Song-Brown residency program grant cycle begins July 31 The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) will soon be accepting the next round of applications from California residency programs seeking grant funding for new or existing resident positions. The 2014-2015 California State Budget allocated $7 million to expand OSHPD's Song-Brown Program to create more residency slots in the state and to open the program to all primary care specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics). Thanks in large part to the advocacy of the California Medical Association, the budget also included $4 million in one-time funding ... July 14, 2015 General Residents and Fellows 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS to begin provider reimbursement for end-of-life care On July 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the first proposed update to the Medicare physician payment schedule since the repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula through the Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015. One of the biggest changes in the CMS proposal is the assignment of codes to pay providers for end-of-life consultations. In addition the department would make advance care planning “an optional element” of a beneficiary's annual wellness visit. The American Medical Association (AMA) lauded ... July 14, 2015 Medicare CMS, End of Life Issures, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
Simplification of accreditation requirements adds value for providers of CME In 2014, the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) streamlined some of the CME accreditation requirements for hospitals and other organizations. Having encouraged these changes, the California Medical Association (CMA) and its Institute of Medical Quality (IMQ) quickly moved to adopt the ACCME revisions. IMQ also simplified the California-specific requirements for cultural and linguistic competency. In addition to the streamlined accreditation requirements, IMQ significantly expanded its outreach efforts to help CME providers understand and comply with the new accreditation criteria and policies. IMQ has also created a CME Provider ... July 14, 2015 General Hospital Accreditation, Institute for Medical Quality, CME Accreditation, IMQ 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS publishes 2014 open payment data On June 30, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the 2014 Open Payments data of financial transactions between drug and medical device makers and health care providers. The data includes information about 11.4 million financial transactions attributed to over 600,000 physicians and more than 1,100 teaching hospitals nationwide, totaling $6.49 billion. The Sunshine Act requires drug and medical device manufacturers and group purchasing organizations to report their financial interactions with licensed physicians – including consulting fees, travel reimbursements, research grants and other gifts. Last year’s inaugural launch of ... July 14, 2015 Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Physician Payments Sunshine Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Foundation awards 8 new Medical Student Community Leadership Grants The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation's Medical Student Community Leadership Grant Program supports health-related educational, advocacy, community service and other outreach programs that enhance the well-being of California communities. Grant applications are reviewed on a semi-annual basis; the next application deadline is October 30, 2015. The CMA Foundation is proud to announce eight exciting newly-funded programs! MedDiction.com – Medical Student Resource and Dictionary: Students at the UCSF School of Medicine will be creating a simple medical dictionary and medical education resource site that caters specifically to medical ... July 13, 2015 Awards, General Medical Students, CMA Foundation 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Foundation's 2015 Leadership Awards: Call for nominations The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation and its Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) are seeking nominations for the 2015 Leadership Awards, which celebrate the efforts of extraordinary individuals and organizations who make a difference in the health of Californians. The four awards include: The Ethnic Physician Leadership Award This award recognizes an individual physician for his or her contributions toward the health of various ethnic communities, who has shown great success in eliminating health disparities, addressing access to care, and improving cultural competency and patient advocacy. The purpose of the award ... July 13, 2015 Awards, General CMA Foundation, NEPO, Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, Awards 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Capitol Insight: July 6, 2015 CMA Capitol Insight is a biweekly column by veteran journalist Anthony York, reporting on the inner workings of the state Legislature. Signatures and special sessions A controversial measure was signed into law last week by Gov. Jerry Brown – Senate Bill 277 (Pan), which eliminates the personal belief exemption from mandatory vaccinations for all public school children. The real question now is what comes next. Brown’s signature sets off a 90-day clock for opponents of the bill to qualify a referendum. If the requisite signatures are gathered, the measure would not ... July 13, 2015 General Anthony York, CMA Capitol Insight 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS announces changes to make Medicare ICD-10 transition less disruptive for physicians The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will provide a one-year grace period during which it will allow for flexibility in the claims payment, auditing and quality reporting processes as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD-10 code set. The ICD-10 implementation date of October 1, 2015, has not changed. The changes announced include: Claim denials: Medicare review contractors will not deny claims based solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 diagnosis code as long as a valid code from the right family of codes ... July 13, 2015 Managed Care, Medicare CMS, ICD-10, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
SBCMS Accepting Resumes for Executive Director Position Looking for a rewarding place to work with a sophisticated work environment while working effectively with physician leaders? San Bernardino County Medical Society (SBCMS) is currently accepting resumes for the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall management and operation and oversight of the SBCMS and its subsidiary and ancillary organizations. Salary and benefits will be competitive and negotiable commensurate with qualifications and experience. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position; a resume, references, and ... July 13, 2015 General executive director 0 0 Comment Read More »
Slight increase to Medicare reimbursement rates effective as of July 1 A 0.5 percent physician payment increase will go into effect for dates of service from July 1 through December 31, 2015. This mid-year increase is a result of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the updated RVU files reflecting the payment increase and new conversion factor, $35.9335 (previously $35.7547). Noridian, the Medicare Administrative Contractor for California, has posted the new fee schedule that will be in effect from July 1 through December 31, 2015. There will be an additional 0.5 ... July 6, 2015 Medicare Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
