As a physician you know all too well how patients are adversely affected when the delivery of care doesn't go as well as it could. You also know firsthand the state of flux that the health care system and the medical profession are currently in as everyone grapples with change. You can have an impact by participating in the Advanced Physician Leadership Program, a yearlong training program that gives physicians the tools to lead effectively and help transform systems of care.

Click here to read more on CMS.org, including reviews from the APLP Class of 2012. Just six spots remain for the 2014 class. Apply by next Friday, April 4. Click here to submit your application.

Yesterday, Thursday, March 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote yet another short-term Medicare payment patch. The American Medical Association urged legislators to vote against the bill, saying it gives up a real opportunity to solve the SGR problem now and makes it more difficult to do so in the future. The measure now moves to the Senate.

If passed there, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 would be Congress' 17th temporary Medicare patch. It extends the current 0.5 percent update through the end of the year and freezes payment rates from January to March of next year, averting the 24 percent cut to physician payments that would have gone into effect on Tuesday, April 1. The bill also delays the implementation of the ICD-10 code set until at least Oct. 1, 2015.

The AMA and other physician groups have lobbied for permanent repeal of the failed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for the past decade and, over the past few months, had advocated for lawmakers to pass another bill, H.R. 4015/S. 2000, that contained a repeal and other payment reform measures. But the cost of that plan was about $140 billion over 10 years and lawmakers haven't been able to agree on how to pay for it.

"By extending the Medicare provider sequester and 'cherry picking' a number of cost savings provisions included in the bipartisan, bicameral framework, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act actually undermines future passage of the permanent repeal framework," AMA President Ardis Dee Hoven, MD, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Further, it would perpetuate the program instability that now impedes the development and adoption of health care delivery and payment innovation that can improve health care and strengthen the Medicare program," she continued. "Full repeal of the SGR is the answer to strengthening the Medicare program, not another patch."

Make plans to attend a reception benefitting U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, this Saturday, March 29, 5 - 6 p.m. The event will be held at the home of CMS member Stephen Sherick, MD, in Denver.

Click here for more information, to RSVP and for information on how to contribute. Click here for more information about the Colorado Medical Society political action committee.

Two hundred and eighty-eight CMS members completed a survey in January focused on physicians' wellness across eight dimensions. This survey - a collaboration between CMS and the University of Colorado's Behavioral Health and Wellness Program - gathered information about CMS members' perceptions of wellness. Survey participants were asked to rate their level of wellness on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best).

A majority (>66%) of physicians surveyed rate their Environmental, Intellectual, and Spiritual wellness as "high", with an average rating ranging from 7.9 (Intellectual and Spiritual) to 8.1 (Environmental). In fact, over half of all participants rate their wellness as "high" in all dimensions. Less than 10% of survey participants rate their current wellness as "low" in seven of the eight dimensions of wellness.

Occupational Wellness is rated as "low" in more than 1 in every 10 participants. Just under half of participants rated their Occupational Wellness as either "moderate" (38%) or "low" (11%). CMS and BWHP will focus our upcoming wellness activities on increasing occupational wellness and sustaining wellness across all of the other dimensions in the coming months.

We invite you to let us know your thoughts on these survey results. Click here to go to the survey results page in the Physician Wellness section of CMS.org.

Jan. 1 marked the start of health insurance for many Coloradans who previously were uncovered. Coloradans can still buy their health plans for 2014 coverage - with or without federal financial assistance - through March 31 and possibly beyond.

With new insurance in place, it is essential you ask your patients to provide you their carrier and plan information - from their insurance ID cards if possible - so you can properly process your claims. Please note: Connect for Health Colorado cannot process claims from providers. ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BILLED DIRECTLY TO THE APPROPRIATE INSURANCE COMPANY just as you've always done. Click here to view a list of carriers on the exchange website.

The American Medical Association has made available a toolkit to enable physicians and their staffs to learn how to use electronic health care transactions to help facilitate point-of-care pricing and improve cash flow. Click here to access the AMA Point-of-Care Pricing Toolkit. It will walk you through the process so your practice can start collecting from patients at the time of service. You can also learn more about electronic eligibility verification.

Connect for Health Colorado asks physicians to educate your patients on insurance options. You can order no-cost brochures and posters through their online store. Additionally, the Connect for Health Colorado website provides updates and information on deadlines and enrollment updates for your patients. The exchange's customer service center is available to answer questions at 1-855-752-6749.

The Colorado Medical Society presents the 2014 CMS Spring Conference, "Narrative as persuasion: The proven effectiveness of storytelling to win hearts and minds." The conference will be held May 16-18, 2014 at the Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail. Physicians can earn up to 8.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Attendees will enjoy interactive sessions on liability and patient safety, physician satisfaction and practice sustainability based on the RAND Corporation's recent findings, the statewide effort to reduce prescription drug abuse, and access to care in the context of the most comprehensive study on the topic in the history of Colorado.

Additionally, physicians will - through hands-on interactions on substantive, ongoing health care policy debates - learn how to incorporate the art and science of storytelling into conversations to enlighten, inform and persuade patients, colleagues, public officials, the media and others. Storytelling as a communications method is proven effective in any industry at conveying a lasting message.

Registration and hotel reservations are now available through our PDF registration form; online registration will be available soon. Click here to go to the spring conference page of CMS.org to view the agenda, faculty and educational information.