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SDCMS "News You Can Use" <> April 19, 2010

by: San Diego County Medical Society
Published April 19, 2010

SDCMS "News You Can Use"
— April 19, 2010

SDCMS E-Townhall • Tuesday, April 20, 2010, Noon
SDCMS will be conducting an electronic townhall to brief everyone on healthcare reform and California issues. Participants will be able to ask questioned. No registering or password needed — simply click here tomorrow (Tuesday, April 20, 2010) at 12:00pm and enter your name. We will record the webinar as well so you can view it later.

“Perils of Pauline”, Version 27 …
On April 16, 2010, the president signed HR 4851, the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, into law, reinstating Medicare physician payments to where they were on March 31, 2010, and again postponing the 21.3% cut through the end of May 2010. Any claims paid that reflected the 21.3% cut will be reprocessed automatically without any action required from physicians.

Executive Director Comment: The following upcoming SDCMS members-only seminars and webinars may be of value to you and your team:

Executive Director Comment: I can’t believe the entire San Diego County physician community has no gripes — so far we have received only one submission for our June 2010 issue of San Diego Physician magazine, which we are devoting to “The Hassles of Being a Doctor.” Here is your chance to vent! Let us know what your frustrations are, what you’d change if you could, and where you see the practice of medicine heading. Click here for submission details.

CONTENTS

  • California Medi-Cal Rates vs. Other States
  • California Physicians Required to Notify Patients They Are MBC-licensed Effective June 27, 2010
  • CMA’s Regulations Quick List • Updated April 13, 2010
  • CPPI Notification
  • Watch SDCMS' April 15 RAC Seminar Online
  • SDCMS’ White Coat Gala (Installation Dinner & Dance)
  • UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project Annual Benefit & Award Celebration on April 24, 2010
  • SDCMS Media Training • Saturday, May 22, 2010
  • A Local Success Story — the PACE Program Run by UCSD — in The Wall Street Journal
  • “An Employer’s Guide to Healthcare Reform”
  • Palmetto to Conduct Free, Half-day, In-person Workshops April 16–June 10
  • Information on Accountable Care Organizations
  • SDCMS SEMINARS / WEBINARS / EVENTS
  • SAN DIEGO COUNTY HEALTHCARE EVENTS

STATE

California Medi-Cal Rates vs. Other States
This California Healthcare Foundation study from 2008 says California is 47th among the states in Medicaid fee rankings (see Table 5 on page 15) and 9the among the 10 largest states (see Table 6 on page 16), and rates pay at roughly 47% of Medicare rates …

Executive Director Comment: Is anyone shocked that fewer and fewer California physicians take Medi-Cal? The results of the 2009 workforce and compensation survey clearly indicate that physicians are fed up with this underpayment and are not taking Medi-Cal … just in time for up to 1.7 million newly insured patients who will soon have Medi-Cal cards.

California Physicians Required to Notify Patients They Are MBC-licensed Effective June 27, 2010
Effective June 27, 2010, physicians practicing in California must inform their patients that they are licensed by the Medical Board of California (MBC) and include the MBC’s contact information. SDCMS will provide details on how to meet this new administrative requirement. Click here to access April 16 memo from CMA. Click here to access sample notice from CMA.

CMA’s Regulations Quick List • Updated April 13, 2010
Click here to access a PDF version of CMA’s Regulations Quick List, which provides summaries of various regulations tracked by CMA’s Center for Medical and Regulatory Policy. For more information on a specific regulation, please contact the staff member listed.

CPPI Notification
Blue Shield is going to publish the California Physician Performance Initiative (CPPI) sometime in late May or early June 2010 despite the many concerns raised by CMA, SDCMS, and rank and file physicians. CMA has sent a letter to Blue Shield and the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) indicating its withdrawal from the CPPI and requesting that Blue Shield, PBGH, and any other insurers refrain from mentioning or identifying CMA as a participant or supporter of the CPPI. CMA has also set up an internal team to begin implementing policies on these issues. CMA has communicated in the strongest terms possible that publication of the CPPI without addressing significant concerns it has raised forces it to explore and pursue all appropriate courses of action necessary to protect its physician members and its patients from publication of misleading rating information.

Executive Director Comment: SDCMS sent a formal letter to the CPPI initiative asking them to withdraw the data … the most preposterous example of misinformation promulgated by the CPPI was a local physician who was marked down for quality by failing to provide a Pap smear for a woman who had had a hysterectomy, and, in the height of arrogance, this physician was not able to get the CPPI folks to correct the error.

LOCAL

Executive Director Comment: This members-only recorded RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) seminar — click here to access — will be of value to you and your team.

SDCMS’ White Coat Gala (Installation Dinner & Dance) …
… will be at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay on Saturday, June 5, 2010, 6pm–11pm. Special Note: For those physicians who have been SDCMS members 33 or more years, in celebration of your long-standing membership with us, we would like to invite you to attend our White Coat Gala as our guest, free of charge! (Guest tickets may also be purchased at the standard ticket cost of $75.00 each.) Please contact Jen Ohmstede at (858) 300-2781 or at JOhmstede@SDCMS.org to RSVP or for additional details.

UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project Annual Benefit & Award Celebration on April 24, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010. 6:00pm–10:00pm. Price Center Ballroom at UCSD. Silent auction, opportunity drawing, wine tasting, entertainment and award dinner. Proceeds will go to the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project. $175 per person ($150 of ticket price is tax deductible). Tables available at the $1,500 and $1,750 level. Student prices available upon request. RSVP to Anne Crane (acrane@ucsd.edu) or Carol Whitener (cbloomwhitener@ucsd.edu) by email or by phone at (858) 534-6160. Click here for more information about the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project.

