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ASAP - An Electronic Publication of the
Colorado Medical Society
Feb 10, 2012

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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Medicare Physician Payments are Scheduled for a 27.4% Cut on March 1: CMS to Lead Statewide Delegation to Washington DC Next Week
2. Medical Community Unites Over Prior Authorization
3. Application Deadline for EHR Incentives
4. ICD Training Coalition Helps Physicians through The Maze
5. What You Can Do If You Are Experiencing Claims Processing Issues with HIPAA Version 5010 Transactions Help
6. Act by June 30, 2012 to Avoid Medicare eRx Penalty
7. CMS Receives CME Accreditation by the ACCME

1. Medicare Physician Payments are Scheduled for a 27.4% Cut on March 1: CMS to Lead Statewide Delegation to Washington DC Next Week 

 

 

CMS will lead a statewide delegation of physicians to Washington next week to lobby for Medicare physician payment reform. Medicare physician payments are scheduled for a 27.4 % cut on March 1, 2012. Read more in the Washington briefing.

 

"I am so grateful to the physicians who are taking time from their practice and family to travel to Washington to meet with the Colorado congressional delegation. It is critical that all Colorado physicians participate at this critical juncture," says CMS President F. Brent Keeler, MD.

 

Please act now and contact your member of congress and the two US Senators to urge them to repeal the SGR!   Forward these video links on to physicians, family and friends and encourage them to contact their Senators and members of congress.

 

Read why former congressional medical lobbyist, now CMS CEO, Alfred Gilchrist, calculates that this might just be the year that Congress puts the SGR on a repeal and replace glide path. 

 

2. Medical Community Unites over Prior Authorization

 
 

We surveyed our members and found significant concern among practicing physicians with prior authorization practices. A pro-patient state senator filed legislation that raises awareness about the issue. Health plan medical directors met with the Council on Legislation, and consistent with Colorado's national reputation for collaboration, recommend a practicing physician/health plan work group to begin addressing the issues immediately. More

 

3. Application Deadline for Medicare's 2011 EHR Meaningful Use Incentive is Feb. 29th

 

Physicians who met the reporting requirements for Medicare's meaningful use program for electronic health records (EHR) in 2011 have until February 29th to register and apply for incentive payments.

 

The reporting period for physicians participating in the program last year ended Dec. 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. 

4. ICD 10 Training Coalition Helps Physicians through the Maze

 

The Colorado Medical Society has organized the formation of a statewide training coalition of interested educators, consultants, physician/practice representatives (including the component medical societies, Colorado Medical Group Management Association, Pikes Peak Chapter of the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management, Colorado Health Information Management Association), the Denver Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and other stakeholders. Our shared goal is to ensure physicians and their staff are prepared for the implementation of ICD-10 on October 1, 2013.

 

The statewide training coalition will make ICD-10 resources and training accessible to physicians and their staff via an organized multi-media educational campaign. Through a modular approach the coalition will provide a progressive training curriculum beginning January 2012 and running through October 2013. Read more.

5. What you Can Do if You are Experiencing Claims Processing Issues with HIPAA Version 5010 Transactions

  

 

Since the deadline on January 1, 2012 to convert to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Version 5010 transactions, some physicians have been experiencing issues with their claims processing, resulting in lack of payments.

 

The AMA is aware of issues with claims processing related to the 5010 transition and is addressing these issues directly with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Read more

6. Act by June 30, 2012 to Avoid Medicare eRx Penalty 

2013 penalty May Depend on eRx activity in 2012 

 

Physicians who do not electronically prescribe medication for Medicare patients in the first half of 2012 could be hit with financial penalties in 2013.

 

If you reported the code "G8553" for at least 25 unique eligible eRx claims for services provided January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011, you will not only receive the incentive payment for 2011, but you will also automatically be exempted from the 2012 and 2013 eRx payment adjustments. 

 

Read more about what you need to do to avoid the 2013 penalty.

7. CMS Receives CME Accreditation by The ACCME

 

Colorado Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

 

After a 15-month-long continuing medical education (CME) application process with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Colorado Medical Society (CMS) has been approved as an accredited provider of CME. "This means that in addition to accrediting institutions as providers of CME, we are now able to accredit individual CME activities for AMA category 1 credit, said JoAnne Wojak, CMS CME Director.

 

The CMS CME Committee, co-chaired by Clara Raquel Epstein, MD (Boulder) and Mike Pramenko, MD, CMS immediate past president (Grand Junction) led the CME program and policy development effort. Dr. Pramenko was president-elect when the CMS board of directors took action to approve pursuing CME accreditation. "I'm very committed to continuing medical education and believe this CME effort will be important and beneficial to doctors in Colorado", said Pramenko. Read more. 

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