If you are a voting member, you should have already received your bylaws materials in the mail. PIease review this important information and return your ballot today. Information related to the proposed amendments can be found online. If you have questions about your voting status, please contact Pia Duryea.  

    Last week, Representative Ted Poe (R-TX-2) introduced S. 1701, the "Cutting Costly Codes Act," which would prohibit the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from replacing the current International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) with the ICD-10 diagnostic code set.  The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on ways to mitigate the disruption to health care providers resulting from a replacement of ICD-9 with new coding standards required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
   The transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10, scheduled for October 1, 2014, will create substantial financial and administrative burdens for physician practices by increasing diagnosis codes from 13,000 to 68,000.  Implementation will not only affect physician claims submissions but most business processes within practices as well including verifying patient eligibility, obtaining pre-authorization for services, documentation of the patient's visit, research activities, public health reporting, and quality reporting. This will require education, software, coder training, and testing with payers. The transition costs are also significant with implementation costs ranging from $83,290 to $2.7 million depending on the size of the medical practice. 

    As HIPAA covered entities, physicians must comply with the ICD-10 mandate and will bear the entire costs of the transition. Additionally, under ICD-10 if physicians submit the wrong seven digit diagnosis code they risk non-payment altogether. The transition to ICD-10 is also ill-timed given the current and future Medicare program requirements that physician must comply with or face financial penalties, including the meaningful use of electronic health records, electronic prescribing, quality reporting and the value-based modifier programs. These new Medicare program requirements and penalties for non-compliance are on top of a 24.4% Medicare sustainable growth rate formula cut scheduled for January 1, 2014, and a 2% sequester cut that is already in place.  

   A copy of the AMA's letter is attached. Physicians are encouraged to contact your legislators and encourage them to cosponsor the bill.  

   The Sterling Ruffin Fund was established to support physicians in need, confronting personal and professional challenges. The Sterling Ruffin Fund consists of MSDC restricted investments administered by the Medical Society and Alliance Foundation, Inc. (MSAF). This year, $20,000 was distributed to the Medical Society of DC's Physician Health Program.
   Over the years, MSDC's Physician Health Program has monitored and advocated for numerous physicians confronting personal and professional challenges.  "The Medical Society of D.C.'s Physician Health Program will continue its role regarding wounded healers, and MSAF endorses the effort to support physicians and their families during their time of need," stated Roselyn E. Epps, M.D., MSAF President.  For more information about MSAF, please contact Rose Smith, Administrator, at smith@msdc.org or (202) 466-1800.

• Clarify that email should not be used for urgent messages
• Actively discourage use of email as a substitute for a clinical examination;
• Instruct patients to use a category in the subject line, e. g., "prescription," "appointment," "billing question," etc.
• Require patients to respond in acknowledgement of messages containing medical advice;
• Consider whether to permit discussion of highly sensitive topics
• Include a notice stating the email contains confidential information (intended only for the individual named in the address)
• Ensure software is designed to send automatic responses indicating you have received the patients message
• Never send emails to multiple recipients where the names of the other recipients are visible;
• Avoid mistaken identity by asking patients to include their full name and a patient identification number in the body of the message
• Watch the "tone" of email messages. The impersonal nature of email may exaggerate real or imagined sarcasm, animosity, etc.  

Physician guidance submitted by ProAssurance.

Meeting set for May 13, 2013
   Councilmember Yvette M. Alexander, Chairperson of the Committee on Health, announces a public oversight roundtable on the implementation of the District of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange. The roundtable will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 13, 2013, in Room 123 of the John A. Wilson Building.

      The purpose of this public oversight roundtable is to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the District's Health Benefit Exchange Authority and its continuing efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act.

    The FDA is excited to share news about the launch of the new FDA Patient Network website, http://www.patientnetwork.fda.gov. This site gives patients and advocates a bigger voice in medical product regulation, which includes drugs, devices, and biologics. 

 

The website will:

• Educate the community about FDA regulatory and policy issues, the medical product development lifecycle, mechanisms in place to provide stakeholder input, Federal Register notices, and public meetings.
• Encourage patients and advocates to communicate with FDA.
• Show how patient advocates can serve on FDA working groups, become Patient Representatives, speak at meetings, and more. This is one way the FDA hopes to expand inclusion of the patient perspective in FDA initiatives, problem-solving, decision-making, and medical product development, review and approval.

How You Can Help

   The FDA would appreciate your help promoting its Patient Network. It has pre-drafted promotional materials online to to make it as easy as possible for you to promote the site. These materials are available online.   

   On April 17, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators-including Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) - introduced a comprehensive legislative proposal to reform the U.S. immigration system, entitled the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013" (S.744). AMA staff worked successfully to include several significant, physician-related immigration provisions in this bill.

  On the 122th anniversary of the Birthday of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation would like to invite you to nominate individual(s) or institution(s) for their outstanding performance and/or research that contributes directly to the betterment of society. Two Prince Mahidol Awards are conferred on an annual basis, one in medicine and one in public health, each prize increase from $50,000 to $100,000 plus a medal and a certificate.
Submission Methods
1. All nominations can be submitted by three methods:
  (A) PREFERRED METHOD: Submit online via the Nomination Submission Online. Nominators are strongly encouraged to use this method.
  (B) E-mail the nomination form and all supporting materials as attached files to  supat.van@mahidol.ac.th
  (C) Regular mail delivery. Please send the complete nomination and all supporting materials to:
                             Secretary-General
                             Prince Mahidol Award Foundation
                             2nd Floor, Mahidol-Bumpen Building,
                             Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University,
                             2 Prannok Road, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok 10700 THAILAND
2. Nominations must be received no later than midnight local time on May 31, 2013.
4. Self-nominations are NOT ACCEPTED.

For more information about the submission process, please contact Prof. Supat Vanichakarn,M.D., secretary-general at Supat.van@mahidol.ac.th or pmaf@mahidol.ac.th.

  Join PharmedOut's 4th CME conference, "Medical Behavior in a Commercial World: Who is Responsible?" at Georgetown University on June 6-7, 2013.
   Speakers include Marcia Angell, Carl Elliott, a former pharmaceutical executive, and a ghostwriter who helped sell Low-T syndrome. Topics include industry-funded clinical trials, journal advertising and editorial policies, medical devices, opioid overuse, the Physicians Payments Sunshine Act, and much more. 9.5 CME credits available.

     As a physician in Washington, DC, you and your patients have access to a FREE Prescription Drug Card program. The Medical Society is pleased to offer the DCRx CARD. Your patients can save up to 75% on prescriptions, selected eye-wear, vitamins and other products. The card is accepted in pharmacies in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
     The Medical Society of DC has new cards available and any Society member who requests it may receive a supply of 250 cards. Please email Pia Duryea at duryea@msdc.org and ask for cards for your patients.