Take the pain out of opioid prescribing and management
Attention all physicians: CMS and COPIC are supporting Pinnacol Assurance's new program to offer a free trial of "OpiSafe" to all physicians in Colorado. OpiSafe is a user-friendly software program that helps you and your staff safely and efficiently manage all your patients' opioid prescriptions and adhere to the CDC's new opioid prescribing guidelines. OpiSafe will:
- Automatically perform your PDMP checks
- Manage your compliance with national opioid guidelines
- Simplify your opioid prescribing
- Save time and save lives
Pinnacol Assurance has arranged for a FREE trial of OpiSafe for every Colorado physician. Users may qualify for COPIC points. Opioid management using OpiSafe is reimbursed by many payers. Register by Nov. 30, 2016. Click on this link for more information and to register: https://opisafe.com/pa123.
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Nov. 30 deadline for seeking review of potential payment penalties
Late last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services posted information on its website that physicians can consult to determine whether they will be subject to 2017 payment penalties associated with the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and the Value Modifier. As reported in the most recent Advocacy Update, practices that have concerns about the findings in their report(s) have until Nov. 30 to file for an informal review of their data. The penalties in question stem from policies in effect prior to the enactment of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. Failure to successfully complete required PQRS reporting will result in a 2 percent penalty. Value Modifier penalties can range from 1 percent to 4 percent depending on the size of the practice and its performance on cost and quality measures. PQRS penalties will be communicated to physicians by mail as well as in the PQRS feedback reports posted on the CMS website. Value Modifier penalties and bonuses can be found in Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) posted on the website only. Additional information on accessing the reports and filing for an informal review can be found here and here. Those who have questions, even if they are uncertain about penalty status, are urged to submit a request for informal review. Although in most cases a successful PQRS review will trigger an automatic review of related VM penalties, program officials say the safest course is to file requests for review of both PQRS and VM data.
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Help CIVHC update the Health Initiatives Inventory
The Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC) is updating their inventory of payment reform and delivery system redesign projects in Colorado. The purpose of the inventory is to catalog innovative programs aimed at improving quality and cost of care as a resource for communities and stakeholders seeking to understand what's happening across the state. They need your help to capture the important work going on across the state. Whether you are engaged in a short-term pilot project or an effort to permanently alter care delivery, CIVHC asks that you complete a short, five-minute survey on what you're doing to improve health care costs and delivery in Colorado. Follow this link to describe your program. If you have more than one initiative, just click the link again to add information on a separate project. Please complete the survey by Nov. 4. Responses will be shared in early 2017. Questions? Please contact Miranda Meadow at [email protected].
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Free SBIRT webinar on opioids and the workplace
A free webinar, "Under the Influence and on the Clock: Opioid Misuse and the Impact on the Workplace," will be offered on Thursday, Nov. 10, 1-2:30 p.m. MT. Click here to register. Those who can't participate live can access a recording afterward if registered. The webinar will explore the impact of opioid use on the workplace. It might be the 19-year-old grocery clerk, the mom who works part-time as a substitute teacher, or the physician's assistant at the local urgent care clinic; opioid abuse reaches beyond stereotypes of "addicts and drug seekers." The United States is confronting the deadliest drug crisis on record. Opioid prescription medications are both a health and safety issue in the workplace. Opioid medications are potent, highly addictive drugs that have the potential to cause impairment, increase the risk of workplace incidents, injuries and death, even when taken as prescribed. Click here for more information.
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Resource for notices of nondiscrimination
As we reported in last week's ASAP, most health care providers must post and publish new mandatory nondiscrimination statements and taglines by Oct. 17. Covered physicians must:
- By Oct. 17 post a notice of nondiscrimination and taglines in the top 15 languages in the state.
- Designate a compliance coordinator and adopt grievance procedures (applicable to group practices with 15 or more employees).
- Covered entities are encouraged to develop and implement a language access plan.
One company, CTS Language Link, can provide translation services for a fee. Visit their website at www.ctslanguagelink.com or call (855) 295-9177 for more information. According to their representative, the cost to use the firm's translation service is $1.60 per minute and there is no minimum monthly fee. Note that this does not represent an official endorsement by CMS.
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Free access to PainNet system for Colorado primary care providers
The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has worked with the vendor of the Project ECHO Pain Management program, Community Health Center, to expand access to the program website known as PainNet. Current ECHO Pain participants have access to the website, which is an online learning community that aims to improve pain care expertise amongst primary care providers. The website is now available to other Health First Colorado' (Colorado's Medicaid Program) primary care medical providers (PCMP) for free as well.
