The Colorado Medical Society has coordinated the formation of a statewide training coalition of educators, consultants, physician practices, the Denver Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other stakeholders, under the common goal of ensuring physicians and their staff are prepared for the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code sets on Oct. 1, 2014.

The Colorado ICD-10 Training Coalition has launched a new website - www.cms.org/icd-10 - providing resources to help physicians navigate ICD-10 requirements and tailor an implementation plan to fit their practice's needs. The coalition will hold a series of free webinars to guide the process. The first webinar was held on March 19; an archived version is available here. The next webinar will be held live on April 16 and registration will be available soon.

Additionally, the new website connects you to events held by other coalition members. RT Welter and Associates will hold the third in a series of free seminars in Englewood on April 10 and a webinar on April 25; click here for more information. Complete Practice Resources will hold seven ICD-10 seminars this spring in Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Littleton, and Pueblo. Click here for more information.

We encourage you to join our e-mail list to keep up to date on the latest resources and upcoming webinars; click here to do so. And be sure to explore and share the coalition website, www.cms.org/icd-10, with your colleagues and staff.

Physicians: We need your help to develop the best CME for your needs. Simply complete a very brief survey about your continuing medical education needs and we will enter your name into a drawing for a $150 gift certificate to a restaurant of your choice.

Please let us help you achieve your continuing professional development goals and requirements through accredited CME. Click here to fill out the survey or copy and paste this URL into your browser: www.surveymonkey.com/s/CMENeeds2013.

Attendees of CMS' Spring Conference, May 3-5, 2013, at the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail, Colo., can earn up to 11.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ while learning specific action steps to leverage practice transformation and improve your bottom line.

As always, there is no registration fee for members to attend, but rooms under the hotel group rate are limited. Reserve your room by April 4, 2013, to get the best rate: $150 per night for a junior suite.

Click here to view the full agenda, hotel information and more, and register today!

The Tobacco Education, Prevention and Cessation Grant Program, on behalf of the Colorado Board of Health, is currently seeking applicants for a vacant position on the Tobacco Review Committee, a legislatively-mandated grant program. Specifically, they are looking for a representative of an association representing physicians. The position is voluntary and appointed by the State Board of Health; the committee meets on the third Friday of each month, 1 - 4:30 p.m. The term ends Sept. 30, 2013.

According to the vacancy announcement, "the Tobacco Review Committee is a 16-member advisory committee created to ensure that tobacco grant program priorities are consistent with the Colorado Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategic Plan, to oversee program strategies and activities, and to ensure that program grants are in compliance with legislatively mandated requirements. Based on these responsibilities, the Tobacco Review Committee makes funding recommendations to the Colorado Board of Health."

All applicants must submit a signed application form, current resume and a letter of recommendation by Monday, April 1, 2013. Click here to access the vacancy announcement and application.

The CMS Board of Directors met on Friday, March 15, and acted on several hot topics in the practice of medicine, including anticompetitive conduct, firearm safety, prescription drug abuse, and the Larimer-Weld component society merger. The board also approved minutes from the January 2013 meeting, the Finance Committee report, and a consent calendar. Click here to read more in the Sounding Block, an e-newsletter fro the Speaker and the Vice-Speaker of the CMS House of Delegates.

Don't let contracts with managed care organizations intimidate you; gain a better understanding of what they say. This is the latest tip in the AMA Practice Management Center's "Prescription for a Healthier Practice" series. The monthly series aims to help physicians and their staff examine how their practices are performing in key administrative processes.

AMA encourages physicians to learn more about how a negotiated fee schedule can affect your practice's bottom line by reading "Obtaining, uploading and utilizing your contracted fee schedules," a PDF is available on the AMA's Defensible Fee Schedule Toolkit webpage. The step-by-step guide will help you easily and accurately load contracted fee schedules into your practice management system.

Click here to access the PDF.

The abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States and a January 2013 survey found that Colorado has the second-highest rate of prescription drug abuse in the nation. Some diversion and abuse comes after family or friends pillage medicine cabinets for excess medications.

To reduce this risk and lessen the impact on the environment, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment encourages widespread participation in an upcoming event that allows the public to safely dispose of unused or expired household prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications. The next National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be held Saturday, April 27 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Help in the cause by alerting your patients of this opportunity.

For more information, go to www.DEA.gov or call 1-877-462-2911; a list of collection sites will be available after April 1. Please note that the following items will not be accepted: needles and sharps, mercury (thermometers), oxygen containers, chemotherapy or radioactive substances, pressurized canisters, or illicit drugs.

Click here to download a flyer to post in your office. It's available in Spanish here.