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March 13, 2015 Vol. 22, No. 5
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Important: Don't Miss Out on MSDC News
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Add @msdc.org to Your Safe Sender List This Month
MSDC will be switching its email communications service provider in April. To ensure that you continue to receive MSDC emails and do not experience any disruption in communication, please whitelist MSDC emails or add the "@msdc.org" domain to your Safe Sender list. The process can vary depending on your email client and internet security system, but see this fact sheet for help. You may also contact Pia Duryea.
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Maintenance of Certification, Medicare Payment and ICD-10 Are Scrutinized By MSDC and Medical Societies Nationwide
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MSDC Represents DC Physicians on Maintenance of Certification Debate
On March 6, 2015, representatives from the Medical Society of DC met with representatives from other state and local medical societies, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) to discuss concerns with Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and identify possible future action steps to address those concerns. Findings from the summit are highlighted in this summary. Among the top concerns with MOC were:
- Cost
- Usefulness and relevance to actual practice
- Quality
 - Possible link to Maintenance of Licensure
- Whether MOC is the best way to learn
- MOC-related stress on physicians
- Conduciveness to sustained learning
- Psychometric measurement vs. clinical validity
MSDC's Delegation to the AMA will be addressing the matter and concerns at the Annual Meeting of the AMA in June. MSDC members are welcome to voice their thoughts about this or other issues. Please contact MSDC at 202-466-1800 or email shanbacker@msdc.org
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MSDC and Other Medical Societies Call for SGR Reform as House Republican Leaders Mull $174 Billion Medicare Vote; Please Contact Your Members of Congress
On April 1, Medicare physicians will get a 21 percent pay cut, unless Congress stops its Medicare payment formula from going into effect. The Medical Society, along with the AMA and other state and national specialty medical societies, have called for Congress to reform the flawed Medicare formula. Earlier this week US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell told physicians, "We've heard your concerns about [SGR]." Sarah Ferris of The Hill reports that House Republican leaders are considering a vote next week on legislation that would abolish cuts to Medicare payments.
SGR Reform is at a pivotal stage of the process, and members are encouraged to call or write their Members of Congress. Please take action on permanent Medicare physician payment reform before the current patch expires on April 1. Locate tools and resources at http://fixmedicarenow.org. State-specific information can be found http://fixmedicarenow.org/resources/
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MSDC Joins 100 Organizations to Express ICD-10 Concerns and Recommend Changes
With the October 1, 2015, implementation date less than seven months away, 100 state and national medical organizations, including the Medical Society of DC, expressed concerns about ICD-10 in a March 4 letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The group outlined concerns related to testing, quality measurement, risk mitigation, software upgrades, specificity of codes, and audit plans. The concerns and recommendations can be seen in the letter.
At a Congressional hearing earlier this month, it was emphasized by CMS that no future delays are contemplated for the effective date of implementation of ICD-10. In light of this, the Medical Society recommends that physicians continue planning ICD-10 implementation (See ICD-10 Resources for help). ICD-10 has already been delayed for two years at the request of the AMA, the Medical Society of DC and other physician organizations
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Nurse Staffing Bill Reintroduced in DC Council; Efforts to Limit Excessive Drug Copays Moves Forward
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Similar legislation imposing staffing quotas was introduced in the previous Council Period, but it floundered in Committee. The Medical Society opposed that legislation and will continue to oppose all state mandated staffing quotas.
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MSDC Addresses High Copays
The Medical Society convened a stakeholder meeting related to B21-32, Specialty Drug Copayment Limitation Act of 2015, to address high insurer copays for specialty drugs in the District of Columbia. The legislation is currently under committee review, but the Medical Society will continue to monitor the bill and push for its passage. Tom Murphy of the Associated Press recently reported on the rising cost of specialty drugs which can "bury patients in debt, even those with insurance."
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Maryland Physician Licensure Requirements
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To assist MSDC members who are also licensed in Maryland and Virginia, the Medical Society will periodically provide information about license requirements and physician regulations in neighboring jurisdictions.
