Nov. 12, 2014
Midterm elections: COMPAC makes great gains for medicine thanks to physician engagement

With the results in from the 2014 midterm elections, the Colorado Medical Political Action Committee reports strong gains for medicine. COMPAC endorsed 82 federal and state candidates and 77 were elected. Wins and losses aside, this was a significant election in that it reestablished the balance for which Colorado is known. The voters sent a clear message to legislators that they want elected officials to rise above the partisanship and work together to tackle big issues.

Click here to read more on CMS.org and watch for more in-depth election analysis from CMS lobbyist Jerry Johnson, Colorado policy expert Floyd Ciruli, and CMS CEO Alfred Gilchrist in the November-December issue of Colorado Medicine.

CMS delegation represents Colorado at AMA Interim Meeting in Dallas

Physician delegates and leadership representing the Colorado Medical Society traveled to Dallas to participate in the 2014 American Medical Association Interim Meeting, Nov. 8-11, joining the more than 500 physicians, residents and medical students from around the country who came together for activities and policy debate to shape the future of health care.

Among the highlights, Robert McDonald, U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs, spoke at the House of Delegates opening session Saturday afternoon on access to care for America's veterans; Arjun Srinivasan, MD, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discussed how to prepare for and manage Ebola patients in hospital and ambulatory care settings; and Colorado's own Jason Kelly, MD, discussed a recent lawsuit brought against him at an open meeting by the Litigation Center.

Additionally, two Texas congressmen -- Reps. Michael Burgess, MD (R-Lewisville), and Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) -- told the AMA House of Delegates that they will push to replace Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula when Congress reconvenes next week. They asked for the AMA's help to win final passage of the SGR repeal bill, which stalled earlier this year.

Click here to read more on CMS.org.

Ebola webinars on demand from CMS and AMA

The Colorado Medical Society hosted a webinar on Nov. 4, "Ebola Preparedness in the Outpatient Setting," on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. All physicians - member or non-member - were encouraged to participate. Physicians can earn up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from the live or on-demand recorded version.

CMS President Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD; Connie Savor Price, MD, chief of infectious diseases and medical director of infection prevention at Denver Health and Hospital; and Lisa Miller, MD, state epidemiologist, led the CMS webinar and answered questions. Click here to view the webinar.

The American Medical Association hosted Arjun Srinivasan, MD, an expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, at their Interim Meeting in Dallas on Nov. 9. They have made a recording of his 90-minute address available; click here to watch it on YouTube. He discussed how physicians can prepare for and manage Ebola patients in hospital and ambulatory care settings. Slides of the presentation (click here; AMA log in required) also are available for download.

For more information on Ebola preparedness, click here to go to CMS' Ebola resource page or click here to go to the AMA's Ebola Resource Center.

AMA: Regulatory penalties tsunami could cut doctors' pay by 13 percent

Physicians providing care to Medicare patients could face a "tsunami" of regulatory penalties over the next 10 years, potentially seeing payments cut by more than 13 percent by the end of the decade. The AMA urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to streamline the competing laws and regulations that threaten access to care in a letter sent in late October.

Click here to read more on the AMA's website.

As a reminder, the deadline to file for a hardship exception application to avoid a Meaningful Use penalty in 2015 is Nov. 30, 2014. The AMA also wants to clarify that physicians may file for a hardship AND file for an incentive. The day to attest for a 2014 incentive is Feb. 28, 2015. Click here to read more on the AMA's website.

CMS student leader named 2014 Pisacano Scholar

Stephanie Sandhu, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was named a 2014 Pisacano Scholar by the Pisacano Leadership Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). The Pisacano Leadership Foundation was created in 1990 by the ABFM in tribute to its founder and first executive director, Nicholas J. Pisacano, MD. Each Pisacano Scholar demonstrates leadership, academic achievement, communication skills, community service, and character and integrity.

Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology and Women's Studies English Literature.

During medical school, Stephanie went abroad to Xela, Guatemala, to participate in the Somos Hermanos Spanish Immersion program. Stephanie served as a student leader for the Stout Street Clinic, a weekly student-run clinic in Denver for the homeless. She also served as the co-president of the CU School of Medicine component chapter of CMS and was on the CMS Board of Directors. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Political Action Committee as the medical student representative.

A press release by the ABFM stated that Stephanie hopes her experience in policy work along with her vision of addressing the social determinants of health inside and outside the office will allow her to justly serve the underserved as she moves forward in her career as a family physician.

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For more information, call (720) 858-6000 or visit www.callcopic.com.


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CMS Task Force
on Health Care Costs and Quality:
Apply by Dec. 1
CMS has placed a call for members to join the new CMS Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Costs and Quality. The group will engage the state's Commission on Affordable Health Care, develop evidenced-based proposals to reduce cost and improve quality, respond to and seek a physician consensus on proposals submitted by third parties to the commission, and report to CMS members on the work of the commission and the task force.

Applicants should have experience in care delivery management, and be willing to commit to a three-year term and a minimum of four meetings in 2015.

Click here to access an online application form. The deadline is Dec. 1.
Upcoming events
Webinar: "Shift of Power, Bi-partisanship and the ACA" with speaker Floyd Ciruli

Participants can attend in person at the CMS office, 7351 E. Lowry Blvd in Denver, or online 

Monday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m.

Click here
to register.
To comment on something you read in ASAP or to update your contact information, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Visit us online at www.cms.org.
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