Medical Society of New Jersey e-Newsletter
 
June 20, 2014

   
In This Issue
CME/EVENTS/TRAINING
MEMBER BENEFITS
NEWS
-Recent Events
-Naloxone
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
-EHR Incentive Payments
-The Sentinel Project
-EHR Incentive Deadlines
CORPORATE PARTNERS
 
Horizon Prior Authorization Webinar Series

Part 5: General/Radiology

Wednesday, June 25, 12pm-1pm

Registration 

More Information 

Webinars

MSNJ's Medical Practice Managers Section Presents: A Legislative Update Webinar for Practice Managers 

Practice managers are invited to join Mishael Azam, Esq, MSNJ's COO & Senior Manager, Legislative Affairs, on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 from 12:00 P.M.- 1:00 P.M. for a webinar update on legislative happenings in New Jersey. Physicians are encouraged to ask their practice managers to participate and are welcome to attend. This webinar is FREE to members. Register today!  


Webinar: MSNJ's MPMS Presents: Common Modifier Q&A 

Wednesday, July 9, 2014 from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.

 

Our speaker will go over common modifiers, how they are used, and answer questions. Please submit your questions to [email protected] with "Modifier Webinar" in the subject line and we will do our best to address them during the webinar.  

 

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

 

Please note: Those who already registered will be automatically signed up to participate in this webinar.     

 

 Register   

 More information

Webinar: Horizon Patient-Centered Advantage EPO Plans

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 from 12:00pm-1:00pm

Speaker: Kevin Jennings, Network Specialist, Horizon BCBSNJ 

 

This webinar will review Horizon's new product offerings for July 1, 2014. Horizon will review the key features, benefits, network, and reimbursement for the Horizon Patient-Centered Advantage EPO plans.  

 

This event is free for MSNJ members, $25 for PAHCOM & NJMGMA members, and $75 for non-members

 

Register 

More information  

CME/Events /Training

PCSS-O Webinar: "Partnering with Pharmacists: Naloxone Prescribing and Dispensing to Prevent Overdose Deaths"

June 25 from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Pharmacists are an emerging group of clinicians working to prevent opioid overdose death and are ideal partners to identify patients at risk of opioid overdose and furnish naloxone to them. In many states, pharmacists can partner with prescribers in collaborative practice agreements (CPA) and initiate naloxone prescriptions under a prescribers' authority. Several states, including NJ, permit prescriptions for naloxone to be written for caregivers of patients at risk of overdose. Register.

Mercer County Medical Society will host their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Abud Family Foundation for the Arts Gallery. Complete and submit the registration form by June 1

The New Jersey Hospital Association is hosting a POLST CME activity on Thursday, June 26, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at NJHA Headquarters in Princeton, NJ. This program will examine how POLST was implemented in New Jersey by identifying and discussing best practices as well as barriers to successful implementation. POLST helps clarify patient wishes and ensure that they are known and honored. This workshop will introduce health professionals to the New Jersey POLST document and how it fits in the continuum of advance care planning. Attendees will enhance their skills in facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and their families about POLST and goals of care. In addition, palliative care and the evidence supporting it through quality, patient satisfaction and cost will be discussed. More information.


"Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Clinical Primer"
This free CME activity sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association, will provide physicians and other clinicians involved in the treatment of opiate use disorder with an overview of the incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, the clinical presentation of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and treatment options for this syndrome. Short and long-term outcome data for infants who have undergone NAS will also be reviewed. Integration of this information into clinical practice will better prepare physicians and other clinicians to educate pregnant women on the expectant clinical course for their infants after delivery. View the webinar.

View June's Coding Tip of the Month for information on the Use of M Codes 

 

Email us your coding questions! We will work with a certified professional coder to answer your question and may even address it in an upcoming coding tip.

Attention physicians! Please take our benefits survey to help us better serve you with discounted products essential to your medical practice.

Member Benefits
NEW BENEFIT!
Prescription Blanks

 

MSNJ and New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA) proudly announce a joint effort to offer discounts to all of our members on prescription blanks. Participating vendors include:

 

 

POS� is a full-service print and electronic communication company that helps healthcare practices create and improve patient communication tools. POS� is your patient communication partner for everything from branded practice and patient education printed materials to patient statement processing and automated messaging services. Take advantage of our special offer available to members-

Receive 25% off NJ New RX orders.