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Physician Tax Identity Theft Reported
MSDC reminds members to stay alert during this tax season as, once again, MSDC has learned of physicians in the Washington, DC area that have been victimized by tax identity theft. Last year, the Medical Society of DC alerted members to a tax identity theft directed at physicians. Physicians have became aware of the fraud after attempting to file their state or federal income tax returns and learning that a fraudulent return had already been filed under their Social Security number.
Physicians who have been victimized are encouraged to contact MSDC Executive Vice President Ed Shanbacker at 202-466-1800 or shanbacker@msdc.org.
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EMV Transition and Security Alert
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Are You Ready for the EMV Transition?
There's been a lot of buzz surrounding EMV credit cards and how they're going to revolutionize our personal security in this country. But what does that really mean and how does it affect your practice? Let's start with the basics, like what is EMV? It stands for Europay, MasterCard® and Visa®, and it is a security framework that defines the payment interaction at the physical, electrical, data and application levels between chip cards and payment devices. Read more in this TransFirst article about the EMV transition.
Security Alert - SSLv3 aka POODLE Vulnerability
Researchers discovered a vulnerability in Secure Sockets Layer version 3.0 (SSL 3.0) (CVE-2014-3566) called POODLE (Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption). The SSL 3.0 vulnerability could allow an attacker to extract data from secure connections.
There is currently no fix for the vulnerability in SSL 3.0 or TSL 1.0 itself, as the issue relates to the design of protocol. This has possible impacts to POS terminals, third party software and TransFirst Gateway connections. Read this TransFirst announcement for more information about the threat and how TransFirst is addressing the threat.
Additional resources:
* Further details are provided in the US-CERT alert: https://us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA14-290A
* Internet Explorer POODLE Remediation: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3009008
* More on Vulnerable Microsoft Platforms: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/3009008
* To see if your Internet-facing websites are vulnerable to POODLE, visit: https://www.poodlescan.com
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The Countdown to ICD-10 
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Just 7 Months Left!
With the October 1, 2015, ICD-10 compliance date less than one year away, now is the time to prepare for the transition. To support the health care community, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offers resources that explain ICD-10 for providers, payers, vendors, and non-covered entities. See these resources in the Pulse of CMS. Small medical practices may visit Road to 10, an online resource from CMS designed to help small medical practices in their ICD-10 transition. Physicians may also check the AMA's ICD-10 website which includes a specialty-specific summit.
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Preparing for ICD-10: How to Catch Up When You've Fallen Behind The ICD-10 transition deadline is approaching fast, bringing with it the potential for significant disruption- and a huge burden placed on practices to manage it. If you start right now, it's not too late to assemble the tools and team you need to help alleviate the preparation burden. Here's how...
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MSDC News: New AMA Alternate Delegate; Join an MSDC Committee, Task Force or Interest Group
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Change in MSDC's AMA Delegation
Laura Tosi, MD, has resigned from the MSDC Delegation to the American Medical Association and Raymond Tu, MD, has been elected by the Board of Directors to fill the vacancy. MSDC Executive Vice President said, "Dr. Tosi has been a great representative for MSDC members over the years, and her advice and counsel will be missed." Dr. Tosi remains on the Board as Immediate Past President.
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Participate on the MSDC Task Force on Family Violence
The MSDC Task Force on Family Violence is a multi-disciplinary, engaged group seeking additional volunteers including physicians, residents and medical students. The task Force contributes to policy initiatives covering victim's services, critical health care problems, educational outreach across the city, as well as supporting and participating in local and national grant initiatives. If you would like to know more information, contact Debbie Vargas-Collins Tel: (202) 687-0925 Email: dv222@georgetown.edu
Participate on an MSDC Committee
The Medical Society is seeking members to participate on the MSDC Nominating and Finance Committees. Nominating Committee members will help develop the ballot for the 2015 leadership elections. For more information on the requirements or to volunteer, please contact Ed Shanbacker.
