SBCMS Recognizes Inland Health Professions Coalition San Bernardino County Medical Society (SBCMS) recognizes Inland Health Professions Coalition (IHPC). Now this is partnership! SBCMS has worked with the Inland Health Professions Coalition for two consecutive years to provide high school students job shadowing opportunities through the White Coat Spring Break program. This past spring break, 23 students shadowed in physician's offices for a full week. Here, Carol Allbaugh, IHPC Director, and Michael Sacoto, IHPC Program Manager, receive recognition from Eric R. Hansen, D.O., SBCMS President, and Alison Elsner, SBCMS Executive Director. Alison and Michael work closely together to ensure ... August 16, 2017 General Inland Health Professions Coalition (IHPC), white coat spring break program 0 0 Comment Read More »
Tickets now available for 21st Annual President's Reception and Awards Gala The California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation invite you to the 21st annual President’s Reception and Awards Gala on the evening of Saturday, October 21, 2017, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. The black tie event will immediately follow CMA’s annual House of Delegates session that day. Individual tickets and tables of 10 are now available for purchase. Tickets are $200 per person and tables are $2,500. Table sponsorships also include VIP seating and program recognition. Space is limited and this special event is expected to sell out, ... August 16, 2017 Awards, CMA Awards, CMA Foundation(CMAF), House of Delegates, Physician Leadership 0 0 Comment Read More »
Q4 resolutions now accepting testimony As part of its policy-making process, the California Medical Association (CMA) allows members to submit resolutions for debate and discussion throughout the year. These resolutions will be considered by the standing Councils and Subcommittees, and will be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration to be adopted as policy for the association. There are now eight new resolutions online for consideration in the fourth quarter of 2017. They are posted at www.cmanet.org/hod and will be available for testimony until September 8, 2017. After testimony closes, the resolutions and all the ... August 10, 2017 CMA CMA Policy, House of Delegates, Important Deadline 0 0 Comment Read More »
Anthem Blue Cross terminates Medicare Advantage agreement with Brown and Toland Effective October 1, 2017, Anthem Blue Cross will terminate its contract with Brown & Toland Physicians for its Medicare Advantage product. The termination will affect approximately 1,900 Medicare Advantage enrollees in San Francisco. Affected patients will be reassigned to Asian American Medical Group, Jade Health Care Medical Group or Imperial Health Holdings Medical Group. The termination was reportedly due to a failure to reach a contractual agreement with Brown & Toland. Physicians with questions can contact Brown & Toland representative Stephanie Mamane at (415) 972-4282 or smamane@btmg.com. August 9, 2017 Managed Care, Medicare Anthem Blue Cross, Medicare Advantage, San Francisco Medical Society 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health plans begin transitioning patients from troubled Nivano The California Medical Association (CMA) has learned that two health plans—Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare (UHC)—have recently terminated their delegated agreements with Nivano Physicians Medical Group and are in the process of transferring patients from Nivano to alternative networks. Nivano, also known as Northern California Physicians Medical Group with enrollees in Placer, Nevada, Sacramento, Yuba and Colusa counties, is currently on a corrective action plan with the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) for failure to meet financial solvency criteria. CMA has also received a surge of complaints about delays in ... August 9, 2017 Managed Care Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Doc: Richard Pan, M.D. Senator Pan presenting Senate Bill 277 in Senate Health Committee "Vaccines are so effective that parents, and even many younger physicians, have never seen many vaccine preventable diseases. This lack of personal experience with these diseases has created opportunities for anti-vax charlatans to spread misinformation and create anxiety and doubt about vaccines for their own personal gain." --Sen. Richard Pan, M.D. As a physician, I have witnessed first-hand how vaccines protect our children and communities from dangerous diseases. I attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, where I learned microbiology ... August 9, 2017 CMA, General California Senate, CMAdocs, Pediatrics, Vaccination 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 »
California congressmen introduce bills to address physician shortage Two important bills have been introduced in Congress to address our state’s serious physician shortage and improve access to care in California. The first bill, the Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2017 (HR 3394), would reauthorize for an additional three years the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (GME) program that was established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Teaching Health Center program is a community-based primary care physician training program that has been extremely successful in expanding the physician workforce in underserved areas. ... August 9, 2017 General Federal Legislation, Federal Legislative Advocacy , Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, Rural Health, Underserved Communities 0 0 Comment Read More »
Has a contracted payor stopped paying claims? The California Medical Association (CMA) has recently received an increased number of calls from physicians reporting concerns that some of the entities with whom they contract may have run into financial difficulties. One of the symptoms of an insolvent health plan, IPA or other payor is the failure to pay claims in a timely manner. Another indication of financial distress is a payor that cuts checks within the statutory timeframes, but does not release the checks in a timely manner. If you are experiencing repeated payment delays, you should investigate the ... August 9, 2017 General Commercial Payors, Payor Insolvency, Payor Solvency, Payors 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physicians apprehensive regarding requests for provider directory information The California Medical Association (CMA) continues to receive inquiries from practices concerned about the validity of requests for payors to confirm physician demographic information. The requests are related to the new provider directory accuracy law that took effect on July 1, 2016 (SB 137). Under the new law, physicians are required to respond to plan and insurer notifications regarding the accuracy of their provider directory information either by confirming the information is correct or by updating demographic information as appropriate. As with any request for protected information, practices should verify ... August 9, 2017 General Medical Provider Networks, Network Adequacy, Prov ider Directories, Provider Directory Accuracy Law, Provider Networks 0 0 Comment Read More »