Nelson Press

Nelson Press has been a manufacturer of quality printed materials for New Jersey Business since 1900. They were recently approved to print and sell the revised New Jersey Prescription Blanks for physicians. Special member pricing includes:

  • 400 - Single Prescriptions - $60.00
    (Including Tax & Shipping)
  • 800 - Single Prescriptions - $80.00
    (Including Tax & Shipping)
  • 1200 - Single Prescriptions - $100.00
    (Including Tax & Shipping)
To access this discount, please click here.

The Prudential Center is proud to offer MSNJ members a discount for their upcoming events. The following discounts are now available.

Styx Foreigner  - Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Professional Bull Riders  - Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.

Walking with Dinosaurs - Thursday, July 24, 2014 and Friday, July 25, 2014

Member Discount! 

Take advantage of your in-store, Macy*s Business Smart Pass from June 15 through July 14, 2014. 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. 


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NewsTOP

NJ HIMSS

MSNJ President, Dr. Paul J. Carniol, spoke on a panel at the 2014 NJ HIMSS Spring Event.  He spoke to a large audience of IT vendors and healthcare providers regarding ICD-10. Dr. Carniol provided the physician's perspective on the impending implementation of this new coding requirement.

 

Read the Health Affairs blog on the healthcare industry's reaction to the on again, off again, implementation of ICD-10.  

 

Do No Harm

MSNJ, with Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey and others, hosted CME forums last week. We have now completed almost a dozen forums across the state with the Partnership, SAMHSA, and county medical societies. We are providing education for our physicians on best practices for prescribing pain medicine and recognizing addiction.  We are educating our physicians about important new tools, like the prescription monitoring program (PMP) and the drug drop off program.  PMP staff was at the Do No Harm events and our annual meeting, allowing physicians to register on the spot. We encourage all physicians to register for the PMP.  PMP staff is available to attend medical staff or other large physician meetings for instant registration.  Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity.

Find event information here

See press coverage here

 

Please look in this edition of e-news for posters you can print for your office with details about New Jersey's drug drop off program!
AMA and Organized Medicine Urge President to Use Private Sector Physicians to Solve VA Crisis
The American Medical Association, with the support of MSNJ's delegation, passed a resolution at its annual meeting in Chicago urging the federal government to use physicians outside of the VA healthcare system to help provide care to our veterans on a timely basis. In a June 10 letter to the President the AMA urged immediate action to allow access in the private sector until the VA can provide timely access. Each chamber of Congress has introduced a bill to address the issue. Read the AMA's press release .  Read a Health Affairs blog on a suggested path forward.  Physicians who are interested in the issue should write to [email protected].
MSNJ Supports Medicare Advantage Bill of Rights  Act 
MSNJ supports a bill crafted by Congresswoman DeLauro (Connecticut) and supported by Senators Brown (Ohio) and Whitehouse (Rhode Island). The bill would address the issues presented when Medicare Advantage plans terminate physicians from their networks without cause before or during the open enrollment period for seniors. MSNJ is seeking Congressman Leonard Lance's support on the bill as co-sponsor.  The proposed legislation was necessitated by United Healthcare's significant network reduction of its Medicare Advantage physician networks in a number of states, including New Jersey, during open enrollment last October.  
Meanwhile, UHC continues on its nation-wide reduction of it Medicare Advantage physician network. In the past few weeks physicians in Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee have received termination notices. Read more. 

BME Issues Certificate of Waiver to Prescribe Naloxone

The Overdose Prevention Act, which is meant to reduce overdose related deaths by encouraging victims and witnesses of overdose to obtain medical care without criminal or civil liability, supports distribution of Naloxone to those considered at risk for opioid overdose, as well as to their friends, family, or first responders. The Act allows physicians to prescribe Naloxone with civil, criminal, and professional disciplinary immunity.  

