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Want your voice to be heard?
Join us during our 57th Interim Meeting of the
Montana Medical Association and
Board of Trustees
March 9 - 10, 2012
Great Northern Hotel
Helena
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Renew your MMA membership today!
| Submit 2012 MMA Membership Online
MMA Website
Your voice matters.
Be heard.
Join the MMA.
Call 406/443-4000
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Help us to help you! It is imperative that your voice be heard. Complete our online survey as soon as possible. The results will be utlized during our strategic planning session next week.
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Visit our website at
www.mmaoffice.org
often as we are continually updating information that is pertinent to physicians and practice management.
Pre-order your 2012 MMA Directory of MT Physicians.
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Coding training without leaving the Office!
The MMA announces a partnership with Brown Consulting to continue the highly regarded online coding webinars in 2012. Click here for the schedule and to sign up for these classes which begin January 19.
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Help the MMA become a stronger voice for physicians
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Your input is needed! If you have not already completed the MMA physician survey, we ask that you take a few minutes to do so today. Results of this survey will be used to establish a strategic plan for the betterment of physicians and their patients.
As the voice of all physicians, the MMA invites both MMA physician members and nonmembers to participate in this effort by completing our survey. Your guidance through this survey will enable the leadership team to identify common concerns, set priorities, and build meaningful programs and services while still providing relevant and timely information.
Additionally, this survey includes questions that explore the possibility of new requirements being put in place to retain a physician license. Answers to these questions will be provided to the Board of Medical Examiners
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2012 Directory: Last chance to ensure accurate information
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As you know, the Directory of Montana Physicians lists contact information for all physicians licensed to practice medicine in Montana. It is a favorite benefit of the Montana Medical Association members and used by hundreds of others across the state who are working for physicians or are doing business with you. New in 2012, the Directory will also include a listing of licensed physician assistants in Montana.
We will are sending the Directory to print very soon and your accurate information is needed from you to ensure the directory can continue to serve as a source for physician-to-physician referrals. If you have not returned your Biography Questionnaire, please do as soon as possible, or contact the Executive Office with any updates in your information.
Members of the MMA will receive one complimentary copy. Members and non-members, may order additional copies, by visiting our MMA website. If you have any questions, please contact our office by telephone at 877/443.4000 or by email at mma@mmaoffice.org.
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Physician license renewal process changing;
prepare for new look, new login 
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On January 31, the 2012 license renewal period will begin for more than 2,000 Montana physicians. It's an important time for every licensed physician in Montana and for the Board of Medical Examiners (BOME) which handles the licensing process.
This year, physicians who renew their licenses online will use a new database system. The system is designed to be easy to use, but will look different and will require a new login procedure.
Here are some things to be aware of as you prepare to renew your license:
- On January 31, the NEW online Licensing Renewal system will be available. The renewal deadline will remain March 31.
- The BOME office will provide you with a NEW User ID and password that will allow you to access the system and renew your license. That information will come by mail during the week of January 23. You also will receive more information about what to look for when you renew online.
Prior to January 23, the Board will contact you by mail with this same information.
--Ian Marquand, Exec. Director, Montana Board of Medical Examiners
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| The MMA is important because... |
I feel the MMA is important because it potentially can be a voice for physicians to promote health care for our patients and still maintain our professionalism. As individual professionals we may not agree on everything and at times have conflicts in our methods and goal. However generally we can compromise if it is in the best interest of our patients and openly discuss the differences.
--Joan M. McMahon, M.D., Lewistown
It is only through your membership that the MMA is able to make the physician voice heard and offer forums for you to participate in medicine through education, advocacy, and collegiality. Show your support of the physician profession by being a MMA member in 2012. Submit your membership today through the MMA website. You can call the MMA Executive Office at 877/443-4000 for additional details or email the office at tammy@mmaoffice.org.
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Baucus among conference committee members appointed to review SGR legislation
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Over the last few weeks, House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders appointed conferees to work out their respective differences on H.R. 3630, legislation that would continue funding for several expiring policies, including extended unemployment insurance, payroll tax cuts, and Medicare physician payment rates. The conference needs to reach agreement on a longer-term bill prior to March 1, 2012, when the two-month Medicare physician payment freeze and other policies expire. The conferees include:
- House Republicans: Rep. Dave Camp (Mich.), Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.), Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas), Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.), Rep. Tom Price, MD (Ga.), Rep. Tom Reed (N.Y.), Rep. Renee Ellmers (N.C.), Rep. Nan Hayworth, MD (N.Y.)
