Deadline extended to dispute 2015 PQRS and QRUR findings The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released data that indicates which physicians will be subject to the 2017 payment penalties associated with the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Value-Based Payment Modifier (VM) programs. Today, CMS announced that physicians who have concerns about the findings in their report(s) have until December 7 to file for an informal review of their data. The penalties in question stem from policies in effect prior to the enactment of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Failure to successfully ... December 6, 2016 General, Medicare Medicare, PQRS, Value-Based Payment Modifier 0 0 Comment Read More »
Physician corps loan repayment program accepting applications Applications are now being accepted for the next cycle of the Steven M. Thompson Loan Repayment Program. Award recipients will receive up to $105,000 to repay educational loans in exchange for a three-year service commitment in a medically underserved area of the state. The program was created in 2002 through legislation sponsored by the California Medical Association. This year's application cycle begins on December 1, 2016, and continues through February 29, 2017, a month later than usual. According to the Health Professions Education Foundation, the deadline has been extended to ... December 6, 2016 General Medical School Debt, Medical School Loans, Steven M. Thompson Loan Repayment 0 0 Comment Read More »
President's Message December 2016 December, 2016 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL A. SEQUEIRA, M.D., F.A.C.E.P. Dear Friends and Colleagues, The holiday season is upon us, bringing with it a spirit of camaraderie and mutual focus on activities, observances and celebrations that unite us. One of the best ways to pay homage to the evolution of medicine, healthcare and healers is to take a tour of the Southern California Medical Museum. Through the collaboration and generosity of Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS), the Museum now occupies the ground floor of the University’s Nursing Science Center in historic ... December 6, 2016 General, President's Message President's Message 0 0 Comment Read More »
Court proceedings begin in Anthem-Cigna mega-merger lawsuit On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and a bipartisan group of state attorneys started court proceedings to block the $48 billion mega-merger between Anthem and Cigna. The merger, if allowed to proceed, would reduce competition and increase health plan market power, compromising patients’ access to care and negatively impacting the quality and affordability of health care across the country. “The California Medical Association has opposed the Anthem-Cigna mega-merger since day one because it will hurt patients and increase health care costs,” said California Medical Association (CMA) President Ruth E. ... November 28, 2016 General, Managed Care Anthem, Cigna, Mega-mergers 0 0 Comment Read More »
Surgeon General issues landmark report on alcohol, drugs and health The U.S. Surgeon General issued a report last week calling drug and alcohol addiction a public health crisis that is underappreciated and undertreated. Nearly 21 million Americans – more than the number of people who have all cancers combined – suffer from substance use disorders. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., said he hopes that his report on drug and alcohol will galvanize work on the issue much like the groundswell of action that followed the Surgeon General's landmark report on smoking some 50 years ago. “Alcohol and drug addiction take ... November 28, 2016 General Addiction, Opioids, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
Court hears oral arguments in Oregon prescription drug monitoring database case The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments earlier this month in a patient privacy case involving law enforcement access to Oregon’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The California Medical Association (CMA) joined the American Medical Association and other western state medical associations in 2015 to file an amicus brief with the appeals court challenging the authority of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to obtain patients' private prescription records without a court order. In this case, the DEA sought patient-specific information from Oregon’s PDMP through the use of ... November 28, 2016 CMA, General CURES, Drug Prescribing, Privacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA says breastfeeding mothers must be accommodated when taking exams The California Medical Association (CMA), along with the American Medical Women’s Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), sent a letter to Prometric, one of the largest test development and delivery networks in the country, asking it to ensure that pregnant and breastfeeding test takers have consistent access to reasonable accommodations during their exams. “It has come to our attention that Prometric does not consistently provide appropriate accommodations to candidates who are pregnant or breastfeeding at the time they are taking exams at Prometric facilities,” said the letter. “These ... November 28, 2016 General Licensure, Public Health, Women's Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Steven M. Thompson Special Application Cycle The Health Professions Education Foundation can help pay for your educational loans so you can focus on caring for California's underserved. Doctors providing direct patient care for a period of three years in a medically underserved area of California can benefit from the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program. A special application cycle is open December 1, 2016 - February 28, 2017. For more information, please visit www.oshpd.ca.gov/HPEF or call (916) 326-3640. Click here to download the flyer. November 23, 2016 General Steven M. Thompson 0 0 Comment Read More »
Call for nominations: CMA Diversity and Inclusion TAC The California Medical Association (CMA) is currently seeking physician members to serve on the newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). CMA's committees and councils provide key input to the Board of Trustees to guide the association as it sets new policies. The deadline to submit an application or nomination for the Diversity and Inclusion TAC is Monday December 12, 2016. The purpose of this TAC is to assist CMA in implementing the 2016-2017 CMA Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, developed in response to House of Delegates resolution 302-14. ... November 22, 2016 CMA CMA Nominations 0 0 Comment Read More »
Anthem-Cigna mega-merger compromises health care access, quality and affordability Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a bipartisan group of state attorneys started court proceedings to block the $48 million mega-merger between Anthem and Cigna (U.S. v. Anthem Inc., 16-cv-1493). “The California Medical Association has opposed the Anthem-Cigna mega-merger since day one because it will hurt patients and increase health care costs,” said California Medical Association (CMA) President Ruth E. Haskins, M.D. “Limiting market competition would compel insurers to contract with fewer physicians, resulting in higher premiums and longer wait times for referrals – not to mention forcing ... November 22, 2016 Managed Care Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Insurance, Legal Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