 

The NJ Board of Medical Examiners (BME) recently approved a regulatory proposal that explains physician rights and responsibilities under the Act. The BME issued a  Certificate of Waiver to all licensed physicians in order to expedite operation of the Act, while the proposed rules are considered. The waiver explains that physicians may issue Naloxone prescriptions to family, friends, or first responders without requiring examination or follow-up of the at risk individual.

Project Medicine Drop

Project Medicine Drop is intended to raise awareness of the prescription painkiller abuse problem in New Jersey and the proper disposal of these medications. Please post the appropriate county flyer in your office:

 

Atlantic 

Gloucester 

Ocean 

Bergen 

Hudson 

Passaic 

Burlington 

Hunterdon 

Salem 

Camden 

Mercer 

Somerset 

Cape May 

Middlesex 

Sussex 

Cumberland  

Monmouth 

Union 

Essex 

Morris 

Warren 


Save the Date: Policy & Strategy Panel

Thursday, July 24, 2014 5:30 pm

At MSNJ Headquarters 

 

Topics:

  • Botox for Migraines 
  • Protecting Docs Online Reputations
  • Sentinel Project (Access to Care for Insured Citizens)
  • CMS Face to Face Requirement for Home Health Care 

Employment Contract Review Program - New Benefit!
Due to the changing healthcare delivery landscape and the increasing number of physicians who wish to be employed, MSNJ has developed an employment contract review program for its members.

 

MSNJ's Corporate Partner Law Firms will offer an initial legal consultation for a discounted flat rate of $500.* Initial consultation includes:

  • preliminary review of the employment contract;
  • a written summary of terms of concern; and
  • a phone consultation with an attorney regarding contract provisions that may require modification or further negotiation.

Click here for more information.

Legislative Update

Driver Safety

The Assembly Transportation Committee heard A806, a bill that would permit health care providers, which includes physicians, to report to the Motor Vehicle Commission the name, age, address, and description of the alleged impairment of any person aged 16 or older diagnosed by the provider with a health problem which, in the provider's judgment, significantly affects the person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.  (Under current law, physicians are required to report epilepsy and seizure related conditions to the Motor Vehicle Commission.) MSNJ testified expressing concerns about HIPAA, reporting immunity and diagnosis issues. Members of the committee expressed privacy and legal liability concerns. The Committee did not vote on the bill. MSNJ will continue to work with legislators on these issues.

 

EOB Forms

The Assembly passed a bill requiring health insurance carriers issuing health benefits plans in this State to provide a standardized written explanation of benefits form to a covered person whenever a claim is generated under the covered person's health benefits plan. MSNJ supports this bill.

Practice Management
MPMS members, please take a moment to take our poll regarding HIPAA compliant electronic faxing as a possible member benefit.

$23.7 Billion in EHR Incentive Payments

CMS announced eligible professional have received $23.7 billion in EHR incentive payments as of May 2014. Meaningful use participation is continuing to rise. Only three percent of eligible professionals have not joined the initiative as of last year. View slides from the June 10 HIT Policy Committee meeting.

The Sentinel Project:  Are Health Plans Providing Essential Health Benefits? 

The Seton Hall University School of Law and the New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center started working on the Sentinel Project, a two-year effort to determine whether individual and small business health insurance plans in New Jersey are providing the "essential health benefits" required under the Affordable Care Act. This project will gather and analyze information on individuals who enroll in individual or small business health insurance plans but are not able to get the health care they need. Members are urged to read the Sentinel Project summary, post the flyer in their offices, and refer patients who have been denied medically necessary services to complete the project's intake form.

Important EHR Incentive Program Deadlines

This is the last year (2014) that Eligible Professionals (EPs) can start participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program to receive incentive payments. EPs who begin participation in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program after 2014, will not be able to earn an incentive payment for that year or any subsequent year of participation. If you choose to participate in the program for the first time in 2014, you should begin your 90-day reporting period no later than July 1, 2014 and submit attestation by October 1, 2014 to avoid the payment adjustment in 2015. Read more.

If you were unable to successfully demonstrate meaningful use for 2013 due to circumstances beyond your control, CMS is accepting applications for hardship exceptions to avoid the penalty for the 2013 reporting year. Applications for individual eligible professionals and eligible professionals submitting multiple NPIs are available. CMS will review the application to determine whether or not you are granted a hardship exception. Applications for the 2015 penalty exception are due July 1, 2014. If approved, the exception is valid for one year. Use CMS' new interactive tool for eligible professionals to help determine if you will avoid the penalty by demonstrating meaningful use. Tipsheets are available on the CMS website. Use this timeline  to determine which year you will demonstrate Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 of meaningful use.

