Special SDCMS “News You Can Use” (2010.06.09)
Special SDCMS “News You Can Use”
— June 9, 2010
CONTENTS
- Executive Director Update on SGR/GPCI
- SDCMS’ “EMR Trunk Show” TOMORROW, THURSDAY, JUNE 10!
- Medicare Fee Schedule Revisions Took Effect June 1, 2010
- Only Three (3) Seats Left for Our "Physician Leader’s Toolbox" Seminar • June 18 & 19, 8:00am–4:00pm
Executive Director Update on SGR/GPCI: No news is bad news …. Congress reconvened on Monday evening, June 7, 2010. The 10 business day hold on Medicare payments (to preclude the by-default implementation of the 21% cut) expires on June 14. The informal “vibe” from the Hill is troubling in that the Senate is having a sudden public attack of fiscal probity … meaning that the 19-month SGR update (2.2% in 2010 and 1% in 2011) plus the long-striven-for GPCI fix are on the chopping block.
If you don’t want to become a sacrificial lamb, please contact Senators Boxer and Feinstein (both support CMA's position, but both need to know about your opinion so that they can negotiate with other senators) as follows:
- Thank them for their support of the SGR fix and the California GPCI fix.
- Let them know that the GPCI provision is EXTREMELY important to physicians in San Diego County.
- Let them know that you would appreciate their help in making sure both the SGR and the GPCI fix are in the final Senate version of the Tax Extenders/Medicare SGR bill.
Contact Information for Senators Boxer and Feinstein:
And while we have your attention, here are three other important items:
SDCMS’ “EMR Trunk Show” TOMORROW, THURSDAY, JUNE 10!
Experience side-by-side demonstrations of the leading electronic medical records (EMRs) tomorrow, Thursday, June 10, 2010, at SDCMS’ “EMR Trunk Show” — an all-day event (11:00am–7:30pm — attendees free to come and go as they please!) free for SDCMS members and their staff only to allow physicians and office staff to see the major EMR/EHRs in operation, to meet the sales staff, and to learn HOW to choose an EMR. Vendors who will demonstrate their products (alphabetical order):
- Athena
- Allscripts/MyWay/Cardinal
- Gateway
- Greenway
- McKesson
- mPay Gateway
- NextGen
- Quest Diagnostics
There will also be a presentation on “How to Choose an EMR/EHR” presented at 12:00pm, at 2:30pm, at 5:00pm, and at 6:30pm. Contact Sonia Gonzales at SDCMS at (858) 300-2782 or at SGonzales@SDCMS.org or click here.
Medicare Fee Schedule Revisions Took Effect June 1, 2010
Palmetto, California’s Medicare contractor, posted a revised Medicare fee schedule on its website. The new fee schedule includes changes resulting from practice expense and malpractice relative value unit (RVU) corrections in the 2010 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and the federal health reform bills signed into law by President Obama in March 2010. The new fee schedule took effect June 1, 2010, and is retroactive to January 1, 2010. Although it still represents a zero-percent update, most codes will see a slight decrease due to changes in practice expense and malpractice RVUs. Most medical codes will result in a decrease of less than a dollar, but surgical and imaging codes could see much larger decreases. Some codes will, however, see increases. Although the new fee schedule is retroactive to January 1, 2010, Medicare contractors will not go back and adjust previously paid claims. Physicians who render services that are now paying at higher levels can, however, ask for a redetermination based on the change. Additional fee schedule changes may be necessary pending the outcome of the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) fix currently being debated in Congress. The latest proposal would provide a 2% SGR update for the remainder of 2010, with another 1% in 2011. For more information on the SGR, see SDCMS’ June 1, 2010, “News You Can Use.”
Only Three (3) Seats Left for Our "Physician Leader’s Toolbox" Seminar • June 18 & 19, 8:00am–4:00pm
This is an exceptional opportunity for SDCMS members to build your leadership skills and your network. As a bonus, the CEO of CMA will be one of the students. This unique, small-group seminar will be held at SDCMS for physicians who are either leaders or leaders-to-be. The topics will include:
- Strategic Planning and Execution
- Leading Your Team
- Building Your Team: Focusing on Hiring and Firing,
- Managing Your Time
- Managing Your Organization’s Money
- Managing the Message: Communicating One-on-one
- Speaking to Many
- Emailing
- Making Formal Presentations
- Managing Your Meetings, Including Parliamentary Procedures
For further information or to register, email me at Gehring@SDCMS.org.