1. CMS 2012 Spring Conference: "Lead, Follow or Wander"
Dear Colleague,
The CMS Spring Conference titled, "Lead, Follow or Wander" will bring physicians from across the state together for relevant and topical discussions, workshops and presentations. Specifically, the agenda includes ways for you to make a difference by participating in the political process to make our medical community stronger. We will also feature sessions on the Constitutionality of the Mandate, The Colorado Health Insurance Exchange, Reimbursement Realignment and Advertising and Marketing Laws. Our special guest for the Saturday evening's Fireside Chat will be veteran Washington Post and Time Magazine political reporter, Michael Weiskopf. (Read his bio here).
Equipped with new ideas, inspiration and knowledge, you will be able to lead your practices into new territory by following the urgent and relevant issues associated with practice evolution including legislative advocacy, reputation management and health care policy -- and nobody will wander alone with physician-to-physician outreach.
Join us this May 4-6th at the Sonnenalp Resort in Vail! Please fill out and return the registration form today and plan on an eventful and memorable weekend filled with fun and frivolity.
Jan Kief, MD, CMS President-elect
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2. Help with EHR "Meaningful Use"
Did your practice receive a 2011 incentive for meaningful use of an electronic health record (EHR)? Do you have a plan to earn the incentive in 2012?
The Colorado Medical Society and CO-REC (Colorado Regional Extension Center) have developed a free, self-guided educational tool to help practices with many of the resources needed to achieve "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs).
The online portal takes physicians and their staff through step-by-step training and educational modules to help them select, implement and meaningfully use certified EHR technology. The portal is available free of charge to all Colorado physicians or practice staff members.
The portal contains interactive tools including an EHR readiness assessment, EHR selection criteria assessments, EHR contract considerations, and pre-implementation checklists necessary for successful implementation. It also includes links to statewide resources and information on critical success factors and the most common "failure modes" that drive EHR/HIE implementation, detailed privacy and security requirements.
Path to Payment: This Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services web page will help you determine if you are eligible for the incentives, and which incentive program - Medicare or Medicaid - will be most beneficial for you. You may also download a Beginners Guide to the EHR incentive program.
Colorado's Medicaid EHR Incentive: Colorado has launched the website for its incentive program. While the program is not yet accepting registrations, information and tools are available here.
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3. 2012 Legislative Preview
CMS is expecting a loaded health care legislative agenda led by truth in advertising reform, peer review system reforms and a neonatal encephalopathy safety net demonstration project. Stay tuned to ASAP for information on 2012 legislative issues as it becomes available. Read more here.
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