CMA congratulates Dr. Joaquin Arambula on 31st Assembly District win Joaquin Arambula, M.D., a Fresno emergency room physician and member of the California Medical Association (CMA), won a special election on Tuesday to fill a seat vacated by Henry T. Perea in the 31st district in the state Assembly. Dr. Arambula, a Democrat, received 52 percent of the 29,000 votes counted, besting Republican Clint Olivier's 42 percent. “Today, we congratulate Dr. Joaquin Arambula on a well run campaign and a well deserved victory,” said Steve Larson, M.D., president of the CMA. "CMA diligently advocates on behalf of providers and patients to ... April 12, 2016 General Election, Fresno-Madera Medical Society, State Legislature, CALPAC 0 0 Comment Read More »
United Healthcare to post patient satisfaction ratings in provider directory United Healthcare (UHC) announced in its March 2016 Network Bulletin that it has incorporated Healthgrades patient satisfaction ratings into its provider directory search tool on its myUHC.com website. Healthgrades is an independent company that allows patients to rate their satisfaction with their health care providers. UHC reports it is incorporating the patient satisfaction ratings into its provider directory to increase patient awareness and education regarding patient satisfaction and quality of care standards. Patients will rate providers – including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants – on their satisfaction level for each ... April 12, 2016 General United Healthcare 0 0 Comment Read More »
American Lung Association seeks Spanish-speaking physicians If you speak Spanish and are interested in joining the American Lung Association (ALA) as a California lung health spokesperson, they would love to talk to you. The ALA receives a lot requests from Spanish media for Spanish speaking physicians or health care professionals who can speak about lung health issues and news. Additionally, the ALA is also looking for Spanish speaking physicians to speak about the California Doctors for Climate Health campaign. This ALA campaign highlights the medical and health community's strong support for California's leadership on clean air ... April 12, 2016 General Environmental Health, Ethnic Diversity, American Lung Assocation, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Study says it will take California six years before it sees the results of its new vaccination law A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics says it will take California a full six years before the benefits of its new school vaccination law will be fully realized. The new law (Senate Bill 277), which takes effect July 1, 2016, eliminates all but medical vaccine exemptions from school vaccination requirements. The number of students in California with “grandfathered” exemptions in public and private schools will, however, remain as high as 95,090 in 2018 and 37,224 in 2020 (1.39 percent and 0.54 percent, respectively), according to the study’s authors. Their analysis ... April 4, 2016 General Public Health, Vaccination, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA and AMA urge DOI to oppose Anthem and Cigna merger Last week, the California Medical Association (CMA) testified before the California Department of Insurance (DOI), urging it to oppose the proposed merger of Anthem and Cigna. “We are concerned with the impact of this merger on physicians and patients,” said Francisco Silva, CMA general counsel and senior vice president. “We are concerned that this merger would compromise access to health care, health care quality and patient affordability.” The American Medical Association (AMA) also sent representatives to the hearing to testify against the merger. “We oppose Anthem’s goal of dominating the California ... April 4, 2016 General Department of Insurance, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Regulatory advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA meets with CMS on implementing California GPCI fix California Medical Association (CMA) physician leaders recently traveled to Baltimore, MD, to meet with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) leaders responsible for implementing the California Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) fix, which will overhaul California’s outdated geographic payment localities. CMA was represented at the GPCI meeting by Larry DeGhetaldi, M.D., division president of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Santa Cruz, and Edward Bentley, M.D., a gastroenterologist in solo practice in Santa Barbara. Both physicians have worked on the GPCI issue for CMA for more than a decade. ... April 4, 2016 Medicare CMS, Federal Legislative Advocacy, Geographic Practice Cost Index, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, GPCI 0 0 Comment Read More »
Open Payments review and dispute period now open Drug and medical device manufacturers have completed their submission of data to the Open Payments system on payments or transfers of value made to physicians and teaching hospitals during 2015. Physicians and teaching hospitals now have 45 days to review and dispute records attributed to them. The review and dispute period is open from April 1 until May 15, 2016. The review and dispute process is voluntary, but encouraged. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will publish the 2015 payment data and updates to the 2013 and 2014 ... April 4, 2016 General, Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare CMS, Physician Payments Sunshine Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Physicians Foundation invites physicians to participate in fourth annual survey The Physicians Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower physicians to lead in the delivery of high-quality, cost-efficient health care, is launching its fourth national Survey of America’s Physicians, one of the largest physician surveys ever undertaken in the United States. “This national survey allows physicians to share their perspective on the state of the medical profession,” said Walker Ray, M.D., Physicians Foundation president. “We’d like to hear from as many physicians as possible so we can accurately understand – and share with the public – physicians’ perspectives on ... April 4, 2016 General Survey, The Physicians Foudation 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA council reports now available for comment At the close of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) 2015 House of Delegates, new governance reforms took effect. One of the most significant changes to the bylaws allows for the submission of resolutions for debate and discussion by members throughout the year. CMA opened its second quarter resolutions for online comment in February. On March 18, the close of the comment period, member input was used to inform the Council on Science and Public Health, Council on Medical Services, and Council on Health Professions and Quality of Care, which then ... April 4, 2016 CMA House of Delegates 0 0 Comment Read More »
New POLST toolkits available online in English and Spanish Physicians across California are successfully using Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) to improve patient care at the end of life. POLST is a legally recognized document, printed on bright pink paper, that outlines a plan of care reflecting patients' wishes concerning medical treatment and interventions toward the end of our lives. Under a new law that took effect January 1, 2016, nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA) acting under the direction of a physician and within their scope of practice are now able to sign the POLST forms ... April 4, 2016 General Life Sustaining Treatment, Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment, POLST, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
