Prescription drug safety during Pain Awareness Month The California Medical Association (CMA) is raising awareness on the issue of pain and its proper management this September in recognition of National Pain Awareness Month. Chronic pain — i.e. pain that persists for a protracted period of time — impacts approximately 100 million adults in America and costs the country up to $635 billion annually in lost productivity and treatment, according to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report. CMA has developed and compiled resources to help further inform physicians and educate the public on the impacts of pain, as ... September 13, 2016 General Drub Prescribing, Opioids, Pain Medicine, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
CPPPH offers two workshops on physician well-being in October California Public Protection & Physician Health (CPPPH) is hosting workshops next month in both northern and southern California for medical staffs and groups interested in physician well-being. The workshop, "Effective Functioning of Well-Being Committees for Medical Staffs and Medical Groups," will be offered October 15 in Los Angeles and October 22 in Oakland. This workshop is designed for physician health and well-being committee members, medical staff services professionals, medical staff leadership teams and others interested in improving physician well-being on an individual and organizational level. Physicians attending can receive 7.0 AMA ... September 13, 2016 General Physician Well-Being, Physician Wellness 0 0 Comment Read More »
United Healthcare fails to provide proper notification on rollout of clinical data submission protocol The California Medical Association (CMA) is concerned that United Healthcare (UHC) failed to properly notify physicians before implementation of its Clinical Data Submission Protocol. Although California law (California Insurance Code §10133.65 and Health & Safety Code §1375.7) requires payors to provide contracted physicians with the 45 business days’ advance notice of any material contracting changes, UHC's only notification to physicians about this new protocol was in its Network Bulletin. First introduced in 2015, the program originally targeted only Medicare benefit plans and required physicians to submit all laboratory test ... September 13, 2016 Managed Care, Medicare United Healthcare, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free CME: The Doctors Company offers free workshop for physicians The Doctors Company is hosting a complimentary workshop for physicians on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency. The “Surviving Litigation Seminar” is open to all physicians and practice administrators—not just members of The Doctors Company. This seminar delivers essential tips from litigation experts to help physicians understand the legal process, provide insights on how doctors can be effective in court, and teach techniques for dealing with the stress of malpractice litigation. Participants can earn 2.5 continuing medical education (CME) credits. Because of limited availability, please register before September ... September 13, 2016 General CME, Medical Malpractice, Continuing Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
Know Your Rights: Making the most out of your appeals Thanks to California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored legislation (AB 1455) signed into law in 2000 and the resulting regulations, payors are required to have a fast, fair and cost-effective dispute resolution mechanism (i.e., “appeal process”) to resolve provider disputes. Anytime a payor contests, adjusts or denies a claim, they are required to advise the provider of the availability of the appeal process and instructions for submitting the appeal. Payors are also required to acknowledge receipt of a written appeal within two working days for electronic appeals or 15 working days for ... September 13, 2016 CMA, General Know Your Rights, Appeals 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA-sponsored bills head to Governor Brown for his signature The California State Legislature has passed two California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored bills: AB 2121, a life-saving measure requiring alcohol servers and managers to complete a training course on responsible beverage service; and SB 1177, to establish a Physician Health and Wellness Program for California physicians. Another CMA-sponsored bill, SB 563, was incorporated into SB 1160 to increase transparency and accountability in the workers’ compensation utilization review process. These bills are now on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. AB 2121 would make Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control responsible beverage training ... September 13, 2016 General California Legislature, Physician Wellness, State Legislative Advocacy, Workers' Compensation, Alcohol 0 0 Comment Read More »
Surgeon General enlists nation's physicians to help end opioid abuse The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, M.D., has asked the nation’s physicians to pledge their commitment to solving a health crisis facing America—opioid misuse, abuse and overdose. “We will educate ourselves to treat pain safely and effectively,” Dr. Murthy said in a letter to physicians. “We will screen our patients for opioid use disorder and provide or connect them with evidence based treatment…We can shape how the rest of the country sees addiction by talking about and treating it as a chronic illness, not a moral failing.” In the letter, Dr. ... September 12, 2016 General Drug Prescribing, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Drug Abuse 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA warns of risks from mixing opioids with anti-anxiety drugs The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week it will require tough new warning labels that spell out the increased risks of combining anti-anxiety (benzodiazepines) with prescription opioids. Nearly 400 opioid products will now be required to carry "boxed warnings" – the FDA’s strongest warning – that highlight the risks from combined use, which include extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma and death. The new warning labels are one of a number of steps the FDA is taking as part of the agency’s Opioids Action Plan, which focuses on policies aimed ... September 12, 2016 General Food and Drug Administration, Opioids, Drug Prescribing, Prescription Drugs 0 0 Comment Read More »
ICD-10 grace period ends October 1 Physicians are reminded that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) one-year grace period for ICD-10-coded claims is coming to an end on October 1, 2016. As of that date, providers will be required to use the correct degree of specificity in their coded claims. When ICD-10 went live last year, CMS said it would not deny or audit claims as long as providers used codes in the correct "family" related to the treatment. According to CMS, the ICD-10 grace period ensured that contractors performing medical reviews would not deny ... September 12, 2016 Medi-Cal, Medicare Coding and Documentation, ICD-10, Billing/Coding 0 0 Comment Read More »
Subject matter experts needed for primary care residency grant program The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), is seeking subject matter experts to join application review panels for the Song Brown Primary Care Residency Program. The program, which provides grant funding for primary care residency programs, is looking for variety of health care professionals, including physicians, residents and students. The California Medical Association (CMA), as part of a coalition of healthcare stakeholders, was able to secure $100 million in the FY 2016-17 California State Budget to support and expand primary care residency training and programs in medically underserved ... September 12, 2016 General Primary Care, Residents and Fellows, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
