E-Newsletter

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"News You Can Use" <> November 13, 2014



CONTENTS

ABOVE THE FOLD

Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes and Dengue, November 7 CAHAN San Diego Alert: Click Here

November 7 Ebola Preparedness Update From CAHAN San Diego: Click Here

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YOUR MEMBERS SERVICES QUIZ

Question: We’ve sat in on a couple of seminars you’ve run recently, and we would like to obtain any recordings available for training purposes for a couple of new employees at our office. Do you record these educational sessions? If so, how can I obtain them? Click Here for the Answer

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MEDICAL

Key Messages From the CDC on Ebola Virus Disease, West Africa: Click Here

CDPH Publishes Quarantine Guidelines for Travelers at Risk of Contracting or Spreading Ebola: Click Here

Ebola Updates From the County of San Diego: Click here for general information from the County and links to other health agencies, including:

Click Here for the County of San Diego’s Nov. 12 Influenza Watch Report

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LOCAL

The SDCMS Nominating Committee Is Creating the Slate for the 2015 SDCMS Board of Directors: If you are interested in serving, please contact Tom Gehring, CEO, at Gehring@SDCMS.org or at (619) 206-8282, or the Nominating Committee chair, Dr. Bob Peters, at r.petersmd@gmail.com. Click here to view the roles and responsibilities of the directors. You may be interested in either a geographic directorship (or alternate geographic directorship) or an at-large or at-large alternate position.

Don’t Have a Clue About Leadership and Need to Learn Quickly? SDCMS Members: Attend SDCMS' Leader’s Toolkit seminar on March 14–15. For details or to reserve your spot, email me at Gehring@SDCMS.org. Filling up fast, only 5 more seats left.

We’re Devoting the Feb. 2015 Issue of San Diego Physician to Solo / Small-group Physician Issues: SDCMS member physicians can email your article ideas to Editor@SDCMS.org.

Got a “Is There a Doctor in the House?” or “Most Peculiar Patient Request” Story to Share? Email them to Editor@SDCMS.org for possible publication in an upcoming issue of San Diego Physician.

November 18 Cal MediConnect Seminar — Essential Tools in Serving Cal MediConnect Diverse Populations: At the Scottish Rite Event Center, 1895 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108, from 12pm to 2pm. Lunch provided. Click Here for Details

Family Medicine / General Internal Medicine Physicians Needed to serve as role models and teachers to UCSD first- and second-year medical students in their Ambulatory Care Apprenticeship Program. Click Here for Details

UCSD PACE Program Is Recruiting Practicing Physicians Above Age 50 for a PACE Aging Physician Assessment (PAPA) Pilot Study: Anyone interested in participating should click here, complete the form, and return it to pdreid@ucsd.edu; for any questions, contact Patricia Reid, MPH, at (619) 471-0569. David E.J. Bazzo, MD, Director, PACE Fitness for Duty Program, is heading this effort. Compensation for your time is offered.

Spread the Message of Health! The SDCMS Foundation is partnering with the County of San Diego to educate community members on how to improve their lives and take charge of their health by launching a Live Well Physicians’ Speakers Bureau. Will you make brief presentations at your neighborhood school, community center, or place of worship? Your voice is important as we collectively work together — “Physicians United for a Healthy San Diego.” Contact Barbara.Mandel@SDCMS.org to say YES, you will volunteer just one or two times a year, quarterly, or however your schedule allows.

Free EHR Training From Alliant University: Through a federal grant, Alliant University now offers a free (no cost) EHR training and certification course for medical staff who are under-employed or working fewer than 32 hours per week. Candidates will get all training material electronically on a laptop that they can keep on completion of the program. It is good incentive for employees to get trained on EHR/EMR systems and get certification in healthcare information technology. Training cost otherwise would be $5,000 for certification. For more information, visit www.alliant.edu/asm or contact Ash Mehta at (858) 304-1500 or at amehta@patientclick.com.

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FEDERAL

CMS Launches Open Payments Search Tool: Click Here

CMS Reopening Meaningful Use Hardship Exception Deadline: CMS announced that it is reopening the submission period for meaningful use hardship exception applications so that physicians can avoid the 2015 payment penalty. The new deadline will be November 30, 2014. Click Here

Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) Continuing to Require Physicians to Revalidate Their Medicare Enrollments: Revalidation notices have been sent out and will continue to be sent out until March 23, 2015. Click Here for Further Information

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STATE

Blue Shield Announces Changes to 2015 Exchange / Mirror Products: The changes aim to expand access for EPO enrollees and reduce confusion by simplifying plan names. Click Here

Blue Shield Makes Positive Changes to Reimbursement Policy for Physicians Treating Out-of-network Exchange PPO Patients: Click Here

Health Net Modifying 2015 Exchange / Mirror Products: It will be offering an EPO and an HSP for its individual exchange/mirror products. Click Here

Interested in Joining Anthem’s Medi-Cal Managed Care Network? Click Here

Anthem to Require NDC on Claims for Certain Physician-administered Drugs: Click Here

United Issues New Premium Designation Physician Results: These latest results will be released publicly via the payor's online physician directory beginning Jan. 2015. Click Here

United Healthcare to Host Nov. 13 & 20 Webinars About Its Premium Designation Program: United Healthcare is inviting physicians and practice administrators to attend a special webinar presentation. Click Here

Don’t Miss out on Increased Medi-Cal Payments! Deadline to attest is December 31: Click Here for Details

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BENEFITS / PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

Follow SDCMS’ Twitter Feed and Get a Treasure Trove of Healthcare News Delivered Daily to Your Smartphone: Click Here

Is Your Office Manager / Practice Administrator Using SDCMS’ Online Forum? Click Here to Join

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COVERED CALIFORNIA

Enrollment Information and Deadlines:

  • Open enrollment for new coverage or change in plan runs Nov. 15, 2014, to Feb. 15, 2015.
  • Current enrollees will be automatically reenrolled in their plans (even if there has been a change in the premium rate) if they are making no changes (either tier level or plan).
  • Current enrollees who do want to make changes to their plans must do so by December 15, 2014, for the newly updated coverage to go into effect on January 1, 2015.
  • Medi-Cal enrollees don’t need to renew until they hear from Medi-Cal about next steps.

Physician Resources:

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“The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.” — Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965)



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