California Congressional delegation urges Gov. Brown to restore tobacco tax funds California’s Democratic Congressional delegation urged Governor Jerry Brown to restore $1.2 billion in tobacco tax funds and use them for their intended purpose: to improve access to and quality of medical services for all Californians, especially our most vulnerable communities who rely on Medi-Cal for basic care. “With the success of the expanded Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act, it is critical Medi-Cal patients not only have coverage, but that they also have access to providers that accept Medi-Cal, which has been challenging to patients since the Medicaid expansion,” ... May 22, 2017 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, Tobacco Tax Funds 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS to issue MIPS participation status notices Starting in late April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began notifying physicians whether they will be subject to Medicare's new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS is part of the new Medicare Quality Payment Program established under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Providers with less than $30,000 in Medicare payments or fewer than 100 Medicare patients are exempt from the MIPS reporting requirements. Physicians who exceed this threshold are subject to MIPS and are encouraged to participate in MIPS for the 2017 ... May 22, 2017 General, Managed Care, Medicare CMS, MACRA, Medicare, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA bans use of powdered medical gloves The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a final rule that bans the use of powdered medical gloves. The ban took effect January 18, 2017, after the FDA determined that powdered surgeons' gloves, powdered patient examination gloves and absorbable powder for lubricating surgeons' gloves present an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury to both patients and health care personnel. After a thorough review of all currently available information, the FDA concluded that the use of powder on medical gloves present numerous risks, including sensitization to natural ... May 22, 2017 General Food and Drug Administration, Office Safety 0 0 Comment Read More »
Ask the Expert QUESTION: My office is receiving an increased number of medical record requests from various payors. Can I bill the payor for copying medical records requested by the plan? ANSWER: It depends. There are several different types of requests for records including, but not limited to, a contested claim, commercial risk adjustment audit, Medicare risk adjustment audit, or special investigations audit. Most managed care contracts include language that require practices to generally comply with medical records requests at no additional cost. However, if neither the contract, nor payor policies or procedures require ... May 12, 2017 General allowable copying charges for medical records, copying medical records, reimbursed for printing medical records 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor Brown Urged to Restore Tobacco Tax Funds California’s Democratic Congressional delegation urged Governor Jerry Brown to restore $1.2 billion in tobacco tax funds and use them for their intended purpose: to improve access to and quality of medical services for all Californians, especially our most vulnerable communities who rely on Medi-Cal for basic care. “With the success of the expanded Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act, it is critical Medi-Cal patients not only have coverage, but that they also have access to providers that accept Medi-Cal, which has been challenging to patients since the Medicaid expansion,” ... May 12, 2017 Medi-Cal Medicaid funding, Medi-Cal, Tobacco Tax Funds 0 0 Comment Read More »
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day April 29, 2017 Saturday, April 29, 2017, is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On this day, hundreds of locations throughout California will be accepting and properly disposing of unused prescription drugs, including controlled substances. Proper disposal of unused prescription drugs helps prevent diversion and misuse associated with these medications. This one-day event will provide patients with free, anonymous collection of unwanted and expired medicines. In addition to providing a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposal, the event also aims to educate the general public about the potential for abuse of these ... April 19, 2017 General Drug Abuse, Drug Prescribing, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
#MatchedinCA: Making dreams come true for UCR medical students Cheers erupted from a crowd of newly minted physicians at UC Riverside (UCR) School of Medicine on March 17 – Match Day – when the medical school's first graduating class of students opened envelopes telling them where they would spend the next few years as residents. UCR School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class in 2013, was the first public medical school created in California in more than 40 years. This year it graduated 40 students, 33 of whom will stay in California for their residencies. Ten of these ... April 19, 2017 General UCR, University of Riverside School of Medicine 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free CME: Diabetes prevention webinar Diabetes remains one of California’s fastest-growing and costliest diseases, and the burden is only expected to accelerate in the coming years. An estimated 2.5 million California adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, while 13 million – nearly half of the state’s adult population – have prediabetes, increasing their risk of developing diabetes over the next few years. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose or hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Among prediabetes patients, up ... April 19, 2017 CMA, General CME, Continuing Medical Education, Diabetes, Public Health, Webinars 0 0 Comment Read More »
It's Health Care Decisions Week: Talk to your patients about their end-of-life wishes The California Medical Association (CMA) recognizes National Health Care Decisions week by encouraging physicians to speak with their patients about the importance of completing an advance directive to make sure their end-of-life wishes are known. Experts say only about 20-30 percent of Americans have completed an advance directive, even though all people age 18 and older should have one. In California, advance directives are the legally recognized format for “living wills.” An advance directive enables individuals to make sure that their health care wishes are known in advance and considered ... April 19, 2017 General Advance Directive, Advanced Care Planning, End of Life Issues, POLST 0 0 Comment Read More »
California's kindergarten vaccination rates hit new high Vaccination rates among California kindergartners are at their highest point since 2001, according to new data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Compared to 2015-16, the percentage of students attending kindergarten in 2016-17 who had received all required vaccines rose from 93 percent to 96 percent. California's new vaccine law (SB 277), which was sponsored by the California Medical Association and took effect last year, eliminated the personal belief exemption and requires all children to be up-to-date on their vaccinations prior to enrolling in a public or private ... April 19, 2017 General I Heart Immunity, Immunization, Legislative Advocacy, Public Health, Vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
