| Upcoming Events | |
AMPAC Political Education Programs
February 17-19, 2012
Candidate Workshop
April 18-22, 2012
Campaign School
Click here for info.
National Hispanic Medical Association
April 26-29
Annual Conference
Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC
Click here for info.
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2011-2012 Board of Directors
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Catherine S. May, MD
At-Large; Chair of the Board
James C. Cobey, MD
President
Daniel I. Perlin, MD
President-Elect
Joseph Gutierrez, MD
Treasurer; AMA Delegation Chair
Reginald Robinson,MD
Secretary; At-Large
Peter E. Lavine, MD
AMA Delegate
J. Desiree Pineda, MD
AMA Alternate-Delegate
Laura L. Tosi, MD
AMA Alternate Delegate
Julian R. Craig, MD
Frederick C. Finelli, MD
John W. Larsen, MD
Joan B. Loveland, MD
Carla Sandy, MD
At-Large
Stuart F. Seides, MD
At-Large
K. Edward Shanbacker
Executive Vice President
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The Medical Society of DC is on Facebook!
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Contact the MSDC Office
| 1250 23rd Street, NW
Suite 270
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 466-1800 (phone)
(202) 452-1542 (fax)
info@msdc.org
www.msdc.org |
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| Court Approves Award Payments in AMA Legal Battle Against UnitedHealth |
 A federal court judge has cleared the way for releasing payments in the 2009 settlement that ended the historic court challenge led by the American Medical Association against UnitedHealth Group. Nearly $200 million in awards will be paid to settle claims from physicians for 15 years of artificially low payments from UnitedHealth for out-of-network health services. "The truly lasting legacy of this court challenge will continue long after the last physician has received a share of the landmark settlement," said AMA President Peter W. Carmel, M.D. "UnitedHealth and other insurers will no longer will be able to pull the wool over doctors' and patients' eyes when determining payment rates for out-of-network care." During a decade-long fight spearheaded by the Litigation Center of the AMA and State Medical Societies, the AMA worked diligently with organized medicine, state regulators and U.S. senators to expose a fundamental conflict of interest at UnitedHealth, which called into question the entire insurer-controlled system for paying out-of-network medical bills. AMA brought evidence of UnitedHealth's improper business practices to the attention of former New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in 2008, who confirmed the abuses with his own investigation. Under legal pressure from Attorney General Cuomo, UnitedHealth and several major insurers agreed in 2009 to meaningful reforms and to fund a new, independent system that can be used to accurately set usual, customary and reasonable rates. "The new FAIR Health database takes the insurer sleight of hand out of the process and publicly reports the fair rate for any given out-of-network services," said Dr. Carmel. "Patients and physicians will be able to go online to see how much a particular service is likely to cost - and how much the insurer is willing to pay - before the patient even sets foot inside the doctor's office." "The AMA's stand against UnitedHealth shows that when doctors join together and enlist the help of organized medicine, the best outcome for patients and doctors can be achieved," said Dr. Carmel. For more information on the organized medicine's continued efforts to reform the improper business practices of insurers, please visit the AMA Litigation Center. Physicians can turn to the AMA's newly updated Practice Management Center for additional information on the timing of settlement distribution and related resources. |
| Medical Audits: What Physicians Need to Know |
One of the greatest challenges facing physicians and their staffs today is how to prepare for audits and financial reviews conducted by the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and private payers and how to appeal adverse audit findings. The Physicians Advocacy Institute, Inc., (PAI) is pleased to present this White Paper as part of an effort to assist physicians and their practice staff in understanding and appealing medical audits by RACs and commercial payers. With ever increasing pressure on both governmental and private payers to reduce healthcare costs, it is inevitable that payers will continue to use audits to identify alleged overpayments and to demand that physicians repay these amounts. However, auditors err and their findings are not always correct. Therefore, physicians need to prepare for and manage external payer audits just as they manage any other part of the business side of their practices to minimize the risk of being audited and to ensure that any audit findings are fair and accurate. This White Paper is designed to provide physicians and their staffs with tools to do just that.
To read the white paper, please click here.
