8 Ways to Know if You Should Participate in the Quality Payment Program By Jack Cheevers, Public Information Officer, Region 9, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services You may have heard that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reviewing claims and letting practices know which clinicians should take part in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS is an important part of the new Quality Payment Program. The Quality Payment Program works to make Medicare better by keeping patients at the center of healthcare while paying clinicians based on their performance. It replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which threatened ... May 9, 2017 CMS, Quality Reporting APM, CMS, MIPS, Quality Payment Program 0 Comment Read More »
2017 SDCMS Board of Directors Election Results Congratulations to Our Elected Board Members for 2017–18 Officers: President-elect: David E.J. Bazzo, MD, FAAFP Secretary: James “Jim” H. Schultz Jr., MD, MBA, FAAFP, DiMM Treasurer: Holly B. Yang, MD Geographic Directors: East County #2: Rakesh R. Patel, MD, FAAFP East County #3: Jane A. Lyons, MD Kearny Mesa #1: Sergio R. Flores, MD Kearny Mesa #2: Alexander K. Quick, MD La Jolla #2: Marc M. Sedwitz, ... May 9, 2017 Board of Directors Board of Directors, BOD 0 Comment Read More »
California Senate Health Committee Special Hearing in San Diego (Message From Senator Toni Atkins) Dear friends and neighbors, I am pleased to announce that the California Senate Health Committee will be holding a special hearing this Friday, March 24, in San Diego, focusing on the impacts that the proposed American Health Care Act are likely to have on our state. The hearing will take place from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Fowler Family Ballroom, in the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, at San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive. The American Health Care Act is the bill introduced in Congress by ... March 22, 2017 AHCA AHCA 0 Comment Read More »
Victory: Judge Blocks Aetna-Humana Merger By Terri Marchiori, Director, Federation Relations, AMA In a landmark win on Jan. 23 for organized medicine and the nation’s patients, federal judge John D. Bates blocked the proposed Aetna-Humana merger, finding that the merger would have substantially lessened competition in Medicare Advantage and commercial health insurance markets. This is an extraordinarily well-documented, comprehensive, fact-based ruling by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, which acknowledges that meaningful action was needed to preserve competition and protect high-quality medical care from unprecedented market power that Aetna would acquire from the merger deal. ... February 6, 2017 Health Plans Aetna-Humana Merger 0 Comment Read More »
Blood Pressure Measures for Love Your Heart Day: Feb. 14 Physicians: The blood pressure readings for your patients will help the County of San Diego track the health of the community. Please volunteer to report your readings with a quick and easy tick-mark sheet. Last year, over 25,000 individuals learned their blood pressure numbers on Love Your Heart day, and Champions for Health gathered 10% of all blood pressure readings. Thanks for your help! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A TALLY SHEET February 6, 2017 Public Health, SDCMS Foundation Blood Pressure, Love Your Heart Day 0 Comment Read More »
Champion Provider Fellowship The California Public Health Department is beginning the application process for its next cohort of the Champion Provider Fellowship. The due date for applications is Friday, March 3, 2017. The focus of the Champion Provider Fellowship is to “advocate for institutional, community, and state-level strategies that can improve physical activity and nutrition resources for their patients and communities.” The Champion Provider Fellowship is a two-year commitment. For more information about the Champion Provider Fellowship and how to ... January 25, 2017 County of San Diego Champion Provider Fellowship 0 Comment Read More »
2017–18 SDCMS BOD Proposed Slate On December 13, 2016, SDCMS’s Nominating Committee convened and is recommending the following proposed slate of SDCMS board of directors candidates for 2017–2018: Officers: President-elect: Dr. David Bazzo (one-year term) Secretary: Dr. James Schultz (one-year term) Treasurer: Dr. Holly Yang (one-year term) Incumbents Seeking Re-election: At-large Director # 1: Dr. Tom Savides (three-year term) At-large Director #4: Dr. Nick Yphantides (three-year term) At-large Alternate Director #6: Dr. Vimal Nanavati (three-year term) ... January 10, 2017 Board of Directors BOD 0 Comment Read More »
2018–19 SDCMS Board of Directors Call for Self-nominations On November 6, 2017 in Board of Directors SDCMS Member Physicians: The SDCMS Nominations Committee announces the annual call for nominations to the SDCMS board and officer positions. The committee will meet in December and prepare a slate of candidates for approval by the board next year and election in the spring. To be eligible for service on SDCMS’s board of directors, physicians must have been active members of SDCMS for at least two years as of the date of assumption of duties: June 2018. Additionally, for geographic directors, physicians must have ... November 23, 2016 Board of Directors board of directors, BOD 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Foundation Celebrates “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week” The week of November 14–20, 2016, is “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week” — a campaign to highlight the problem of antibiotic resistance and importance of appropriate antibiotic use. Every year at least 2 million Americans become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and at least 23,000 people die from these infections. With the emergence of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the United States earlier this year, addressing antibiotic stewardship is more important than ever. This cold and flu season, the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation’s Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education (AWARE) ... November 1, 2016 Public Health Antibiotics 0 Comment Read More »
Federal Update From CMA (Sept. 30, 2016) SUMMARY MACRA Update Budget Update Medicare California GPCI Locality Reform Transition Plan Medicare 2017 Physician Fee Schedule Regulation Medicare Regulations Governing Meaningful Use, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and the Elimination of the Site of Service Payment Rate Differential Department of Education Medical Student Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program I. MACRA Update: Final Rule Due Before November 1, 2016 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are preparing to release the final rule to ... October 14, 2016 CMA, GPCI, MACRA GPCI, MACRA 0 Comment Read More »