 | Rep. Tammy Duckworth and
Dr. Donald Lurye |
Meetings with Members of Congress
IAFP Second Vice President Alvia Siddiqi, MD; board member Donald Lurye, MD and former board member Margaret Kirkegaard, MD participated in a health care discussion with U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Hoffman Estates) on Aug. 19th. Congresswoman Duckworth wanted to hear from her constituent physicians on legislation she should support in Washington.
U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R), alongside U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville), convened Senator Kirk's Health Care Advisory Board at St. John's Hospital in Springfield on August 16 to discuss a wide range of topics currently impacting the health care industry in Illinois. Members of the Health Care Advisory Board are leaders in the field and represent all areas of the diverse industry. Former IAFP board member Janet Albers, MD of Springfield, past president Kathleen Miller, MD of Decatur and current Family Medicine Educators committee chair Bharat Gopal, MD of the Carle Family Medicine Residency Program participated in that meeting.
New state laws on the books
Several bills that IAFP supported this session were signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn in recent weeks.
HB 188Tanning Beds: Illinois has joined Vermont, California, Oregon, Nevada and Texas by passing legislation that prohibits minors under the age of 18 from indoor tanning. Following similar ordinances recently put in place in Springfield and Chicago, this law is based on significant scientific evidence that links indoor tanning to increased risk of developing melanoma and other forms of skin cancer.
SB 1756prohibits selling electronic cigarettes to minors.
HB 1017 Mental Health Confidentiality will give providers and patients the option to share mental health data electronically and in real time and also provides confidentiality and consent processes with providers connected to the Illinois Health Information Exchange.
HB 61 repeals the HIV-positive student principal notification law and now protects the medical privacy of Illinois families and students from HIV/AIDS stigma while respecting the rights of school officials & first responders.
Illinois Medicaid Fee Schedule for 2013-14 Primary Care
This is the new fee schedule for primary care Illinois Medicaid, under the Affordable Care Act.
The new schedule reflects the increases for Medicare-Medicaid parity required by the Act and funded by the federal government.
Medicaid to Medicare payment parity update
IAFP received an update from the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services on August 20. The department has begun processing the enhanced payments for primary care services as established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Services eligible for the enhanced payments will initially be paid at the department's fee schedule rate. The incremental increases, or the difference between the department's fee schedule rate and the rate allowed under the ACA, will be paid as adjustments. The department is currently processing adjustments for dates of service January 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013. After the initial adjustments are completed, they will be processed on a monthly basis. Providers will begin receiving remittance advices over the next several days.
These adjustments can be identified by the following:
-Bureau Code: "D - Bureau of Comprehensive Health Services NIPS/ Pharmacy"
Process type/Reason codes:
-22D/ 3313-ACA PCP Payment (Use for ACA payment add on only)
-22C/ 3314-ACA PCP Payment Void (Use for void of ACA payment add on only)
Please note: During the first three weeks of adjustment processing, the adjustment amounts for vaccine administration were inadvertently reduced by $6.40 each. That problem has been corrected. The department will make an additional payment adjustment of $6.40 per occurrence for the affected claims.
Medicaid Meaningful Use Payment Updates
As of July 31, over 3,200 Illinois physicians have received over $69 million in Medicaid Meaningful Use incentive payments. Are you one of the approximately 1,000 physicians who are still waiting for your incentive payment? The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) is waiting to help you. Please call soon! The opportunity for this first cycle absolutely ends September 30.
Bureau of Comprehensive Health Services Hotline Number: 877.782.5565
EHR Adjudication Unit Direct Contact Number (enter phone number and then the star (*) button and then extension number)
Kevin Miller 217.782.5565 *3236
Amanda Wanless217.782.556 *3234
Mecky Lang217.782.5565 *3235
Veronica Schulz-Lehr217.782.5565 *3237
Have you contributed to FamMedPAC?
Illinois member Ellen S. Brull, MD of Glenview is a new member of the FamMedPAC Board and would like to see our numbers go up! Now is the perfect time to contribute online today!
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