California GPCI fix implementation to begin in January Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Medicare physician fee schedule for 2017, which begins implementation of the long overdue overhaul of California’s outdated geographic payment localities. The California Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) fix will update California’s Medicare physician payment regions and raise payment levels for 14 urban California counties misclassified as rural, while holding the remaining rural counties permanently harmless (starting in 2018) from cuts. All California payment localities will transition to Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The transition to the new localities starts next ... November 8, 2016 Medicare Geographic Practice Cost Index, GPCI, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Register now for November 16 webinar on prenatal vaccinations The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) invites health care providers to attend its November 16, 2016, educational webinar: Providing Strong and Reassuring Recommendations for Prenatal Vaccinations. Taking place from 12 to 1 p.m. PT, this free webinar will focus on immunization recommendations for pregnant women and best practices for improving immunization rates in this population. Attendees will learn tips and techniques for communicating with their patients about the benefits of prenatal vaccination against pertussis and influenza, as well as ways to improve vaccination rates in their own practices. To register, click ... November 8, 2016 General Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, Vaccination, Webinars, Women's Health, Immunization 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS publishes MACRA measure selection tool for physicians The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a tool that will let physicians review and select the MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015) quality measures that best fit their practice. Under MACRA, CMS will begin measuring performance for eligible clinicians in 2017 through the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), with payment adjustments based on those results beginning in 2019. The MIPS payment adjustments will be based on performance in four categories: quality, resource use, clinical practice improvement activities and electronic health record (EHR) use. ... November 7, 2016 Medicare MACRA, Quality Reporting 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free online CME course on e-cigarettes and cough reflex sensitivity Physician’s Weekly offers several continuing medical education (CME) activities on its website at http://www.physiciansweekly.com/cme-corner. The latest course, “CME: E-Cigarettes and Cough Reflex Sensitivity,” tackles the recent vaping craze. With information presented by Peter V. Dicpinigaitis, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, this course discusses the effects of a single exposure to e-cigarette vapor on cough reflex sensitivity. To obtain CME, participants must review the course, correctly answer two out of three questions on the post test, and complete and submit an activity evaluation. This activity has been ... November 7, 2016 General CME, Continuing Medical Education, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
Tip: Smartphones in the office To protect patient privacy, develop a written policy on camera and smartphone use in the office. Although there is no law prohibiting a patient from taking photos or using mobile technology in a physician office, many practices implement office policies so that it is clear to staff and to patients what is allowed in the office and under what circumstances. For more information, see “Ask the Expert: Smartphones in the Office” available free to members in CMA's online resource library. Trouble getting paid? We can help! CMA’s Center for Economic Services ... November 7, 2016 General HIPAA Privacy Rule, Privacy, Tip of the Month 0 0 Comment Read More »
Members: Is your health insurance open enrollment coming up soon? Open enrollment time is right around the corner. Are your rates going up? Want to shop around? The California Medical Association (CMA) sponsored health insurance program with Mercer can help. Whether you are an individual policyholder or a member of a group health plan, CMA members have access to best-in-class insurance programs for individuals and small groups through Mercer. The open enrollment period for individual and family plans starts on November 1, 2016. Many practices have open enrollment periods for small groups on December 1 or January 1. Whether you ... November 7, 2016 CMA, General Member Benefits 0 0 Comment Read More »
MACRA does not create new reporting burdens, is significant improvement over existing law On October 14, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final rule to implement the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, known as MACRA. The final regulation represents a significant improvement over the existing Medicare payment system and quality reporting programs. The California Medical Association (CMA), the American Medical Association (AMA) and 788 other physician organizations supported the MACRA legislation because it reduces the administrative burdens in the Medicare fee-for-service quality and electronic health record (EHR) reporting programs. The MACRA legislation and the ... November 7, 2016 Medicare MACRA, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Save the date for Palliative Care Summit on March 13-14, 2017 The 9th annual Palliative Care Summit, hosted by the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) and Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition, will feature as its keynote speaker Eric J. Cassell, M.D. Dr. Cassell is the author of The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine, considered by many to be the foundation of the palliative care movement. Additional speakers include Jennifer Kent, director of the California Department of Health Care Services, and B.J. Miller, M.D., a hospice and palliative medicine physician at the UCSF Helen Diller Family ... November 4, 2016 General Conferences, Palliative Care 0 0 Comment Read More »
First annual HOD poster presentations a huge success The California Medical Association (CMA) hosted its first ever House of Delegates (HOD) poster session to showcase research by medical students, residents and fellows around the state. The winners were Alexandra Iacob, M.D., a pediatrics resident at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and Sahil Aggarwall, a second-year medical student from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Iacob's research looked at the after-effects of non-fatal drowning to see if medical care could be improved and if policies could be developed to reduce the devastating effects "not only for the patient but ... November 4, 2016 Awards, CMA residents and Fellows, House of Delegates, Medical Students 0 0 Comment Read More »
2016 Voter Guide: Why your vote counts when it comes to health care With 17 statewide initiatives, the November 2016 ballot includes the largest number of measures since 2000, when 20 measures qualified. Among these initiatives are a handful that could have a significant impact on patient access to care and the state of health care in California. Vote with California’s doctors to increase patient access to care and improve health care in the Golden State! Below is a summary of the propositions as they relate to health care, as well as the California Medical Association's official positions on the measures. Proposition 52: State ... November 4, 2016 General Ballot Measures, Political Advocacy, Prop. 55, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax) 0 0 Comment Read More »