- House Democrats: Rep. Sander Levin (Mich.), Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (M.D.), Rep. Allyson Schwartz (Pa.), Rep. Henry Waxman (Calif.)
- Senate Democrats: Sen. Max Baucus (Mont.), Sen. Ben Cardin (M.D.), Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), Sen. Bob Casey (Pa.)
- Senate Republicans: Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho), Sen. John Barrasso, MD (W.Y.)
Rep. Camp, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, will chair the conference, which is expected to begin meeting as early as the week of Jan. 17.
MMA position: The MMA urges all members of the House and Senate to take the fiscally responsible action of eliminating the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula in this bill. We encourage physicians to participate in this effort and contact conference member Senator Max Baucus and the other Montana congressional members to publicly support elimination of the SGR.
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Final FY 2012 appropriations bill signed into law
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On Dec. 23, President Obama signed into law the "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012" (P.L. 112-74) to fund the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. The bill provides a total of $156.3 billion in discretionary funding for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education programs. This total is $1.1 billion below last year's level.
This legislation rescinded $10 million of the $15 million in mandatory funding for the Independent Payment Advisory Board included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the current fiscal year. The bill also rescinded $400 million from the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) grant program included in the ACA. The CO-OP program was originally funded at $6 billion, but $2.2 billion was cut during the FY 2011 appropriations process. The CO-OP program has $3.4 billion in remaining funds.
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| Medicare e-prescribing hardship exemptions under review |
Last fall, physicians had the opportunity to seek hardship exemptions and avoid penalties for failing to successfully participate in Medicare's e-prescribing program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reviewing each hardship exemption request on an individual basis and has not yet completed its analysis. Therefore, it is possible that some physicians will be subjected to a 1 percent Medicare payment penalty inappropriately until the backlog of exemption requests is reviewed.
Ultimately, CMS will reprocess the claims. Read information regarding remittance advice and information on the impact to physician reimbursement and patient copays. More information on the penalty program can be found here.
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RAC developments being monitored
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As of Jan. 1, 2012, Medicare Recovery Auditor (formerly known as Recovery Audit Contractor or RAC) demand letters are being sent to physicians by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). CMS is instituting this change to avoid delays in demand letter issuance. A sample demand letter that will be sent by the MACs may be viewed here, and a CMS article on the topic may be viewed here.
On Dec. 30, CMS published a document outlining frequently asked questions on the Medicaid RAC program. Previously, the MMA joined the AMA and 79 other state medical societies and national specialty societies in submitting formal comments on the Medicaid RAC proposed rule, and the final rule was published Sept. 16. The AMA is closely monitoring implementation of the Medicaid RAC program.
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| HHS finalizes Medicaid quality measures | |
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a final notice of its initial core set of Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid-Eligible Adults in the Federal Register. The final rule comprises six major categories: Prevention and health promotion; Management of acute conditions; Management of chronic conditions; Family experiences of care; Care coordination; and Availability of care. Health care providers and insurers can use the measures voluntarily to track care delivery among adults enrolled in Medicaid, as well as monitor and improve quality. The 26 measures, which were mandated by the Affordable Care Act, were narrowed from an initial set of 51 proposed in Dec. 2010. HHS was required to post the core set of measures by Jan. 1, 2012. The full rule can be found in the Federal Register.
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| VIP SGR webinar scheduled for Feb. 7: Save the date! | |
On Feb. 7, 2012, at 8 p.m., EST, the AMA will host a grassroots training webinar as part of the Very Influential Physicians (VIP) program entitled: "Communicating with Congress: How to be an Effective Citizen Advocate."
Led by Brad Fitch of the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), this webinar will focus on the SGR cuts scheduled to take effect on March 1, and how physicians can act as leaders in successfully influencing lawmakers to permanently eliminate the SGR. Brad and CMF have conducted exhaustive research on how Congressional offices process and respond to all the communications they receive, and what specifically impacts their thinking.
Take part in this webinar and learn:
- What congressional staff believe are the most effective communications tactics for influencing members of Congress
- The differences between different forms of grassroots communications (email, mail, phone calls, inperson visits, etc.)
- How to conduct effective in-person meetings, influence legislators at townhall meetings and other effective advocacy techniques that you can apply in your state/congressional district
- Where the AMA stands with current efforts to repeal the SGR once and for all, and how physicians can best leverage their relationships in Congress to amplify the repeal message.
Mark your calendars for this important webinar and stay tuned for registration and call-in details. We hope that physicians will take part in this valuable training in advance of the vital grassroots push at the National Advocacy Conference on February 13-15, 2012. If you are not already a member of the VIP program, please visit http://www.ama-assn.org/go/vip to join.
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