Join the Resident Group
MSDC has received interest from members in forming an interest group for residents. If you would like information on planned activities or how to participate, please contact Ricardo Correa, MD.
Join the Practice Management Group MSDC has received interest in forming an interest group for practice management staff (including but not limited to office and practice managers; billing staff; administrative and other physician office staff). If you are interested in participating in this group, or if you have staff or colleagues who would be interested, please contact Pia Duryea.
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Help Your Patients Fight Back
The Medical Society is pleased to offer MSDC's DCRx Card as a member benefit for you to share with your patients. Using this card, your patients receive discounts of up to 75% off prescriptions, including Tamiflu, Flumadine, Amantadine and more. The card is accepted in pharmacies in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Contact Pia Duryea to order sample cards. Read about the program here. |
AMA and CDC Launch New Physician Practice Tools/resources
Eighty-six million American adults have prediabetes, which means it is likely that you have patients with this common but treatable condition. To help these patients and improve outcomes for your practice, without adding burden to your workflow, you can take advantage of new physician practice tools and resources from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This week, the AMA and CDC launched a national, multi-year initiative called "Prevent Diabetes STAT: Screen, Test, Act - Today™." The goal of Prevent Diabetes STAT is to raise awareness about prediabetes and to increase physician screening, testing and referral to evidence-based diabetes prevention programs that are part of the CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program. Visit preventdiabetesstat.org, the new Web page where physicians and the general public can find helpful content. The first phase of the initiative is focused on providing physicians and care teams with easy-to-use tools and resources to help them identify people with prediabetes and refer them to community-based or virtual diabetes prevention programs
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Editor
Pia R. Duryea
202-355-9414 (direct)
duryea@msdc.org
Was the information in this letter useful? If so, forward to a friend to let them know the value of MSDC membership!
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2014-15 Board of Directors
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Catherine S. May, MD Chair of the Board; At-large
John W. Larsen, MD
President Carla C. Sandy, MD President-elect Laura L. Tosi, MD Immediate Past President Joseph E. Gutierrez, MD Treasurer; AMA Delegation Chair Reginald L. Robinson, MD Secretary, At-large Peter E. Lavine, MD AMA Delegate J. Desiree Pineda, MD AMA Alternate Delegate Raymond K. Tu, MD AMA Alternate Delegate, At-large Susanne Bathgate, MD At-large Julian R. Craig, MD At-large Alice Fuisz, MD
At-large Barry Lewis, MD, MBA At-large Stuart F. Seides, MD At-large K. Edward Shanbacker Executive Vice President |
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Help Your Medicare Patients "Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle" During National Nutrition Month and Beyond
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 CMS reminds health care professionals that March is National Nutrition Month®- a time to "Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle" with informed food choices now and throughout the year. This year's theme encourages consumers to adopt a healthy lifestyle that is focused on consuming fewer calories, making informed food choices, and getting daily exercise in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and promote overall health.
Nutrition related health conditions are prevalent within the Medicare population. Twenty-eight percent of Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes and fifteen percent have chronic kidney disease. More than one-third of American men and women are obese, and adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and some cancers.
For More Information
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EHR Attestation Deadline for Medicare Eligible Professionals
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One Week Left to Meet the March 20, 2015, Deadline
Eligible professionals have until 11:59 PM (Eastern) on March 20, 2015, to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program 2014 reporting year. This deadline extension allows eligible professionals, who have not already used their one "switch", to switch programs (from Medicare to Medicaid, or vice versa) for the 2014 payment year. Providers who successfully attest for the 2014 program year will:
Medicare eligible professionals must attest to meaningful use every year to receive an incentive and avoid a payment adjustment.
How to Attest
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Medical Marijuana: A Closer Look *This Weekend - MSDC Members Receive Discounted Rate!*
March 14, 2015
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
MedChi (1211 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland)
The program includes a medical marijuana overview, update on medical marijuana state laws and analysis of the FDA's role in medical marijuana. MSDC members will receive the discounted MedChi member rate and are eligible for up to 5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). See the brochure for more details or to register.
