Free CME: The Doctors Company offers free workshop for physicians The Doctors Company is hosting a complimentary workshop for physicians on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency. The “Surviving Litigation Seminar” is open to all physicians and practice administrators—not just members of The Doctors Company. This seminar delivers essential tips from litigation experts to help physicians understand the legal process, provide insights on how doctors can be effective in court, and teach techniques for dealing with the stress of malpractice litigation. Participants can earn 2.5 continuing medical education (CME) credits. Because of limited availability, please register before September ... September 13, 2016 General CME, Medical Malpractice, Continuing Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
Know Your Rights: Making the most out of your appeals Thanks to California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored legislation (AB 1455) signed into law in 2000 and the resulting regulations, payors are required to have a fast, fair and cost-effective dispute resolution mechanism (i.e., “appeal process”) to resolve provider disputes. Anytime a payor contests, adjusts or denies a claim, they are required to advise the provider of the availability of the appeal process and instructions for submitting the appeal. Payors are also required to acknowledge receipt of a written appeal within two working days for electronic appeals or 15 working days for ... September 13, 2016 CMA, General Know Your Rights, Appeals 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA-sponsored bills head to Governor Brown for his signature The California State Legislature has passed two California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored bills: AB 2121, a life-saving measure requiring alcohol servers and managers to complete a training course on responsible beverage service; and SB 1177, to establish a Physician Health and Wellness Program for California physicians. Another CMA-sponsored bill, SB 563, was incorporated into SB 1160 to increase transparency and accountability in the workers’ compensation utilization review process. These bills are now on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. AB 2121 would make Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control responsible beverage training ... September 13, 2016 General California Legislature, Physician Wellness, State Legislative Advocacy, Workers' Compensation, Alcohol 0 0 Comment Read More »
Surgeon General enlists nation's physicians to help end opioid abuse The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, M.D., has asked the nation’s physicians to pledge their commitment to solving a health crisis facing America—opioid misuse, abuse and overdose. “We will educate ourselves to treat pain safely and effectively,” Dr. Murthy said in a letter to physicians. “We will screen our patients for opioid use disorder and provide or connect them with evidence based treatment…We can shape how the rest of the country sees addiction by talking about and treating it as a chronic illness, not a moral failing.” In the letter, Dr. ... September 12, 2016 General Drug Prescribing, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Drug Abuse 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA warns of risks from mixing opioids with anti-anxiety drugs The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week it will require tough new warning labels that spell out the increased risks of combining anti-anxiety (benzodiazepines) with prescription opioids. Nearly 400 opioid products will now be required to carry "boxed warnings" – the FDA’s strongest warning – that highlight the risks from combined use, which include extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death. The new warning labels are one of a number of steps the FDA is taking as part of the agency’s Opioids Action Plan, which focuses on policies aimed ... September 12, 2016 General Food and Drug Administration, Opioids, Drug Prescribing, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
ICD-10 grace period ends October 1 Physicians are reminded that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) one-year grace period for ICD-10-coded claims is coming to an end on October 1, 2016. As of that date, providers will be required to use the correct degree of specificity in their coded claims. When ICD-10 went live last year, CMS said it would not deny or audit claims as long as providers used codes in the correct "family" related to the treatment. According to CMS, the ICD-10 grace period ensured that contractors performing medical reviews would not deny ... September 12, 2016 Medi-Cal, Medicare Coding and Documentation, ICD-10, Billing/Coding 0 0 Comment Read More »
Subject matter experts needed for primary care residency grant program The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), is seeking subject matter experts to join application review panels for the Song Brown Primary Care Residency Program. The program, which provides grant funding for primary care residency programs, is looking for variety of health care professionals, including physicians, residents and students. The California Medical Association (CMA), as part of a coalition of healthcare stakeholders, was able to secure $100 million in the FY 2016-17 California State Budget to support and expand primary care residency training and programs in medically underserved ... September 12, 2016 General Primary Care, Residents and Fellows, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
Reminder: 2016 is last year to start Medi-Cal EHR Incentive Program The Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program provides funding to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) providers and hospitals to adopt, implement, upgrade and make meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Eligible providers should be aware that 2016 is the last year that eligible providers can sign up for the program. Since the program began in 2011, more than 20,000 Medi-Cal professionals have qualified, receiving more than $500 million in incentive payments. Professionals can individually receive up to $63,750 in incentive payments over six years, with the largest payment of $21,250 in ... September 12, 2016 Medi-Cal EHR, Certified EHRs, Electronic Health Record, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
AAP urges states to take firmer stand on nonmedical vaccine exemptions The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) this week called nonmedical vaccine exemption laws a failure and urged state governments to follow California's lead by eliminating nonmedical exemptions and enacting policies to improve immunization rates. “It’s clear that states with more lenient exemptions policies have lower immunization rates, and it’s these states where we have seen disease outbreaks occur as the rates slip below the threshold needed to maintain community immunity,” said Geoffrey R. Simon, M.D., lead author of AAP's new policy statement, “Medical Versus Nonmedical Immunization Exemptions for Child Care ... September 12, 2016 General Pediatrics, Personal Belief Exemption, Public Health, Vaccination, American Academy of Pediatrics, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