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| MSDC News for Members: HIV/AIDS Education; New Collaborative Care Bill introduced; Pushing for the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act | |
MSDC continues to work to improve HIV/AIDS education in the District
On Thursday, January 26, 2012, the Committee on Health held an additional Committee meeting to mark-up two bills, the "HIV/AIDS Continuing Education Requirements Amendment Act of 2012" (B19-510) and the "Senior HIV/AIDS Education and Outreach Program Establishment Act of 2012" (B19-524). Both bills were approved by the Committee.
The "HIV/AIDS Continuing Education Requirements Amendment Act of 2012" will require that any continuing education requirements for the practice of medicine, the practice of registered nursing, the practice of practical nursing, the practice by nursing assistive personnel, and the practice by physician assistants include 3 credits of instruction on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Auto-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). MSDC has supported amendments to the original bill that provide for a sunsetting of the CME requirement after 3 licensing cycles, and the ability of the Board of Medicine to waive the requirement for physicians not practicing in a clinical setting.
Collaborative Care Bill introduced at the DC Council will be evaluated by MSDC
On January 17th, Councilmember David A. Catania (At-Large) introduced the "Collaborative Care Expansion Act of 2012." The Act will permit pharmacists to enter into collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) with physicians to monitor and initiate drug therapy treatments for patients with chronic diseases. MSDC supports this legislation, finding it to be within the standards of similar legislation enacted in many other jurisdictions, and has submitted a letter stating its position. MSDC will continue to work with the Boards of Pharmacy and Medicine to adopt regulations that put patients first, pursuant to the goals of the CPAs. When designed properly, the CPAs will be a positive step forward in delivering critically-needed care to those most desperately in need of it.
To view a copy of the letter of support from MSDC, please click here.
Continuing to push for the Medicare Patient Empowerment Act
The AMA and MSDC continue to educate members of Congress about HR 1700, "The Medicare Patient Empowerment Act." This bill is based largely on policy supported by MSDC at the AMA House of Delegates meeting in 2010, and allows Medicare patients and their physicians to enter into private contracts without penalty to either party.
Several members of the U.S. House of Representatives have co-sponsored the bill as a practical solution to expand access to physicians for Medicare patients, and preserve the physician-patient relationship as patients move from private insurance to Medicare during retirement. We are continuing to increase the awareness of this bill among physicians and lawmakers.
For a more extensive outline of the bill's provisions, please click here.
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| Landmark Survey to Take the Pulse of 650,000 Physicians |
 Keep an eye on your email, because sometime in the next one to two months physicians around the nation will be receiving perhaps the largest survey of medical practitioners ever undertaken in the United States, officials with The Physicians Foundation recently announced.
"This is a critical time in healthcare, and it is imperative that the physicians' perspective be presented," notes Louis Goodman, Ph.D., president of The Physicians Foundation and executive vice president of the Texas Medical Association. "This survey will reach virtually every practicing doctor in the country with an email address. We need a huge response so that the voices of physicians can be heard loud and clear."
A non-profit, grant-making organization composed of 17 state and three county medical societies, The Physicians Foundation is committed to learning what physicians think about the current state of the medical profession and the healthcare system as a whole. A key question to be posed by the survey, notes Tim Norbeck, CEO of The Physicians Foundation, is "can physicians meet the needs of patients given current medical practice conditions?" The survey will ask physicians about the state of their
practices, their morale, their career plans, and whether they can continue providing services in light of escalating regulatory and financial burdens.
"If the survey indicates that the medical profession itself is in jeopardy, then that urgent message must be heard by both policy makers and the public," observes Walker Ray, M.D., vice president of the Physicians Foundation and former president of the Medical Association of Georgia.
Results of the survey will be shared with political leaders, policy makers, and media outlets nationwide, according to Ray. More information and a link to the survey can be accessed at www.physiciansfoundation.org.
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| From CMS: Implementing ICD-10; Appealing the EHR Incentive Program's Attestation Requirements |
Third Anniversary of ICD-10 Rule
Three years ago - on Fri Jan 16, 2009 - the US Department of Health and Human Services published final rules mandating that all organizations covered by HIPAA upgrade to Version 5010 by Sun Jan 1, 2012 and transition to ICD-10 coding sets by Tue Oct 1, 2013. As a result of the enforcement discretion period for Version 5010, all organizations must complete their Version 5010 upgrade by no later than Sat Mar 31, 2012. Upgrading to Version 5010 is an important step to take before transitioning to ICD-10, which is quickly approaching.
