June 21, 2013

Report from the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates
Colorado leaders elected to national office, set ICD-10 policy

Delegates and leaders representing the Colorado Medical Society traveled to Chicago June 15-19, 2013, to attend the annual meeting of the American Medical Association House of Delegates. Coloradans experienced great success in elections and policymaking, particularly among residents, students and young physicians.

Here are the election results:

  • Carolynn Francavilla, who is finishing her second year of residency with the University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency at Rose, was elected to the Alternate Delegate position of the Resident and Fellow Section (AMA-RFS) Governing Council.
  • Paul Pukurdpol, a third-year medical student from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was elected to the position of Vice Speaker of the American Medical Association Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) Governing Council.
  • Bianca Pullen, a medical student finishing her first year at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was elected to the position of region chair for Region 1 of the AMA Medical Student Section.
  • Dean Drizin, who recently finished his third year of medical school, was selected to represent medical students nationwide on the AMA Council on Medical Service.

Also in attendance was Steve Sherick, MD, chair of the AMA Young Physicians Section (YPS).

The Colorado delegates and alternate delegates to the AMA - led by M. Ray Painter Jr., MD, and A. Lee Morgan, MD, delegation co-chairs - worked hard to carry an important resolution through the House of Delegates to passage involving the transition to ICD-10 code sets to report medical diagnoses, which is set to take effect Oct. 1, 2014. The AMA's current policy is to delay or stop the new diagnosis system.

Colorado successfully added a clause to Resolution 236, "Action to Eliminate Implementation of ICD-10," that would enact an "implementation period" should the AMA's effort to stop or delay ICD-10 fail. The clause would direct the AMA board to seek federal legislation to enact a two-year period during which payers would not be able to deny payment based on the specificity of ICD-10 or ICD-11 diagnosis. Payers would be required to provide feedback for an incorrect diagnosis. Additionally, no payer would be able to reclaim payments for diagnosis codes that lack ICD-10/11 specificity, including through Recovery Auditors, or RAs.

For more on the AMA meeting, check out the July/August issue of Colorado Medicine.

The Physician Payment Sunshine Act is Here - Are you Ready?

By Jeremy Lazarus, M.D., AMA Immediate Past President

The new Physician Payment Sunshine Act was created by Congress to ensure transparency in physicians' interactions with the pharmaceutical, biologic and medical device industries as well as group purchasing organizations. Research shows that physicians are not yet aware of many of the changes coming from the Sunshine Act.

Here is what you need to know right now: Beginning in August, pharmaceutical and medical device companies must begin tracking information on their interactions with physicians, which they will report to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from that point forward. CMS is creating a public database on its website that will display the information reported by the pharmaceutical, biologic and medical device companies. This database will go live in September 2014.

Physicians will have a minimum of 45 days to challenge any information before it is public and can dispute inaccurate reports and seek corrections during a two-year period. Physicians can, and absolutely should, review information submitted about them before it becomes public so they can correct any inaccuracies. This can be done by asking manufacturers and their representatives to provide the information they intend to report, or by registering with CMS (beginning Jan. 1, 2014) to receive a consolidated report on your activities each June for the prior reporting year.

Now is the time to get up to speed and the AMA is offering resources to help. An easy way to get started is by viewing a free webinar I recently hosted. It provides information on what is happening and when, and what you need to do to be ready. We are also developing tools to aid physicians in talking with their patients about the transactions included in the new Sunshine Act database. These and other resources - including answers to frequently asked questions, important dates to remember and information on how to challenge incorrect reports - are available at www.ama-assn.org/go/sunshine.

This is an abbreviated version of a column originally published on KevinMD. Click here to read the full column.

CMS launches new website with enhanced member features

The Colorado Medical Society launched a newly redesigned website at the beginning of the month that increases our online presence and adds a variety of member benefits. We hope you've had the opportunity to check it out. Highlights include a robust member portal for profile management; improved navigation; site-wide search functionality; full access to Colorado Medicine articles; educational webinars; an updated events calendar; an improved online physician directory; and access to society bylaws and policies in HTML.

The new site will allow for more accessibility of resources and tools, members-only content and benefits, and a comprehensive online physician directory for the public that reflects information you can update instantly. All content on the site will be open to the public without the need for login credentials through the end of the month. In July, portions of the site will be designated as members-only content and CMS members will need a member login to access it. Look for your login information by mail.

Take a look by visiting www.cms.org.

Reminder: Fill out the Maintenance of Licensure survey

DORA has released a survey about the Maintenance of Licensure process that asks about your participation in and opinion of various types of continuous professional development activities that may be approved for fulfilling future MOL requirements. Maintenance of licensure, or MOL, is a process in development by which licensed physicians will periodically provide, as a condition of license renewal, evidence that they are actively participating in a program of continuous professional development that is relevant to their area of practice.

CMS strongly encourages all members to complete the survey, and estimates that it should take no more than 10 minutes. Click here to access this important survey or paste the following URL in an Internet browser: www.nbme.org/PhysicianSurvey.

AMA prescription for a healthier practice:
Automate prior authorization


The AMA encourages you to take advantage of automated solutions for prior authorization to reduce the time your practice spends on these processes. Start by visiting the AMA's payer policies webpage at www.ama-assn.org/go/payerpolicies for links to many of the major payers' prior authorization automated solutions.

This tip is part of the AMA Practice Management Center's "Prescription for a healthier practice" series.

New member benefit: DocbookMD

The Colorado Medical Society is proud to present a new, FREE member benefit, DocbookMD. DocbookMD is a HIPAA-compliant mobile app that allows physicians to send messages, text patient information, and exchange images such as X-Rays or EKGs over a secure mobile platform. It functions in a way that complements what we already do daily, but not in a way that adds work, wastes time, or burdens us with new systems.

Download DocbookMD from the Apple App store for iPhone, and iPad, or Google Play for Android devices. Go to docbookmd.com for more information.

CO Drug Card Help your patients save money
with free prescription drug card


The Colorado Medical Society has partnered with Colorado Drug Card to provide savings to your patients of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs at over 56,000 retail pharmacies. You can help by encouraging your patients to print a free Colorado Drug Card at www.coloradodrugcard.com. The cards are even customizable to your practice; click here for more information.

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