SDCMS Media Training • Saturday, May 22, 2010
Please let me know if you are interested in our next interactive media training on Saturday morning, May 22. Details below. A fabulous, free opportunity to hone your craft. While mastery of the facts is great, we will not focus on the facts. We want you to focus on your media skills. If you have questions or comments or would like to reserve a space, please let me know at Gehring@SDCMS.org.

  • When: Continental Breakfast at 8:00am. Program starts PROMPTLY at 8:30am. We will finish no later than 11:30am.
  • Where: SDCMS Offices at 5575 Ruffin Road, Suite 250.
  • Dress: Business casual (no ties or formal stuff).
  • How: We will do a 15-minute introduction and background, divide into two- or three-person teams, and immediately go to one of three stations (TV panel, TV standup, radio, and print), each for approximately one hour.

A Local Success Story — the PACE Program Run by UCSD — in The Wall Street Journal
The primary mission of PACE is to evaluate the competence of troubled doctors whose infractions range from serious medical error and negligence to sloppy record keeping and anger management. Using a mix of computer-based simulations, multiple-choice exams, cognitive-function screenings and hands-on observation, PACE faculty and staff tests doctors' knowledge, skills and judgment, providing remedial courses and a weeklong mini-residency supervised by UCSD medical faculty. In the end, the teams add their gut instincts to make a final call. Click here to read the complete article. Click here to learn more about UC San Diego’s PACE program.

“An Employer’s Guide to Healthcare Reform” (Click Here • Prepared by Seyfarth Shaw LLP)

FEDERAL

Palmetto to Conduct Free, Half-day, In-person Workshops Throughout California, Hawaii and Nevada April 16–June 10
Each workshop will include topics such as provider enrollment and Internet-based PECOS, recent Medicare program updates, J1 top billing and claim submission errors, the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) updates, and much more. Space is limited and different for each session, therefore, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. To register or find out more about the workshops, log into your Palmetto GBA Workshops database account and register for the session you wish to attend. Workshop registration closes one business day prior to the event. Workshops of interest to San Diego providers:

  • April 21, 2010, 8:00am–2:00pm: Part B Webinar: Top 10 Billing Errors
  • April 28, 2010, 12:30pm–1:30pm: Part B ACT Webinar: Physical Therapy Billing
  • May 13, 2010, 8:30am–2:00pm: Spring Workshop Tour at San Diego Scottish Rite Center, 1895 Camino del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108

Information on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
One of the hot new topics connected to recently passed health reform legislation is the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). SDCMS-CMA members can click here to access both a one-page question-and-answer summary of ACOs from CMA and a policy report entitled "Accountable Care Organizations: Will They Deliver?" from Marsha Gold of the Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. As we learn more about ACOs and how the federal government will regulate them, we will provide updates and guidance. You can sign up for updates at legalinfo@cmanet.org.

SDCMS SEMINARS / WEBINARS / EVENTS
For Further Information on or to Register for Any of the Below Seminars, Webinars, or Events, Contact Sonia Gonzales at (858) 300-2782 or at SGonzales@SDCMS.org.
to read more.

  • APR 20 • E-Townhall • Wednesday, May 12, 11:30am–12:30pm • Click Here
  • APR 21 • Risk Management Seminar/Webinar — “eHealth: Telemedicine and Telehealth” • Wednesday, April 21, 6:30pm–7:30pm • Click Here for Details
  • APR 22 • Risk Management Seminar/Webinar — “eHealth: Telemedicine and Telehealth” • Thursday, April 22, 11:30am–12:30pm • Click Here for Details
  • APR 28 • Medi-Cal Seminar/Webinar • Wednesday, April 28, 11:30am–1:00pm • Click Here for Details
  • MAY 6 • “Networks, Hardware, and Software for Dummies” IT Seminar/Webinar • Thursday, May 6, 11:30am–1:00pm • Click Here for Details
  • MAY 20 • Workers’ Compensation Billing Seminar/Webinar • Thursday, May 20, 11:30am–1:00pm • Click Here for Details
  • JUN 5 • 140th Annual SDCMS Installation Dinner and Dance • Saturday, June 5, 6:00pm–11:00pm • Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, 1441 Quivira Road, San Diego, CA 92109. For ticket information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jen Ohmstede at (858) 300-2781 or at JOhmstede@SDCMS.org.
  • JUN 10 • EMR/EHR Trunk Show • Late April, Early May — Watch for Updates
  • JUN 18–19 • Physician Leader’s Toolbox Workshop • Friday and Saturday, June 18–19, 8:00am–4:00pm
  • JUN 24 • Sexual Harassment Seminar/Webinar • Thursday, June 24, 11:30am–1:00pm
  • JUL 20 • Risk Management Webinar — “The Employee’s Role in Decreasing Liability Risks in the Physician Office” • Thursday, July 22, 11:30am–12:30pm
  • JUL 21 • Risk Management Webinar — “The Employee’s Role in Decreasing Liability Risks in the Physician Office” • Wednesday, July 21, 6:30pm–7:30pm

SAN DIEGO COUNTY HEALTHCARE EVENTS

“Almost everything you do will seem insignificant, but it is important that you do it.”
— Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)

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