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"News You Can Use" <> August 11, 2015



CONTENTS

ABOVE THE FOLD

SDCMS Member Dr. Richard Butcher Named Practitioner of the Year by National Medical Association: Richard Butcher, MD, SDCMS member for nearly 50 years, was named the National Medical Association’s Practitioner of the Year at the NMA Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly on August 1. Congratulations, Dr. Butcher! Click Here for Details

Love or Hate Microsoft Outlook? Maybe More Hate Than Love? Sign up for a free “Taming Microsoft Outlook” workshop on Saturday, August 22, from 8:00am to noon. Email Gehring@SDCMS.org or click here to register now.

Second ICD-10 Boot Camp Added in San Diego on August 27–28: $399 for SDCMS members and staff, a $200 discount! Click Here for Details and to Register

Leader’s Toolkit Workshop, Sept. 19–20: SDCMS members interested in learning a lot about leadership and management in a very short period of time, email Gehring@SDCMS.org to reserve your spot at our Sept. 19–20 workshop. Limited to 16 participants — sign up now!

Physicians & Office Managers: What’s Your Biggest Headache or Concern Right Now?

  • Government Mandates
  • Malpractice Insurance Premiums
  • Medi-Cal Rates
  • Medicare Rates
  • Payor Headaches
  • Staffing Issues
  • Technology Costs
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Your EHR
  • Other

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND — One respondent will win a $50 Starbucks gift card!

Following are the headaches from our July 22 “News You Can Use”:

  • 50%: Our EHR
  • 25%: High Real Estate Costs
  • 25%: Low Medi-Cal Rates

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YOUR MEMBER SERVICES QUIZ

Question: I’m having a tough time understanding how to register for the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). What do I need to do to gain access? Click Here for the Answer

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FEDERAL

CMS Releases Proposed 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule:

  • Reflects the July 1, 2015, 0.5% payment increase and an additional January 1, 2016, 0.5% payment increase.
  • Proposes paying for advance care planning and end-of-life counseling.
  • Seeks comment on the 2019 implementation of the new Medicare payment system adopted by Congress as part of the permanent repeal of the SGR formula.
  • Notes CMS’s strong support for promoting primary care services and solicites comments on potential coverage of collaborative care services and an expansion of the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative.
  • Includes an expansion of payment for telehealth services, mainly for in-home treatments for end-stage renal disease.

CMA is carefully analyzing the multitude of changes to the physician payment system and will be submitting extensive comments. Click Here for Details

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STATE

Special Session on Medi-Cal Financing Underway in Sacramento — on the Agenda:

  • Funding the current $1.1 billion shortfall.
  • Restoring physician reimbursement rates.
  • 2017 financing when Calif. must begin paying for 10% of enrollees “newly eligible” under the ACA.

CMA continues to push the issue of Medi-Cal reimbursement rates and patient access over the finish line. Click Here for Details

Covered California Statewide Premium Costs to Rise 4% in 2016: Click Here for Details

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ICD-10

CMA Updates Its ICD-10 Transition Guide — Now Includes:

  • a new table indicating code categories that are expanded as well as those that are reduced under ICD-10
  • information on how payors will handle prior authorizations around the transition date
  • listing and links to CMA’s live ICD-10 training courses
  • information on the CMS’s “grace period”
  • a visual of the anatomy of ICD-10 code structure

Click Here for Details

Second ICD-10 Boot Camp Added in San Diego on August 27–28: $399 for SDCMS members and staff, a $200 discount! Click Here for Details and to Register

Is Your Office Working on ICD-10 Compliance? Click here for a number of SDCMS members-only resources (email Membership@SDCMS.org for login assistance), and here for a number of CMA members-only resources. October 1 is right around the corner!

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BENEFITS / PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

CMA Releases 2015 Annotated Model Medical Staff Bylaws: Free to members! Click Here for Details

CMA Practice Resources (CPR) for August:

  • Updated Payor Profiles: Click Here
  • New Noridian Audits: Click Here
  • Oct. 6 In-person Noridian San Diego Workshop: Click Here
  • Can My PA/NP See My Patients When I’m on Vacation? Click Here
  • The Key Word in Any Appeal Is … Click Here
  • ICD-10 Code Assignment for Pressure / Non-pressure Ulcers: Click Here

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LOCAL

Work-Life Balance Workshop on Saturday, October 17: Join Helane Fronek, MD, certified physician development coach, on Saturday, October 17, 9:00am–12:00pm, to begin to see your life and your choices in it in a new light! Workshop limited to 12 physicians. Email Dr. Fronek at hsfronek@aol.com for details or to reserve your spot today!

Help Spread the Message of Health by Making a Brief Presentation in Your Community: Educate children, adults, seniors, and employees on how to improve their lives and take charge of their health through the Live Well Physicians’ Speakers Bureau. Email Barbara.Mandel@SDCMS.org to say YES, you will volunteer just one or two times a year, quarterly, or however your schedule allows.

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“It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner.” — Jonas Salk, Medical Researcher and Virologist (1914–1995)



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