|
State Update
State House Update
Next Friday, March 28 is the deadline for bills to pass out their chamber of origin before the General Assembly takes a two-week spring break.
Updates on Medicaid Reform and ACA enrollment
Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos provided a report at the monthly Medicaid Advisory Committee meeting about the Accountable Care Entities
6 ACEs were conditionally awarded - they need to be ready by July:
1) Advocate Health Care
2) Loyola University Health System
3) ACE Care Services: Presence Health (based in Chicago, a 12-hospital system)
4) Health Hura: Access Community Health Network
5) Accountable Care Chicago: Swedish Covenant hospital, Norwegian American Hospital and Mercy Hospital & Medical Center
6) Illinois Partnership for Health Inc. - "large downstate", likely Urbana-Champaign region
4 ACES that will start later on
1. Chicago South Side - St. Bernard and Loretto hospital
2. NorthShore University Health System
3. Population Health of Illinois: Alexian Brothers Health System
4. Trinity Community Ace: Rock Island
Enrollment packets will be mailed starting around May throughout the fall based on geographical regions for patients to move from Illinois Health Connect into Managed Care Entities in mandatory managed care regions. This map shows the regions and related programs, and this two-page summary outlines the rollout process and timeline.
Latest numbers of newly enrolled ACA patients is 330,000
36,000 express (childless adults in the 19-64 age group currently in the SNAP program)
121,000 Applications for Benefits Eligibility - ABE (many are still pending)
94,000 County Care (some are pending)
82,000 from Federally Facilitated Marketplace www.healthcare.gov (FFM) initially 125,000 applications sent to Illinois State Marketplace (many pending).
Federal Update
Time to Tell Congress to pass bipartisan SGR repeal bill
The AAFP sent a letter to all members of Congress, which was co-signed by the Illinois chapter, reiterating the Academy's support for bipartisan legislation to repeal the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula and establish a payment model linked to quality improvements instead of volume. The AAFP urged Congress to pass the bill before March 31, when the current SGR patch expires, and said it would allow family physicians to do long-term planning and make changes related to adopting a patient-centered medical home model. Now is your time to contact your members of Congress directly. AAFP has an easy to use Speak Out email ready for your action.
Are you ready for ICD-10? Check out AAFP's flash cards to help you prepare!
Looks like ICD-10 may well be reality by October. Use the AAFP's ICD-9 to ICD-10 Referential Flash Cards as a handy reference to the primary care diagnoses you see most often, as well as expert coding tips. Share it with your coding team today and easily transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. The cards are only $69.95 for IAFP members and can be ordered online (Member Login required)
CMS Releases Road to 10 Toolkit
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the "Road to 10" toolkit designed specifically to assist small practices with the transition to ICD-10. The "Road to 10" toolkit is an online resource that was developed with the assistance of providers in small practices and is intended to help small medical practices jumpstart their ICD-10 transition.
The toolkit may be accessed on the CMS website at http://www.roadto10.org and will soon be referenced on AAFP.org under the Coding section of Practice Advancement.
Contact AAFP's Asia Blunt at ablunt@aafp.org or ext. 4176 with questions.
| 
Current Illinois FP of the Year runs for Boston Marathon victims
Chicago Essential Evidence Conference