|
Learn about coming legislative issues.
Join us during our 57th Interim Meeting of the
Montana Medical Association and
Board of Trustees
March 9 - 10, 2012
Great Northern Hotel
Helena
|
|
Renew your MMA membership today!
| Submit 2012 MMA Membership Online
MMA Website
Your voice matters.
Be heard.
Join the MMA.
Call 406/443-4000
|
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.
|
|
Coding training without leaving the Office!
Classes are held throughout 2012. The MMA has partnered with Brown Consulting to continue the highly regarded online coding webinars in 2012. Click here for the schedule and to sign up.
|
 |
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.
|
|
"The MMA has my back. I can sleep like a baby at night knowing the MMA is watching for any radical ideas threatening the house of medicine. Especially during the legislative sessions."
Eric Kress, M.D., Missoula
Join the MMA today!
|
|
|
|
|
MMA leadership defines strategies to strengthen the physician voice
|
The MMA Executive Committee participated in a strategic planning session on January 20 & 21 projecting where the MMA expects to be in five years and setting objectives on how the Association will get there. As part of this process, the following vision statement emerged:
The MMA will be the recognized voice and keystone organization for Montana's physician community who practice in all specialties and in all venues. We will be relevant to our membership through proactive interactions, leadership development, and highly visible communications. This will lead to broad based and growing participation of Montana physicians and improvement of the health of all Montanans.
More details on the specific objectives will be shared in the coming weeks as the strategic plan is finalized. According to EVP Jean Branscum the planning session was a great success and provides a roadmap during this time of change that will ensure the physician voice is heard, the physician/patient relationship is protected and MMA member needs are met.
The MMA physician survey helped the leadership team to focus in on the issues of concern to physicians and the top needs of the MMA membership. With the strategic plan in development and a legislative agenda soon to be built, your participation in the survey remains important.
Click here to take the survey
|
The MMA: Physicians stepping up  |
How can physicians continue to deliver quality patient care in tight fiscal times? What new physician payment models should we support? Will medical homes improve quality and contain costs? These questions are shaping the physician profession in Montana now as decision makers search for answers.
You are invited to join your colleagues in the effort to determine how best to take care of patients and yourself in this time of uncertainty in the health care arena by:
- Joining the MMA to support a strong physician advocacy program;
- Becoming a physician leader by volunteering to serve on the MMA Executive Committee in open positions of member at large and AMA delegate;
- Being heard and sharing your expertise through surveys, committee work and advocacy efforts.
Show your support and commitment today. Submit your 2012 membership through the MMA website. Contact the MMA Executive Office at 877/443-4000 or by email at tammy@mmaoffice.org to serve on the MMA Executive Committee or learn of other ways to join your colleagues in preserving the house of medicine.
|
| MMA urges Congress to use unspent defense funds to pay for SGR repeal |
On Monday, January 23, 2012, MMA and other health care organizations urged lawmakers to use excess defense budget projections to pay for repeal of Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and avert a 27.4 percent cut to Medicare physician payments set to begin on March 1. In its joint letter to the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), MMA asks Congress to immediately repeal the SGR and establish a pathway toward a sustainable physician payment system focused on improving quality and value for our nation's Medicare beneficiaries.
With the March 1 deadline quickly approaching, MMA will continue to urge Congress to repeal the SGR and eliminate the uncertainty this policy creates for physician practices. We urge members and their practices' physicians and staff to contact members of Congress and tell them to repeal the SGR once and for all.
|
| Medicaid Fraud on the rise in Montana and Wyoming |
Medicaid fraud has remained a steady crime over the past few years, costing programs in Wyoming and Montana tens of millions of dollars, state figures show.
Some have called Medicaid fraud a victimless crime, but with the number of Medicaid clients expected to grow in the coming years, and thousands of people already on the waiting list to receive benefits, experts say that every penny lost to fraud hurts those who need it most.
Over the past few years, Wyoming and Montana, along with the federal government, have pushed to educate the public on the signs and costs of Medicaid fraud.
Figures provided by the two states suggest that their efforts are starting to pay off, leading to an increase in the number of cases opened by the states' attorneys general, along with the amount of money recovered from successful prosecutions.
To read more click here.
--Martin Kidston, Billings Gazette, January 29, 2012
|
| AMA urges Congress to stop implementation of ICD-10 |
On January 17, the AMA sent a letter to House and Senate leadership, the chairmen, and ranking members of the committees with health care jurisdiction urging that they put a stop to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-required implementation of ICD-10, and to call on stakeholders to assess an appropriate replacement for ICD-9.
The letter highlights the burdens that ICD-10 implementation will have on physician practices without directly benefiting patient care. It points out the cost of the transition and notes the timing of transitioning to ICD-10, currently scheduled for Oct. 1, 2013, will disrupt physicians' efforts to implement electronic health records EHRs. The letter also urges Congress to re-evaluate the penalty program timelines associated with e-prescribing, EHRs and the PQRS programs, as these programs are overlapping and could result in physicians being unfairly penalized.
|
| Part B Provider Customer Service 1-800 Number Change |
Noridian Administrative Services is pleased to offer one toll free number that Medicare Part B providers may access to connect to their Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) and their Provider Contact Center (PCC) Customer Service Representatives (CSRs). Offering one consistent toll free number to all Part B Medicare providers in all states streamlines the process and offers consistency in providing the best customer service.