To help with this transition, CMS has developed a number of resources, which available on the CMS ICD-10 website. These resources include:
- Factsheets, including Ensuring a Smooth Transition to Version 5010, ICD-10 Transition: An Introduction, ICD-10 Basics for Medical Practices, ICD-10 FAQS, and Talking to Your Vendors about the Transition to ICD-10.
- An Implementation Widget, which outline the steps to take to ensure compliance with Version 5010 and ICD-10, available in a widget format. CMS encourages you to download or share the widget and take advantage of printer-friendly versions of the timelines available for small provider practices, large provider practices, payers, and vendors.
- Timelines, including printer-friendly checklists that complement the widget and which are available for small providers, large providers, payers, and vendors.
Keep Up to Date on Version 5010 and ICD-10. Please visit the ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare, and to download and share the implementation widget today!
Webinar Save-the-Date: Version 5010 - Where Are We Now?
WHEN: March 6, 2012
TIME: Will vary by region
WHO: Hosted by your Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Office.
WHAT: Please join CMS staff for an informative webinar for healthcare providers, clearinghouses and vendors on Version 5010.
Version 5010 refers to the standards that HIPAA-covered entities (health plans, health care clearinghouses, and certain health care providers) must use when electronically conducting certain health care administrative transactions, such as claims, remittance, eligibility, and claims status requests and responses.
All covered entities should have been fully compliant with Version 5010 by January 1, 2012.
In this webinar, we'll cover:
- Current conversion statistics
- Top 10 concerns impacting the 5010 transition
- Status of current Version 5010 Standard System Maintainer fixes
- Top 10 Version 5010 edits
- Medicaid update
- Resources and contact information
New Information on the Appeals Process for Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs on the EHR Website
CMS has added new information to the Attestation section of the EHR website about the appeals process for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (HER) Incentive Programs.
On Thu Dec 1, 2011, CMS began accepting appeals for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs). To help EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs, the CMS Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ) is providing guidance on how to file an appeal. Note that the filing deadline for an eligibility appeal for an eligible hospital has been extended from Fri Dec 30, 2011, to Mon Jan 30, 2012.
OCSQ's Division of Health Information Technology released the first informal review decision for the EHR Incentive Program on Mon Jan 19. Beginning in February, this informal review decision and other appeal decisions will be posted on the OCSQ Appeals website. Starting in March, providers may find their decisions by visiting the Appeals Portal.
For general questions and for information on how to file an appeal, EPs, eligible hospitals, CAHs, and Medicare Advantage Organizations may contact OCSQ's designated appeal support contractor, Provider Resources Inc, at:
Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs? Visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.
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| AMA Updates: Repealing the Medicare Growth Formula; Earn CME for Health IT; Deadline for EHR Incentives |
AMA videos call on Congress to enact a permanent SGR fix, not more patches
As the March 1 deadline approaches for Congress to prevent a 27 percent cut in Medicare physician payments, the AMA has launched two online videos emphasizing the urgency to repeal Medicare's failed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
Calling for a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment problem, the videos depict Medicare as a rusty bucket springing more and more leaks while Congress attempts to patch it with Band-Aids. "When it comes to protecting Medicare access and seniors' choice of physician, rather than fix the problem, Congress just plugs the leaks," one video states, urging seniors to demand a permanent solution.
Targeted at congressional offices, a second video highlights the soaring cost of eliminating the SGR. Short-term patches have increased the cost of repealing the SGR from $48 billion in 2005 to $300 billion today. If Congress continues to spend money to preserve this broken system, the cost to eliminate it will double again in five years to $600 billion.
Physicians can call the AMA's grassroots hotline at (800) 833-6354 to tell their members of Congress to repeal the SGR. Patients can call through the AMA's Patients' Action Network at (888) 343-6200.
Earn CME, learn health IT best practices
Three new video modules from the AMA provide guidance on best practices for implementing health information technology (IT). Available for continuing medical education (CME) credit, the online tutorials show how completing practice workflow analyses can increase quality of care, safety and time spent with patients.
