CMA submits comments on Meaningful Use Stage 3 to CMS On May 29, the California Medical Association (CMA) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on the Meaningful Use Stage 3 notice of proposed rulemaking. Under the federal electronic health records (EHR) incentive programs, qualifying Medicare and Medi-Cal providers are eligible to receive incentive payments for adopting and demonstrating “meaningful use” of certified health information technology (HIT). The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on March 30, specifies the final stage of meaningful use criteria that eligible ... June 5, 2015 General Electronic Health Record, Health Information Technology, HIT, EHR, Meaningful Use 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA changes stance on physician aid in dying, takes neutral position on End of Life Option Act The California Medical Association (CMA) has changed its long-standing position on the issue of physician aid in dying, and has taken a neutral position on Senate Bill 128 (Monning/Wolk), the End of Life Option Act. The organization’s physician leadership decided to change CMA’s decades-old policy after several committee hearings and an extensive amount of discussion by members. A final vote was taken by the CMA Board of Trustees in April, making CMA the first state medical association in the nation to change its stance on physician aid in dying. “The decision ... June 5, 2015 General Physician Aid in Dying, State Legislation, End of Life Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
Save the date: 2016 Leadership Academy to feature Karl Rove and Donna Brazile Check your calendar and save the date for the 2016 Western Health Care Leadership Academy to be held in San Francisco May 13-15 at the Hilton. The opening session will feature a preview of the 2016 Presidential election and its impacts on health care. Speakers for this session include Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Donna Brazile, Al Gore’s campaign manager and Democratic National Committee Vice Chair. Physicians and nurses, medical practice managers and other health care professionals will find ... June 5, 2015 General Western Health Care Leadership Academy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA and NORCAL Mutual announce expanded partnership NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company announced this week that it would expand its long-standing relationship with the California Medical Association (CMA). NORCAL Mutual and CMA both share a commitment to protecting physicians and patients, and ensuring the viability of the health care marketplace through advocacy. This partnership will help support the work that CMA does on behalf of its members in the coming year. “NORCAL has always been a strong supporter of the California medical community in a variety of ways, and we are excited to continue and expand our partnership. ... June 5, 2015 General NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company 0 0 Comment Read More »
Dev GnanaDev M.D. reappointed to the Medical Board of California Dev GnanaDev, M.D. of Redlands has been reappointed to the Medical Board of California, where he has served since 2011. He has been a clinical professor of surgery at the Western University for Health Sciences since 1995; an associate professor of surgery at Loma Linda University since 1993; and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center since 1989, where he was medical director from 2000 to 2012. He has been president and chief executive officer of the California University of Science and Medicine since ... June 5, 2015 General Dev GnanaDev MD, Medical Board of California 0 0 Comment Read More »
Preview the new location of Southern California Medical Museum The Southern California Medical Museum invites you to a preview of their new location on the Western University of Health Sciences campus at the Nursing Science Center in the heart of downtown Pomona. Thursday, June 25, 2015 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 350 S. Garey Ave. 1st Floor, Pomona, CA 91766 RSVP: Debbie Long at dlong@sbcms.org or 909-273-6000 Call Send SMS Call from mobile Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype June 2, 2015 General Western University of Health Sciences, Southern California Medical Museum 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA files amicus brief before the California Supreme Court in La Vida IPA nonpayment case The California Medical Association (CMA) recently filed an amicus brief in the California Supreme Court in Centinela Freeman Emergency Medical Assocs. v. Health Net et al. to urge a fair and just interpretation of provisions within the Knox-Keene Act that permit health plans to delegate payment responsibility to risk-bearing organizations (RBO). CMA filed the brief to support the plaintiffs in the case, out-of-network health care providers who were left unpaid for emergency medical care when La Vida Independent Practice Association went bankrupt in 2010. Most of the major Knox-Keene ... June 2, 2015 General Legal Advocacy, Emergency Physicians 0 0 Comment Read More »
Malcolm Gladwell talks problem solving at Western Health Care Leadership Academy Physicians must be mystery solvers, not puzzle solvers, to successfully deal with the problems of the modern era, said New York Times bestselling author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell in his address to hundreds of physicians at the Western Health Care Leadership Academy on Friday. Gladwell, a keynote speaker at the Hollywood event, spent his keynote illustrating the difference between two conflicting types of problems: mysteries and puzzles — a distinction originally made by national security expert Gregory Treverton. According to the theory, puzzles occur when there is not enough information to ... June 2, 2015 General Western Health Care Leadership Academy 0 0 Comment Read More »
IMQ offers free online course on identifying and reporting child abuse The California Medical Association's Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) announced that it will offer free training on ways to recognize and report child abuse and neglect. This interactive online course was produced by the Child Abuse Prevention center in Sacramento and designed for physicians who, because of their training or their practice, may not be familiar with indications of child abuse. Nurses, social workers and other health care professionals can also benefit from the training, particularly because they often have more extensive contact with patients or families. IMQ has received ... June 2, 2015 General Institute for Medical Quality, Maternal and Child Health, Reporting Abuse/Violence, Continuing Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA supports bill to eliminate RAC incentives that cause punitive and burdensome auditing The California Medical Association (CMA) has announced its support of a bill introduced in Congress on May 22 that would reform the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) system. It is titled the Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015 and was introduced by North Carolina Congressman George Holding. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 established the Medicare RAC program to combat fraud and waste in the Medicare system. Initially launched in 2005 as a demonstration project in three states (California, Florida and New York), the Centers for ... June 2, 2015 Medicare Advocacy, Federal Legislation, Medicare, Recovery Audit Program 0 0 Comment Read More »
