Resolutions and board action items are now available for member viewing and commenting. These items will be considered by the 2015 House of Delegates at the CMS Annual Meeting in Breckenridge, Sept. 18-20. Member engagement on these issues is vital to the future of our society. Comments must be submitted online by close-of-business on Monday, Sept. 14. Click here to view the resolutions and board action items.

Note: This content requires a member log-in. The website will walk you through either registering or recovering your password. If you need help with this process, please contact Tim Yanetta at (720) 858-6306 or [email protected].

One of the action items is governance and communication reform. As directed by the 2014 House of Delegates, the CMS Governance Reform Task Force and Board of Directors have been working for the past year to conduct a comprehensive review of the governing structure of CMS, including composition and selection of the HOD and BOD. All delegates are strongly encouraged to join CMS leaders on Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. for a live webinar on the proposed reforms. Click here to register for the webinar.

For more information on the Annual Meeting, including registration, hotel reservations and business deadlines, go to www.cms.org/events/annual-meeting. 

eQHealth Solutions was selected by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to provide utilization management services beginning Sept. 1, 2015. eQHealth Solutions will review and authorize prior authorization requests (PARs) for the ColoradoPAR Program.

Providers must register and create a new log on with eQHealth's PAR Portal, eQSuite. Please visit http://co.eqhs.org/ for information, instructions and to register for Web trainings on the new portal.

For additional questions, please refer to the following:

• For questions regarding the vendor transition, the new online PAR submission process scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, 2015, online PAR trainings, or eQHealth Solutions provider customer service contact information, please visit http://co.eqhs.org/.
• For questions regarding PAR submissions prior to Sept. 1, 2015, please contact the ColoradoPAR Program Provider helpline at 1-888-454-7686.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is concerned about the recent announcements of health insurance mergers and issued a press statement on July 28 on the negative impact of these mergers.

"The lack of a competitive health insurance market allows the few remaining companies to exploit their market power, dictate premium increases and pursue corporate policies that are contrary to patient interests," said AMA President Steven J. Stack, MD. "Health insurers have been unable to demonstrate that mergers create efficiency and lower health insurance premiums."

"To give commercial health insurers virtually unlimited power to exert control over an issue as significant and sensitive as patient health care is bad for patients and not good for the nation's health care system."

"Given the troubling trends in the health insurance market, the AMA believes federal and state regulators must take a hard look at proposed health insurer mergers. Antitrust laws that prohibit harmful mergers must be enforced and anticompetitive conduct by insurers must be stopped."

Click here to read the full press statement.

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME�) announced on Aug. 12 that they will enable physicians engaged in lifelong learning to use those activities in completion of requirements for ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. This action will expand the options available to physicians to receive MOC credit and will enable continuing medical education (CME) providers to offer more lifelong learning options with MOC credit to internists and subspecialists.

Click here to read their joint press release.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Division of Workers' Compensation will hold a medical treatment guidelines seminar on Sept. 11 in Grand Junction.

The one-day seminars will focus on Colorado's treatment guidelines for low back pain and shoulder injuries, two of the most common types of workers' compensation claims. Presenters will demonstrate how to apply the guidelines as a reference tool using clinical case scenarios. Other topics include how to navigate the dispute resolution process, the role of the claims adjuster and concepts of medical/legal causation.

Click here to download the agenda and registration form.

Pinnacol Assurance is hosting a complimentary medical conference on Sept. 24, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., at CU South Denver in Parker, Colo. This event is open to practitioners, practice managers and case managers. The Colorado Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Join Pinnacol for an look at the new horizons in workers' compensation, including a panel discussion featuring representatives from Pinnacol Assurance, the Division of Workers' Compensation, the Colorado Medical Society and the Workers' Compensation Education Association.

Visit the event website to register and for more information. Registration is first come, first served. Please contact your provider relations specialist with any questions at (303) 361-4945.