House of Delegates Highlights October 14, 2013 General Advocacy, California Political Action Committee, CALPAC, Electronic Health Record, Health Information Technology, MICRA, Professional Liability, EHR, House of Delegates, Insurance/Reimbursement 0 House of Delegates acts on hospital care The California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates has voted to take action on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) "outpatient patient observation" status, finding it to be a practice that places undue financial burden on patients, complicates the practice of medicine and often results in physicians receiving reduced payments for services provided. Resolution 211-13, which received strong support on the floor of the House, was submitted as an emergency resolution and asked that CMA request that CMS eliminate its "outpatient patient observation" status, which is placed upon patients whose anticipated hospital stay is 48 hours or less. Supporters of the resolution noted that this practice places undue financial burden on patients, while also creating administrative hurdles if the patient is subsequently admitted as an inpatient to the hospital. The resolution was adopted by the House and now directs CMA staff to work with CMS to address the issue. Delegates support work towards EHR interoperability The California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates today displayed a strong show of support for electronic health record (EHR) interoperability (Res. 518-13) and directed the association to support the development of a secure, interoperable, nationwide health information exchange network. Supporters of the resolution noted that much work needs to be done to achieve meaningful interoperability and facilitate efficient, timely and coordinated patient care among providers in different geographical areas. The resolution directs CMA to support efforts to harmonize standards and specifications that would enable usability and interoperability of EHR systems and facilitate the exchange of health information among health care providers. Delegates show record support for political action committee In a record-setting show of support for CALPAC, the California Medical Association (CMA) political action committee, members of the CMA House of Delegates this weekend contributed a total of roughly $176,000, besting last year’s previous high of $152,000 by $24,000. The remarkable number was reached without harming the facial hair of any physicians in attendance. Last year, if you recall, then CALPAC chair and new CMA president Richard E. Thorp, M.D., promised to shave his famous moustache in front of the House if the delegates hit the $150,000 mark. The new record was instead spurred in large part by the trial lawyers’ all-out assault on California's historic tort reform law, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). The trial-lawyer backed Consumer Watchdog has submitted language for a ballot initiative that would more than quadruple California's current $250,000 cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases and create a cash windfall for the trial attorneys who calculate their fees based upon the size of the total jury award. CALPAC is the first line of defense for California’s historic physician protections, which help keep malpractice premiums in-check and ensure that California’s patients have access to affordable health care. While the record breaking donations were a House-wide effort, several districts and sections boasted an unprecedented 100 percent participation, including the medical student and resident/fellow sections. The donations collected over the weekend, as well as all contributions made to CALPAC, will be used to defend MICRA and to support candidates who share medicine’s agenda and priorities and will work to affect policies beneficial to the House of Medicine. Delegates vote to support payment for telephone and email consultations Voting with an overwhelming majority, the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates has said that insurers should be required to reimburse physicians for telephonic and electronic patient management. The resolution (Res. 407-13) asks CMA to sponsor legislation to that effect when politically and economically feasible. The resolution received nearly universal support during testimony, with many speakers noting that patients are increasingly relying upon telephone calls and emails for consultations that previously were conducted during in-office appointments. Under the language adopted by the House, payment for these consultations would be similar to office visits that are similar in complexity or time required from the treating physicians. The issue of payment for telephonic or electronic patient management has come before the House in the past, with CMA previously having adopted policy to support the practice, but this latest resolution explicitly asks the association to sponsor legislation to mandate the practice in California. Comments are closed.