 

CMS and the ONC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) allowing providers participating in the EHR Incentive Programs to use the 2011 Edition of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) for calendar and fiscal year 2014 and extending Stage 2. Read more.

Corporate Partners

Princeton Insurance - Gold Level Partner   

 

Contact: Lois Hogya, CPCU
Address: P.O. Box 5322, Princeton, NJ 08543-5322
Phone: 609.951.5862
Fax: 609.734.8461
E-mail:  [email protected]
Website 

      

 

Princeton Insurance exists to protect the New Jersey healthcare community and partner with them in their efforts to provide outstanding patient care. Measured either by numbers of policyholders or total premiums, Princeton is the leading healthcare malpractice insurer in New Jersey, with the longest continuous market presence of any company offering coverage in the Garden State.

 

Rated A++ (Superior) by independent rating agency A.M. Best, Princeton Insurance is part of the Medical Protective/Berkshire Hathaway corporate family. Medical Protective has been protecting healthcare providers since 1899 and is the nation's highest-rated healthcare malpractice carrier, according to both S&P and A.M. Best. MedPro provides unmatched strength, winning defense, and innovative solutions to physicians, dentists and other healthcare providers in all fifty states.

 

Princeton's local knowledge and expertise, joined together with MedPro's nationwide presence and Berkshire's unmatched financial strength, result in an even stronger partnership with our policyholders to meet the challenges they face and provide the protection they deserve.

To find out more about Princeton Insurance or to obtain a no-obligation premium indication, contact your independent insurance agent or visit our website.


 

Giordano Halleran & Ciesla - Silver Level Partner 

 

Contact: Frank Ciesla
Address: 125 Half Mile Road, Ste. 300, Red Bank, NJ 07701-6777
Phone: Office: (732) 219-5485, Toll-Free: (800) 842-1LAW, Trenton: (609) 695-3900
Fax: (732) 224-6599
E-mail: [email protected]
 Website    

 


The attorneys in the Giordano Halleran & Ciesla health care practice area have more than 100 years of cumulative experience in health care law. We counsel our clients on a broad range of problems, integrating traditional legal principles with the special body of federal and state law governing the health care field. We focus on developing personal relationships and gathering in-depth knowledge of our clients' practices to provide sound legal advice and effective strategies to resolve business issues ranging from everyday operational issues to major transactions.

 

Our services include reviews of issues arising under the anti-kickback law/Stark law/New Jersey self-referral ("Codey") law; professional practice formation and related agreements such as partnership, operating, and shareholder agreements; preparation and negotiation of contracts, such as management, employment, and managed care contracts ; purchase and sale of professional practices and practice divorces; regulatory compliance; HIPAA and confidentiality issues; leases; joint ventures; physician practice management issues; Medicare and other reimbursement issues; licensing issues; and litigation. As a multi-specialty firm, we draw on the expertise of attorneys in other practice areas of the firm when necessary to meet our health care clients' needs, such as labor and employment issues, estate planning, or land use issues. Our clients can be assured that their attorneys are working hard to find solutions in a resourceful and cost-effective manner.


 

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.

 
Medical Society of New Jersey
2 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(o) 609-896-1766 e-mail:
 

About the Medical Society of New Jersey:

Founded in 1766, the Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ) is the oldest professional society in the United States. MSNJ promotes the betterment of the public health and the science and the art of medicine, to enlighten public opinion in regard to the problems of medicine, and to safeguard the rights of the practitioners of medicine.  The organization and its members are dedicated to a healthy New Jersey, working to ensure the sanctity of the physician-patient relationship. In representing all medical disciplines, MSNJ advocates for the rights of patients and physicians alike, for the delivery of the highest quality medical care.  For more information visit our website or send us an e-mail.

"Your Partner in Practice... Your Voice in Trenton"  

2014 � Medical Society of New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written permission of the Medical Society of New Jersey.