Dues can be renewed one of three ways:

1. Online https://www.mymcms.com/renewal
2. Mail a check to the Maricopa County Medical Society, 326 E. Coronado Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85004
3. Pay by phone by calling the Society at 602-252-2015

You will need your Member ID#, which was sent to you on your invoice, to pay online. Please call the Society if you need your membership number or need assistance with your renewal.  

Thank you!    

All volunteers are needed, especially at a first aid station or
the Affiliated Dermatology medical tent.  

Questions about volunteering? Contact Nina Aganovic at naganovic@affderm.com or 480-556-0446 ext 220 .

Congratulations to MCMS member Dr. Rick Averitte!

 Dr. Averitte was appointed Medical Director for the marathon.

Register to volunteer >>  

Learn more about the race >>  

Banner, University of Arizona get final Board of Regents approval for merger

On January 28th, The Arizona Board of Regents gave its approval to acquire University of Arizona Health Network.

This final vote allows Banner to enter an academic affiliation agreement with UA, acquire the UA Medical Center and employ its non-academic personnel. Banner also will invest in new facilities for patient care and enhance the Tucson hospital's financial position.

The closure of the agreement will launch the Banner - University Medicine Division.  It will include three academic medical centers, a physician group serving as faculty in the academic medical centers and at the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix, and other services.

Read the full release, which includes the name changes for the academic medical centers and physician group, and Tucson and Phoenix leadership.  

Lindsey Bever, The Washington Post

The measles outbreak that originated in California's Disneyland has now spread to seven people in Arizona, with up to 1,000 people in the state potentially exposed to the disease, including nearly 200 children.

According to public health authorities, there are now 79 confirmed cases in California, 52 that have been linked to Disneyland. In addition to Arizona, cases have been reported in Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah and Washington state - all connected to California, according to state health officials.

This week, two new cases in Arizona - a man and woman - were linked back to a local family reported to be infected when they visited the West Coast amusement park, according to the Arizona Republic.

Health officials say the outbreak is a direct result of the increasing number of people - particularly in California - who have chosen to remain unvaccinated, partly because of the erroneous belief that vaccinations can cause autism.

Arizona Department of Health Services director Will Humble said anyone who is unvaccinated or undervaccinated - those who have not yet received all doses - who has been exposed to the measles must be quarantined for three weeks.   

Read the full article >> 

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Monday announced an ambitious new effort to reward quality medical care and phase out payments based solely on the volume of services provided in the Medicare program.

For the first time, the agency is setting an explicit timetable for transitioning Medicare away from its dominant fee-for-service model.

The department is aiming to tie 30 percent of traditional Medicare payments to care quality through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) or bundled payment arrangements by the end of 2016. Fifty percent would be tied to care quality by the end of 2018.  

Read the full article >> 

Thursday, February 26; 1:30-3 pm ET

To Register: Visit MLN Connects Event Registration. Space may be limited, register early.

CMS is offering acknowledgement testing and end-to-end testing to help the Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider community get ready for the October 1, 2015 implementation date. During this MLN Connects™ National Provider Call, CMS subject matter experts will discuss opportunities for testing and results from previous testing weeks, along with implementation issues and resources for providers. A question and answer session will follow the presentations.

Reprinted with permission from the Arizona Medical Association.

Excerpt from Medicine This Week, January 23, 2015.

Governor Ducey revealed his Executive Budget plan for FY 16. Typically the starting point for negotiations with the Legislature, the Governor and legislative leaders signaled budget talks may not be as contentious as recent years by standing together in a joint press conference before the proposal's unveiling. In developing the spending plan, the Governor established a clear goal of eliminating the State's structural budget deficit by FY 17.

Addressing the current year's deficit, the Executive Budget targets five areas. Two hit the healthcare community very hard, but are not surprising: an AHCCCS provider rate cut of 3% (saves $8.4 M), and a sweep of hospitals disproportionate share (DSH) funds to the General Fund (yields $11 M). The three other funding areas are: Department of Economic Security funds will be cut ($5.1 M); the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Water Supply Development Fund will be swept ($1 M); and the remainder of the shortfall will be closed with Rainy Day funds. The scale and scope of budget reductions isn't surprising; Governor Ducey warned in his Inaugural Address that cuts would be coming.   

Read the full article >>  

CMS recently announced new rules that strengthen oversight of Medicare providers and protect taxpayer dollars from bad actors. These new safeguards are designed to prevent physicians and other providers with unpaid debt from re-entering Medicare, remove providers with patterns or practices of abusive billing, and implement other provisions to help save more than $327 million annually.   

Read the full article >>