National Physician Payment Transparency Program FAQs The following are frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the National Physician Payment Transparency Program (Open Payments) — initiated by the Physicians Payments Transparency Act (PPSA): These FAQs are based on the guidance that is publicly available as of August 23, 2013. This is a new reporting program, and many of the questions are still being clarified. Medical societies may take different positions on some of these questions. Readers of this document are encouraged to consult their attorneys, funding organizations, and CMS for interpretations of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (PPSA) and the regulations operationalizing it. The information ... November 20, 2013 Regulations Sunshine Law 0 0 Comment Read More »
November Is National COPD Awareness Month In recognition of national COPD awareness month, the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation is encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about simple measures they can take to improve their lung function. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a serious lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. Also known as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, it recently surpassed stroke as the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million people are diagnosed with COPD, and an additional 12 million are likely to have the disease ... November 20, 2013 Public Health COPD 0 0 Comment Read More »
Get Smart About Antibiotics With the cold and flu season underway, now is a good time to review appropriate antibiotic use. The California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation's Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education (AWARE) project has teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and others to slow the rise of antibiotic resistance by: Promoting adherence to prescribing guidelines among providers, Decreasing demand for antibiotics for viral upper respiratory infections among healthy adults and parents of young children, and Increasing adherence to prescribed ... November 19, 2013 Public Health Antibiotics 0 0 Comment Read More »
New Medi-Cal Survival Toolkit Now Available Over the past year, there have been a number of changes for Medi-Cal patients and for the physicians who treat them. There will be more changes in 2014 as well. To help physicians understand the impact these changes will have on their practices, CMA has published a member-exclusive Medi-Cal Survival Toolkit. The toolkit contains a summary of many of the changes, important dates, options for physicians, and links to important resources. The toolkit will be updated as we learn of changes within the areas discussed. SDCMS Members: For assistance in logging ... November 6, 2013 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Campaign to Lift the MICRA Cap Is Underway To: Patients & Providers to Protect Access and Contain Health Costs From: Jim DeBoo, Campaign Manager RE: The Campaign to Lift the MICRA Cap is Underway November 4, 2013 The campaign to lift the MICRA cap is underway. Last week, the Consumer Attorneys of California kicked in hundreds of thousands of dollars to bankroll the initiative. In turn, expect to see signature gatherers at your local grocery stores. From the early stages of this campaign, we've witnessed the Consumer Attorneys intent to mislead the voters. They already have attempted to make this initiative about ... November 5, 2013 MICRA MICRA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Member Physicians: Send Us Your Photo SDCMS Member Physicians: If you would like your photo to appear with your online profile and your pictorial membership directory, please email it to Membership@SDCMS.org. Your photo should be high-resolution and in JPG format. Contact Kyle Lewis at SDCMS at (858) 300-2784 or at KLewis@SDCMS.org with any questions. Thank you for your membership with SDCMS-CMA! October 29, 2013 Member Benefits Membership 0 0 Comment Read More »
Pertussis Cases Increasing in San Diego County October 25, 2013 The San Diego County health department has confirmed 202 local cases of pertussis so far in 2013, compared to 127 cases reported at this time last year. One local high school site has had thirteen reported cases: all were students 14–16 years old up-to-date on vaccinations with symptom onset dates between August 14 and September 27. When cases occur in schools or daycares, staff and families are routinely notified and urged to seek care promptly for early symptoms or for contact prophylaxis. Clinicians who evaluate patients with ... October 28, 2013 Public Health Pertussis, Public Health, Vaccinations, Whooping Cough 0 0 Comment Read More »
Acute Hepatitis and Liver Failure Following the Use of a Dietary Supplement If any physician has an acute liver failure case that might be associated with any nutritional supplement, he or she should notify the San Diego County Epidemiology Branch at (619) 692-8499 or by using a confidential morbidity report form. Many physicians do not routinely ask about nutritional supplement use, but surveys have shown that the majority of patients use a supplement of some type on at least a weekly basis. The supplement specifically identified in this alert, OxiELITE Pro, is more likely to be used by young adults, athletes, ... October 21, 2013 Public Health Dietary Supplements, Hepatitis, Liver Failure 0 0 Comment Read More »
Local Doctors Volunteer to Give Hope to 34 Uninsured San Diegans The SDCMS Foundation and Kaiser Permanente Partner to Deliver Free Surgeries During Saturday Surgery Day Program Local Doctors Volunteer to Give Hope to 34 Uninsured San Diegans Thirty-four San Diegans who had been suffering with pain, injury, lack of vision, and other debilitating conditions received free, life-changing medical treatment during Saturday Surgery Day on October 19 thanks to a partnership between the SDCMS Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. This Saturday Surgery Day, an important part of the Foundation’s Project Access San Diego (PASD), took place at Kaiser Permanente Garfield Specialty Center, 5893 ... October 21, 2013 SDCMS Foundation, Uninsured SDCMS Foundation, Surgery Day 0 0 Comment Read More »
UC Regents v. Platter On October 15, 2013, the California Court of Appeal in the Second Appellate District, consistent with CMA’s amicus letter brief, issued a published opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Superior County of Los Angeles County (Platter), a case interpreting the application of statutory nominal damages under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA). This class-action lawsuit arose from the theft of a computer hard drive containing confidential information on approximately 16,000 patients. The plaintiffs alleged that the UC Regents negligently lost possession of the hard drive in ... October 16, 2013 CMA CMIA 0 0 Comment Read More »