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

Join MSNJ and the Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, & Salem County Medical Societies for a Meet and Greet with Legislative Leaders on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Sofia of Margate. View the agenda. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE AND INFORMATION ABOUT LICENSE RENEWAL AND CME!

"The New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners requires 100 continuing medical education credits, of which at least 40 of such credits shall be in Category I. Commencing with this biennial renewal period which started on July 1, 2013, two of the 40 credits in Category 1 courses shall, pursuant to P.L. 2011, c. 145 (C.45:9-7.7), be in programs or topics related to End-of Life care."

MSNJ has made arrangements with an on-line resource (Education in Palliative and End-of-life Care) for you to obtain the credits needed via long distance learning - and at a 15% discount to members. MSNJ members, please click here to obtain the promo code.

The following modules are thought to meet the requirements. Each module is designated for 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (cost to MSNJ members about $25.50 per credit)

• Gaps and Elements of Care
• Legal Issues
• Whole Patient Assessment
• Physician Assisted Suicide
• Last Hours of Living
• Withholding/Withdrawing Treatment
• Medical Futility

Choose two that meet your needs!

Further, "If a licensee believes that this mandate has little applicability to his/her practice area, waivers or extensions can be requested. The licensee, within 60 days of the expiration of the biennial renewal period, (by April 30, 2015) needs to send to the Board office, by certified mail, return receipt requested, or other proof of delivery, a letter explaining why such waiver/exemption is applicable. If granted, the extension or waiver is effective for the biennial licensure period in which the extension and/or waiver is granted. If the reason(s) which necessitated the extension and/or waiver continues into the next biennial period, the licensee shall apply to the Board for the renewal of such extension and/or waiver for the new biennial period."

"The Face of Addiction: Across the Ages,"

4th Annual Medical Symposium

September 27, 2014

7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Chase Center on the Riverfront

Wilmington, Delaware

Further details and Registration  

Addiction is a physical or psychological dependence on any substance that alters the brain chemistry after being ingested as well as the individual's continued involvement with a substance, behavior or activity despite knowing and being impacted by the associated negative consequences.  Although progress has been made in reducing rates of substance abuse in the United States, it continues to take a major toll on the health of individuals, families, and communities.  This symposium will explore the manifestation of addiction across the life stages.

This educational activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Inc. (SPAN) will host a New Jersey Statewide Network for Cultural Competence conference - Improving the Quality of Care and Services for Diverse Communities: New Directions for New Jersey and the Nation.

September 12, 2014 from 8:30am to 4:30pm at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe Township

This conference showcases innovative and effective policies and practices in cultural and linguistic competency. View the conference website for more information.

Join the Surgery Center Coalition on September 16 for "A Day of Compliance", for ASCs.

View the agenda.

Register.

Northeastern Basic Course for Principles of Infection Prevention and Control

October 6-10, 2014 at the New Jersey Hospital Association, Princeton, NJ

PCSS-O Archived Webinar Available: "Opioid Agonists and Antagonists for Pain and Addiction: The Good, The Bad and The Uncertain"

This webinar will provide updates from medical literature that can help guide decision-making in choosing an appropriate agent. New discoveries in preclinical literature will also be discussed along with work being done at the University of New England around patient advocacy and community education. View the webinar.   

View all PCSS-O and PCSS-MAT resources: 

• PCSS-O Online Modules 
• PCSS-O Archived Webinars 
• PCSS-MAT Online Modules 
• PCSS-MAT Archived Webinars 

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-

SPECIAL MSNJ/DSNJ RATE:

• 5 PADS/500 sheets= $66.60
• 10 PADS/1000 sheets= $78.00
• 20 PADS/2000 sheets= $117.45
• 40 PADS/4000 sheets=$172.80

For higher quantities please contact POS®.

Laser RX Sheets for printers also Available!

• 1000 laser RX sheets= $156.75
• 2000 laser RX sheets= $255.00
• 4000 laser RX sheets= $453.00

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)

Repeal the SGR Formula in 2014: Take Action NOW!

At the beginning of the year, Congress came close to passing bipartisan legislation that would have fixed the SGR crisis. Ultimately, they passed another patch. Encourage lawmakers to continue working in a bipartisan manner and remind them to repeal the SGR formula and design a new Medicare physician payment system. Send an e-mail to your lawmakers or call the AMA's grassroots hotline at (800) 833-6354.

