MedAC and MSNJ Past President Niranjan Rao, MD, will host a cocktail reception to support Nancy Pinkin, candidate for assembly in district 18.

The reception will take place Wednesday, July 31 at 6:00 P.M. at Dr. Rao's office:  

(Maximum individual contribution is $2,600)

Applications for Hurricane Sandy  

Relief Grant 
The Physicians Foundation announced a grant in the amount of $350,000 each to the Medical Society of New Jersey and the Medical Society of the State of New York. Grantees do not have to be MSNJ Members. Download the application today.

If you are taking advantage of this discount, you may be receiving an email or letter from Verizon asking you to validate your information. Follow our online instructions for renewing. For assistance, please e-mail info@msnj.org. 

Draft Legislation to Repeal SGR Released 

Yesterday, the Committee on Energy & Commerce released draft legislation which would establish a new, stable system of physician reimbursement in the Medicare program, repealing the SGR. NJ Congressman and Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) was one of the co-sponsors of this bill. The Subcommittee on Health will have opening statements beginning on Monday, July 23 and will mark up the bill the following day. MSNJ has long fought for repeal of the SGR and the establishment of a fair payment system of our physicians. We will examine this legislation and keep our members apprised of its progress. Read the draft legislation and a summary of the bill.

NJ Supreme Court will Consider Expert Testimony Rule

In response to the efforts of MSNJ, together with the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance and a group of business and healthcare stakeholders, the New Jersey Supreme Court has asked its Committee on the Rules of Evidence to report on issues related to Rule 702, Testimony by Experts, within a year. MSNJ and NJLRA have sought amendments to strengthen reliability standards for over a year. The Court's decision on the expert rule follows its decision in Nicholas v. Mynster, requiring that the plaintiff's expert match the board certification of the defendant's in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Read the letter to and the response from Chief Justice Rabner.   

$1.57 Million Awarded to NJ to Help Share EMRs among Physicians

On July 15, The New Jersey Department of Health announced that it has awarded $1.57 million to a group of health organizations to create and operate a statewide network, called the New Jersey Health Information Network (NJHIN) that will allow the sharing of EMRs among physicians. The system is expected to begin in early 2014.

The grant awardees include:

* Jersey Health Connect, the coalition lead and a health information organization that connects northern and central New Jersey healthcare providers;
* Health-e-cITi-NJ, a health information organization that connects greater Newark area providers;
* Camden HIE, a health information organization that connects Camden area providers;
* NJSHINE, a health information organization that connects southern New Jersey healthcare providers;
* Virtua, an integrated delivery network based in southern New Jersey; and
* NJ-HITEC, New Jersey's regional extension center dedicated to helping office-based physicians adopt and demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology.

Sunshine Act Resources
The Sunshine Act, which is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), requires manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and medical supplies that participate in Federal health care programs to begin reporting on financial interactions with physicians, beginning August 1st of this year. The majority of this information will be posted on a public website managed by the federal government. MSNJ objected to the onerous record-keeping requirements of the law. Improvements were made, but there will still be a burden for physicians to review all of the published data to determine if it is accurate. Read more.  

One Year Roll-Back of Employer Reporting & Payment Requirements under ACA

Early this month the Obama Administration announced that it will roll back two provisions of the Affordable Care Act. According to a statement released by Assistant Treasury Assistant Mark Mazur: "[t]he Administration is announcing that it will provide an additional year before the ACA mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin."  

This means that employer responsibility payments will not be collected for 2014. This will allow the Obama Administration time to consider new ways of simplifying the reporting requirements. In addition, it will give employers time to adapt to the new requirements. According to the White House Blog, this will give employers the ability "to test the new reporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to their health benefits." Employers should expect to start making payments in 2015. Read more about the delay and its potential affect on exchanges.

HIPAA Minutes"- New Educational Tool 

MSNJ and Helen Oscislawski, Esq. present two-minute videos on the HIPAA changes due to the Final Omnibus Rule. Part 5: Business Associates: Who is a BA? is now available.  

"HIPAA Minutes" - New Educational Tool
MSNJ worked with Helen Oscislawski, Esq. to produce two-minute videos on the HIPAA changes due to the Final Omnibus Rule. Our Part 5: Business Associates: Who is a BA? is now available.

HIPAA Part 5: Business Associates: Who is a BA?

• Helen's Bio 
• Website
• Blog
• "Health Law Diagnosis"  

HIPAA Compliance Mandates on the Horizon - Be Prepared

Wednesday, August 28 from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Join MSNJ for a webinar on "HIPAA Compliance Mandates on the Horizon - Be Prepared." Understand the upcoming mandates and how to be in compliance with them, and learn practical advice for integrating compliance into the day to day practice.

This event is $25 for MSNJ members, $100 for non-members, and $50 for PAHCOM & NJMGMA members. Register online.

Member Resource Guide

Check out the current MSNJ Member Resource Guide! Inside, you will find a complete listing of partners by service/product category, along with contact information. Also, be sure to check out the individual Corporate Partner pages on our website as some offer additional discounts to members!

MD Success - Bronze Level Partner

Phone: 856.596.3060
E-mail: lahack@mdsuccess.net
Website 

• Assessment & Evaluation
• Operational Analysis and Review
• Ongoing Staff Support
• Billing and Collections
• Marketing
• New Practice Start Up
• Customer Experience
• Compliance and Accreditation
• Practice & Surgery Center Management

MD Success is a medical consulting company founded by Michael J. Lahoud, a medical practice consultant with 25 years of experience. Our focus is to create healthier practices across all specialties - from an operational as well as fiscal perspective. MD Success associates often fulfill the role of practice administrator and business advisor, educating physicians on key aspects of their business. Our expertise on the business side allows physicians to focus on practicing medicine. MD Success is the only consulting company which includes customer experience, billing and collections as well as marketing.

It is important to note that MSNJ does not endorse any vendor, service, or product. However, we encourage members to please consider our Corporate Partners first as the financial support received from these organizations is vital to our association. It is our hope that their investment in MSNJ will help keep your membership dues and programming affordable.

Take advantage of your in-store, Macy*s Business Smart Pass until July 31, 2013. As an MSNJ Member, save 15% all day, as many times as you want. See Pass for further details. Save on designer brands, such as Calvin Klein, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Jones New York, DKNY, Michael Kors, Ann Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. Download your pass today. 

Rutgers Football is offering discount tickets for some of the 2013 home games at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway. Health Professionals Day is September 14. For more information, contact Rutgers Athletics at 866-445-4678 or tickets@scarletknights.com.