee Schedule, Medicare, Regulatory Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Open Payments data shows that only 5.6% of physicians looked at their records The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that in 2016, only 5.6 percent of physicians nationwide reviewed their data under the Medicare Open Payments program. Under the Open Payments program, 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. Medicare publicly released calendar-year 2016 Open Payments data on June 30 following a 45-day period during which physicians were able to review their data and dispute errors. According to CMS, only 34,871 ... July 24, 2017 Medicare CMS, Medicare, Medicare Open Payments Program 0 0 Comment Read More »
Survey finds nation's physicians not ready to fulfill MACRA reporting requirements Fewer than one in four physicians feel ready to meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Payment Program (QPP) reporting requirements, according to a survey of 1,000 physicians conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA). QPP is the new physician payment system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). It replaces the fee-for-service reimbursement model with two paths to choose from: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APM). Over half of those surveyed (56 percent) plan to participate in MIPS in ... July 24, 2017 Medicare MACRA, Medicare, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, Alternative Payment Models (APM) 0 0 Comment Read More »