The PainNet learning community enables PCMPs to develop expertise to treat patients with complex chronic pain through a combination of archived Project ECHO Pain case presentations, resource libraries, community forums and expert consultations. Providers and specialists are able to communicate through discussion boards, chat rooms and direct messaging.
This is a great chance for any provider who was unable to sign up for Project ECHO to access resources that can increase their knowledge on how to manage chronic pain more effectively. Click here for a flyer on PainNet. For any providers who would like to sign up for access please contact Agi Erickson at [email protected]. Other questions can be directed to [email protected].
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Workers' compensation: Dates for fall listening and rule update seminars
The Division of Workers' Compensation has announced the dates, locations and times for the division's upcoming annual fall Listening and Rule Update seminars. The registration process is now online. Click here to sign up for any of the dates listed below. Each person attending must register online for the specific event they will be attending. As always, these seminars are free.
There will be two telephonic presentations this year: one geared toward the payer and one geared toward the providers. Be sure to sign up for the provider teleconference so DWC can address questions within the context of your role in the system.
Colorado Springs
Oct. 21, 1 - 5 p.m.
Memorial Administrative Center, Class Room B
2420 E. Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Littleton
Oct. 28, 1 - 5 p.m.
Arapahoe Community College, Lecture Hall
5900 South Santa Fe Dr, Littleton, CO 80160
Aurora
Nov. 4, 1 - 5 p.m.
Community College of Aurora, Rotunda
710 Alton Way, Aurora, CO 80230
Loveland
Nov. 8, 1 - 5 p.m.
Medical Center of The Rockies, Longs Peak Room
2500 Rocky Mountain Av, Loveland, CO 80538
Provider Teleconference
Nov. 30, 2016, 1 - 5 p.m.
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Additional upcoming events
Zika Virus Update webinar, Oct. 20 -- The Tri-County Health Department and Arapahoe-Douglas-Elbert Medical Society have teamed up to provide a CME-approved webinar opportunity, Zika Virus Update, on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, 12 - 1 p.m. It is open to all physicians. The Colorado Medical Society is offering CME credit to physicians who attend and complete an evaluation. Click here for more information and to register. CMGMA/CMS webinar on Medicaid changes, Oct, 26 -- Medicaid system change is coming! Colorado Medicaid is doing more than changing its name to Health First Colorado, the system is changing March 1, 2017. By demand, a second meeting has been arranged; please join us for a special webinar with members of the transition team. This is your opportunity to hear from representatives of the Hewlett Packard IT team and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance. You will be given a preview of what to expect and how you can escalate any potential problems. Click here to register.
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Call for nominations: 2017 President-elect, AMA Delegates and Alternate Delegates
The nomination period for the 2017 CMS all-member election will be open Jan. 1-31, 2017. We are asking all members to consider nominating a colleague or self-nominating for one of the open leadership positions: President-elect (1 position open), AMA Delegates (3 positions open) and Alternate Delegates (3 positions open).
Access the election guide by clicking here. It provides important information on the duties, eligibility, terms of office and honorarium for each open position, as well as candidate requirements, campaign guidelines, election process, and more.
Potential nominees can review the position descriptions and qualifications for office starting on page three of the election guide and the candidate requirements on page five of the election guide. Please email CMS CEO Alfred Gilchrist at [email protected] if you have additional questions.
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COPIC Insurance Company is Colorado's leading medical liability insurance provider. Three out of four physicians choose COPIC for this critically important coverage. CMS members receive a 10 percent premium discount from COPIC.
For more information, call (720) 858-6000 or visit www.callcopic.com.
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Carr Healthcare Realty exclusively represents healthcare tenants and buyers. We assist medical practices in all types of lease and purchase negotiations: New Offices, Expansions, Relocations, Practice Acquisitions, and Lease Renewals. Visit: www.carrhr.com
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GreenLight is the national leader in web-enabled behavioral health testing with over half a million assessments in 35 states. GreenLight is designed to help physicians enhance patient care, improve population health and add incremental revenue to the practice. Visit www.Greenlight.md or call 866-602-1778.
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The average physician can save $38,000 by refinancing their student loans with LendKey! CMS members get a $400 cash bonus when refinancing through this partnership.
Rates as low as 2.14% variable and 3.25% fixed. Visit www.LKrefi.com/co-med. Phone: 888-549-9050 Email: [email protected]
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