MSNJ recently hosted two informative webinars on the Sunshine Act. The archives are now available:

• The Sunshine Act is Here: Open Payments Web Portal Registration
• Sunshine Act: Financial Interest Data Disclosure: Refuting Open Payments Data

Two Cases of Importance Head for the U.S. Supreme Court

Scope of Practice & Antitrust
The first case is North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission which will be heard by the Supreme Court on October 8. At issue is a decision by the state dental examiners that teeth whitening is within the dentists' scope of practice (which includes the removal of stains, accretions, and deposits on teeth), and the board's issuance of "cease and desist" orders to non-dentists performing tooth whitening in malls and spas. The Federal Trade Commission has taken the position that the dental board's action was not protected activity from antitrust scrutiny under the "state action" doctrine. The federal court of appeals agreed finding that: the majority of the board was practicing dentists; the board should be considered an organization of private individuals; and, the state dental board could not restrain trade through its cease and desist orders.  While the FTC did not determine whether tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry, this case has significant ramifications for medical boards and their authority to enforce scope of practice determinations. It also demonstrates that the FTC will take a hard look at whether board activity is anti-competitive.  MSNJ and the AMA believe that medical boards have the authority to regulate their professions. The AMA Litigation Center filed briefs in support of the dental board. Read more.

Subsidies under Federal Exchange Plans
This summer federal appellate courts have issued conflicting opinions on whether subsidies may be given to consumers who purchase their insurance on federal exchanges. The Affordable Care Act is clear that subsidies are available to those who purchase on state exchanges, but is ambiguous about subsidies in federal exchanges. This is important because 36 states, including New Jersey, opted not to create their own exchanges and, instead, have federal exchanges. Without subsidies many believe that the act's purpose, creating affordable care, cannot be achieved. In addition, if subsidies are not available in the federal exchanges the employer penalty provisions are undermined. There is no immediate impact because the Administration will continue to pay subsidies while this issue makes its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Read more.  

President Signs VA Bill to Improve Access to Care

US Attorney Urges Federal Law Enforcement Agents to Administer Naloxone to Overdose Victims
U.S. Attorney Eric Holder has issued a memorandum to federal law enforcement agencies urging them to begin to train and equip personnel who may interface with victims of a heroin overdose to administer naloxone. He further urged state and local law enforcement partners to do the same. New Jersey recently passed the Overdose Prevention Act which permits physicians to write prescriptions for naloxone for individuals such as family members or law enforcement officers who are likely to be in a situation where administration of the antidote to the victim of an opioid overdose may be life-saving. MSNJ supported the law. The N.J. Board of Medical Examiners has published proposed regulations to implement the law. Comments are due on September 5.

Lost, Stolen, or Forged Prescription Blanks

MSNJ received reports that some physician practices' new prescription blanks have been stolen upon delivery. It is recommended that physicians request delivery methods that require signature and for delivery to occur during office hours. Stolen prescription blanks must be reported to the New Jersey Drug Control Unit (DCU). Physician have 72 hours to report lost, stolen, or forged subscription blanks to the DCU. To report follow the two steps below.

1. Call the New Jersey Prescription Blank Unit (NJPB) at 973-504-6558 within 72 hours.
2. File a NJPB Incident Report within 7 days. Click here to download a copy of the Report Form and send it certified mail, return receipt requested to:

Reminder: Physicians must begin using the new prescription blanks on August 18, 2014. MSNJ received reports from several members that orders for new prescription blanks are on back order with several vendors. As a result, some practices may not receive blanks in time for the August 18, 2014 deadline. We have asked the Board of Medical Examiners for leniency due to these back order delays. We have not received an official response from the Board at the time of publication. An updated list of approved printer vendors has been posted to the BME website. See MSNJ's member benefits section on our website for discount information. Be sure to notify the NJ Drug Control Unit that you have destroyed your old prescription blanks by completing a certification of destruction.

Dr. Carniol meets with Rutgers 1st  & 2nd Year Medical Students

New ICD-10 Compliance Date Finalized

• CMS internal testing of its claims processing systems
• CMS Beta testing tools available for download
• Acknowledgement testing
• End-to-end testing 

Partial Freeze of the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 Codes

On September 14, 2011, the ICD-0-CM Coordination & Maintenance (C&M) Committee implemented a partial freeze of the ICD-9CM and ICD-10 codes prior to the implementation of ICD-10. This freeze will end one year after the implementation of ICD-10. The new timeline is as follows:

• October 1, 2011: Last ICD-9 and ICD-10 annual update
• October 1, 2012 and 2013: Only limited code updates
• October 1, 2014 and 2015 Limited updates to address new technologies and diseases
• October 1, 2016: Regular annual updates will resume

Medicare FFS Claims Processing Guidance for Implementing ICD-10

Medicare Online Courses Available

The Novitas Medical Learning Center is providing free online courses on:

• Medicare Appeals
• National Correct Coding Initiative
• Understanding National Coverage Determinations and Local Coverage Determinations

View August's Coding Tip of the Month for information on the use of J codes for diseases of the Respiratory System in ICD-10. 

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: lois.hogya@princetoninsurance.com
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.

Giordano Halleran & Ciesla - Silver Level Partner 

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!

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.