CMA attends California Democratic, Republican Party Conventions to showcase health care efforts The California Medical Association (CMA) sent a large contingent of physicians, medical students and staff to the California Democratic Party Convention in Los Angeles, March 7-9. As the trial lawyers are major Democratic party financial contributors, our presence was critical to the ongoing battle over the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). Joining the group of 3,000 California Democratic delegates and guests, CMA’s physicians and medical students, donning their crisp white lab coats, had a major presence. Roaming the halls, lining the backs of caucus rooms and speaking to delegates, ... March 20, 2014 General Advocacy, Legislative Advocacy, Professional Liability 0 0 Comment Read More »
House-passed SGR repeal with mandate penalty delay is DOA In a 238-181 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed HR 4015, a bill to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) and put in place a replacement payment system with an amendment offered by House Republican leaders that would pay for the repeal through a five-year delay of the Affordable Care act's individual mandate penalty. Though cheered by House Republicans, the legislation is viewed as "dead on arrival" by policy analysts and health care providers, as its defeat in the U.S. Senate is a near certainty. The move ... March 17, 2014 Medicare Insurance/Reimbursement, Advocacy, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA announces sponsored bill package for 2014 The California Medical Association (CMA) recently announced its sponsored bill package for 2014, which includes legislation that would increase access to care in California, restore the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider rate cut and strengthen physicians' rights when contracting with managed care plans. Below are summaries of CMA's eight sponsored bills: All Products Clauses (AB 2400) This bill would prohibit health service plans from executing agreements with physicians that contain provisions requiring them to participate in all networks or products that are currently offered or that may be offered by the health ... March 7, 2014 General Legislative Advocacy, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Field Poll shows broad voter support for health warning labels on sugar sweetened beverages Sacramento- The California Medical Association (CMA) is pleased to see the recently released poll figures suggesting that California voters support the notion of applying health-warning labels on sodas and other sugar sweetened beverages. The poll, which was conducted by The Field Poll and The California Endowment, found that 74 percent of voters support the requirement to apply health warning labels to sugar sweetened beverages, with 52 percent of voters “strongly” endorsing the requirement. Support for the labeling of potentially harmful beverages was also bipartisan, with 80 percent of Democrats, 64 ... February 20, 2014 General Advocacy, State Legislative Advocacy, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Legislative Leadership Conference coming April 22 Mark your 2014 calendars now for the 40th annual California Medical Association (CMA) Legislative Leadership Conference. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento, just three blocks from the State Capitol and across the street from CMA headquarters. This is a unique event for California physicians and is free of charge to all CMA members. Plan to join more than 400 physicians, medical students and CMA Alliance members who will be coming to Sacramento to lobby their legislative leaders as champions for medicine and their patients. Prior ... January 27, 2014 General Legislative Leadership Day, State Legislation, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA fights to protect patient privacy in CURES prescription database The California Medical Association (CMA) has filed an amicus brief with the California Court of Appeal in Alwin Lewis, M.D. v. Superior Court of the State of California, asking the court to give meaningful privacy protection to patient data collected in the Controlled Substance and Utilization Review and Evaluation Systems (CURES) database. In this case, a Medical Board of California investigator testified that the board routinely obtains confidential prescribing records from CURES for all patients of physicians subject to medical board investigations, even where the complaint is unrelated to the ... January 14, 2014 General CURES, Legal Advocacy, Privacy, Advocacy, Amicus Briefs 0 0 Comment Read More »
House passes budget with three month SGR patch The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bipartisan two-year budget deal that includes a three-month patch that will stop the 24 percent Medicare physician payment cut that would otherwise take effect January 1, 2014—and replace it with a 0.5 percent payment raise—which will give lawmakers a little more time to finalize the long-term Medicare payment reforms currently making their way through Congress. The budget now goes to the U.S. Senate, which is expected to approve the measure next week. December 13, 2013 Medicare Advocacy, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Trial lawyers begin collecting signatures for anti-MICRA ballot initiative Driven by greed and the promise of inflated attorney fees, California trial lawyers have renewed their fight to lift the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) cap on speculative, non-economic damages, presenting ballot language that seeks to more than quadruple the maximum award for non-economic damages to roughly $1.1 million. If successful, these efforts would be devastating to California’s health care system. More meritless lawsuits will lead to reduced patient access to our health care professionals – and fewer options for affordable, quality health care – especially in rural and ... December 3, 2013 General Advocacy, MICRA, Professional Liability, Medical Malpractice 0 0 Comment Read More »
2014 Medicare fee schedule confirms 24 percent cut Demonstrating yet again how broken the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula is, physicians will face a 24 percent Medicare payment cut next year if Congress does not seize the opportunity to put a stop to the formula's annual threat of drastic payment cuts. This figure was confirmed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week, when the agency released its final physician fee schedule for 2014. The California Medical Association (CMA) is currently reviewing the final rule, which was released much later than usual because of ... December 3, 2013 Medicare Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Advocacy, Insurance/Reimbursement 0 0 Comment Read More »
Both houses of Congress working together in an unprecedented collaboration to repeal SGR http:///On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee released an unprecedented bipartisan and bicameral “discussion draft” proposal that would fully repeal the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. The draft legislation would not provide automatic payment increases for 10 years. However, starting in 2016 physicians can choose to participate in new payment models (such as medical homes) and qualify for 5 percent annual bonuses. In 2017 and beyond, physicians remaining in the fee-for-service program can participate in a new “value-based performance payment program,” which ... November 5, 2013 Medicare Insurance/Reimbursement, Medicare, SGR, Sustainable Growth Rate, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