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Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Practices and Providers
*Free Webinar*  March 25, 2015 12:00 PM While many speculate on the impact of the Affordable Care Act on providers and practices, we think it's important to take a close look at the data to find out what's really going on. To do this, last year athenahealth launched ACAView, an ongoing study that taps into athenahealth's real-time cloud-based network to understand the ACA's potential impact. Join athenahealth Research VP, Josh Gray, and athenahealth VP of Government Affairs, Dan Haley, as they discuss: *What current and expected government policy changes could mean for you *Impact of the Affordable Care Act on reimbursement levels *Data on practice patterns of caregivers across the country *What to expect from the ACA in 2015 To find out more or register, click here.
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2015 Loss Prevention Seminars  *Register Now - MSDC Members Save 50% on Registration!* March 31, 2015 - Sign Up Soon! May 14, 2015 June 9, 2015 American College of Cardiology (2400 N St., NW | Washington, DC) The practice of medicine has always been dynamic, but rarely has our U.S. healthcare system experienced the scale of change presented during the last two years. This seminar will expand your knowledge of liability concerns related to healthcare's changing landscape, including: * Use of patient portals integrated with electronic record systems * Allied healthcare professionals' expanding role in medicine * Increased attention on diagnostic errors MSDC members receive a 50% discount and may earn up to 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Register or read more in the online brochure.
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 2015 American Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (AMA-OMSS) Annual Meeting
Save the Date
June 4-6, 2015
Hyatt Regency Chicago
You or one or more representatives from your medical staff are invited to participate in the 2015 American Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) Annual Meeting and education program. Registration opens March 23. A complete meeting program will be available for review on the website in March. Learn more here.
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 International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine
Earn CME on nutrition and cardiovascular disease
July 31 - August 1, 2015
Grand Hyatt Washington
Recent breakthroughs have revealed that heart disease starts in childhood-perhaps even in utero. Yet we have more powerful interventions than ever before. This conference will share the latest scientific information to help clinicians put these interventions to work. Speakers will explain their insights on the role of nutrition in heart disease, hypertension, stroke, children's health, and other topics. We will zero in especially on how clinicians can bring nutrition into their practices. Learn more here.
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MSDC's 2015 Annual Meeting and Reception
SAVE THE DATE! October 28, 2015
6:00 - 9:00 PM Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health (700 2nd Street NE, Washington, DC 20002) The Medical Society's 2015 Annual Meeting and Reception will take place on October 28, 2015, at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health. The meeting will feature a Year in Review by MSDC President John Larsen, MD, and the installation of incoming President Carla C. Sandy, MD. Additional details will be announced in the coming months. If you would like information about the Annual Meeting or how to participate, please contact Pia Duryea (202-355-9414, duryea@msdc.org)
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 Medical Condominium for Sale
In the West End of NW DC at 22nd and L Street NW :
- 5,500 SF - Available now (space can be subdivided)
- $450.00 per SF ($100,000 build out credit)
- 15 surface parking spaces at the front door
For more information call Sergio Guerrero Vivanco at 202-258-8860 or email Sergio@jbsventures.com.
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 1145 Medical Office Building
1145 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
The medical office building is within walking distance to hospitals and metro stations.Please contact Peter Papantoniou at 301-961-1941 or see the online listing for more information.
2440 M Street
2440 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20037 2440 M Street is a Class A 110,000 SF medical office building with a three-level parking garage in northwest Washington, DC. The building has abundant patient and physician parking. Contact Peter Papantoniou at 301-961-1941 or see the online listing for more information.
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Medical Condominium for Sale
JBS Ventures, LLC has a medical condominium for sale in the CBD of DC at 20th and M Street NW. One 3,500 SF condominium - Available now at $350.00 per SF ($100,000.00 build out credit per level). See the floor plan here. For more information call Sergio Guerrero Vivanco at 202-258-8860 or email at Sergio@jbsventures.com.
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For information on advertising in MSDC's eNewsline, on the MSDC website, or elsewhere, contact Pia Duryea (202-355-9414, duryea@msdc.org)
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