Learn how to identify opportunities to enhance medication management, create efficiencies in gathering patient information before an office visit and recognize hardware that is appropriate for point-of-care documentation. The activities are certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Visit www.ama-cmeonline.com/health_IT_workflow/ to access the videos.
Application deadline for Medicare's 2011 EHR meaningful use incentive is February 29
Physicians who met the reporting requirements for Medicare's meaningful use program for electronic health records (EHR) in 2011 have until the end of the month to apply for incentive payments.
The reporting period for physicians participating in the program last year ended December 31, but physicians have until Feb. 29 to register and apply for 2011 incentive payments.
According to data recently published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 15,000 eligible professionals have attested to successfully participating in the Medicare meaningful use program, and about 14,000 others have attested to the Medicaid program.
Visit http://www.elabs10.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=x8pbgr,w9bq,2ke5,791c,8izv,7w1m,l8po to read more in AMA Wire.
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| Classified Ads |
Dynamic, growing medical practice looking for medical staff. Positions to be filled include an Internist, a Physician's Assistant, and Nurse Practitioners. For more information, click here.
Two physicians are looking to sub-lease a fully-furnished, 5-exam room office with two conference rooms in downtown McLean, Va. The perfect location for a physician with an independent practice or a physician who needs additional space. The office is available Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All overhead including personnel, if needed, will be prorated based on office usage. Please email:mcleanobgyn@hotmail.com.
New Psychiatric Practice for Adults & Children
Conveniently located on the red line in Friendship Heights, the office of Enrico Suardi, MD is now open for psychiatric services. Dr. Suardi is board-certified and trained in adult, child & adolescent, and forensic psychiatry.
5028 Wisconsin Avenue NW Suite 400-15
(202) 615-9663
www.drsuardi.com
SUBLEASE--PRIVATE OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE WITHIN PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE. LUXURY OFFICE BUILDING NEAR DUPONT CIRCLE
This space is a dream come true for a professional who needs an office in a convenient downtown location, the tenant will work in a secure building and there are many benefits included with the rent. The office is decorated and furnished, with internet and telephone service. There is a private lavatory in the office suite as well as a kitchen. Parking available in the building. Contact: Office Manager at mmacinnis@jamesasimonmd.com
Women's Healthcare Practice is looking for a part-time ISCD, ACR or NOCA certified DXA bone densitometry technician. Convenient to Dupont Circle and Metro. Pay commensurate with experience; travel stipend available. Experience with the GE Lunar Prodigy is a benefit. Please send your resume and cover letter indicating your availability.
Contact: Office Manager at mmacinnis@jamesasimonmd.com
Dr. Neal Barnard, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at GWU and president of PCRM. is planning a pilot study on diet and migraine, and is looking for a Washington-area neurologist to consult on study design and interpretation of results. The research team will also value help in recruiting, eg, through notices to patients. Please call 202-527-7331 or email smishra@pcrm.org
Needed immediately for a dynamic, growing Internal Medicine/Women Health medical practice in NW DC. Women Health and a Nutrition background important. Must be knowledgeable of current clinical guidelines of care of Women, Diabetics, Hypertension and Cardiovascular, Obese patients. Full time/Part time/Flex hours. Salary competitive. Please Email CV/Resumes to drcjoffice@gmail.com. Contact Roxanne Semple @ (202) 877-0532 for queries and further information.
NW Medical Office space for lease. 1500-2000 sq ft. units available. Class A. Bldg which includes a 4 story elevator, fully equipped and furnished. Full service (receptionist and billing) located 1 block from Geo. Washington Univ. Hospital.
Address: 1011 New Hampshire Ave. N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: 202 465 0240
Fax: 202 955 5541
WASHINGTON, DC INTERNISTS - Premier university-affiliated multispecialty practice group seeks full-time BC/BE internists for superb opportunity in new outpatient only practice. Ideal downtown location with established EMR with home access, full hospitalist service, paid malpractice, competitive salary and benefits. Position includes clinical academic appointment. DC license required. Not a J-1/H-1B visa opportunity. Email CV to: cdugan@mfa.gwu.edu.
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