Effective January 20, 2012, the toll free number for Part B provider inquiries is
(877) 908-8431. This is their current Part B IVR system number. Please note that their CSR provider inquiry line (800-933-0614) will no longer be in service and callers must use (877) 908-8431 for all inquiries.
Note: If you are calling for information not available on the IVR, you may opt out to connect with any of their CSRs to assist you. Complex questions will continue to be answered by Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) during the hours of 8 am to 4 pm.
|
| 57th Interim Meeting of the MMA and Board of Trustees |
Make your plans to attend the upcoming MMA Interim Meeting on March 9 and 10 in Helena where members will learn about the legislative discussions already underway that will impact physicians, and begin to develop the MMA legislative agenda.
Meeting Agenda
The meeting will begin with a luncheon presentation followed by an afternoon of educational sessions on legislative topics, including mechanisms for care coordination and cost containment. The afternoon will conclude with an open session on the MMA's legislative agendafor 2013. In the evening, members will be able to network and collaborate with colleagues at a no-host reception and dinner at the Montana Club.
On Saturday morning, the Board of Trustees will hold their quarterly meeting. The interim meeting will conclude by Noon.
Call for Reports and Resolutions
Any medical society represented to this Association through a Board of Trustee member may present reports to the Board of Trustees. Additionally, resolutions of professional, social, or economic interest may be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration and official action. If your society or any of its members wishes to present a report or resolution to the Board at its interim meeting, please submit an electronic copy of any such report or resolution by email to the Executive Office at mma@mmaoffice.org by February 10.
Meeting Attendance
Please let the Executive Office know if you will be attending the interim meeting by emailing us at mma@mmaoffice.org.
Hotel Reservations
A block of rooms at the Great Northern Hotel has been reserved for March 8 - 10. Please call the hotel before February 15 to reserve your room at (800) 829-4047; the room rate is $110/double queens and $120/king room. When making your reservation, please inform them you are with the Montana Medical Association. We look forward to seeing you at the Interim meeting in Helena.
We will have additional information posted to our website in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about the meeting, please contact Jean Branscum. I look forward to seeing you in Helena on March 9 and 10.
|
| AMA unveils improved Practice Management Center website |
The American Medical Association (AMA) unveiled a redesigned website for its Practice Management Center, featuring a new layout that is easier to navigate and faster to use. The improved website offers physicians easy access to the AMA's wealth of resources, tools and guidance for enhancing the operation of a medical practice.
In addition to the improved design and layout, the website has three new sections: practice operations, claims revenue cycle management, and health insurer relations. The new Knowledge Center provides access to practice management tips, toolkits, guidance and webinars.
Physicians can sign up for the popular Practice Management Alerts or join the AMA's new online community, the Paperless Practice Group, to connect with peers around the country, share best practices and ask questions about how to automate and streamline the medical practice.
The AMA is committed to designing innovative practice management tools with physicians' needs in mind. All these and more are available to physicians who visit www.ama-assn.org/go/pmc to explore the new Practice Management Center website.
The site is free and available to AMA members and non-members.
|
| Constitutional claims debated in hospital rate dispute lawsuit |
A court case that could upend the negotiated rates insurers pay hospitals for medical services was heard by District Judge James Reynolds in Helena. A lawyer for St. Peter's Hospital defended the practice in court Wednesday, arguing that a lawsuit against the hospital reaches too broadly and misconstrues constitutional guarantees of equal protection.
The lawsuit, filed by Helena attorney John Morrison on behalf of Jessica Gazelka, who received care at St. Peter's and did not have insurance, claims that the state law allowing hospitals and insurers to develop agreements for discount rates violates the Montana Constitution's prohibition against discrimination against people with certain social conditions. To read more click here.
--Sanjay Talwani, Helena Independent Record, January 26, 2012
|
EHR Incentive Program update
|
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published a data file containing de-identified information on eligible professionals (EPs) and hospitals (EHs) who have attested to the Meaningful Use Program (MU) including physician specialty, state, and vendor type. The dataset can be downloaded for free. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also recently published updated MU registration and attestation data. Attestations include 15,255 Medicare EPs and 14,089 Medicaid EPs. Physicians make up the vast majority of both groups, but overall participation remains low. The MU 2011 reporting period for physicians ended on Dec. 31. Physicians interested in applying for incentives for 2011 have until Feb. 29 to register and attest at https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action. Feb. 29 is also the last day EPs have to submit claims for allowed charges incurred in 2011.
|
Great Falls Clinic named new CEO
|
The Great Falls Clinic has selected David B. Rowe, FACHE, as their new Chief Executive Officer of the Great Falls Clinic system including the Great Falls Clinic, Great Falls Clinic Medical Center and Great Falls Clinic Surgery Center. Mr. Rowe assumed his new position on December 12, 2011.
|
|
|
|
|
