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.

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

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)

Join MSNJ and the Atlantic, Burlington, 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. 

MSNJ has made arrangements with an on-line resource (Education in Palliative and End-of-life Care) to satisfy the 2 credit end-of-life training requirement 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! See related News story. 

Athenahealth will host a webinar on "The Tools and Strategies to Tackle Meaningful Use Stage 2 Requirements" on Wednesday, September 10th at 12:15pm.

If you've already successfully tackled the Meaningful Use Stage 1 requirements, congratulations! That means it's time to tackle Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements, and all the unique challenges that come with them. Whether you're about to jump in or you're already struggling with the new core measures and higher reporting thresholds, acquiring the knowledge to form a strategy and get the tools you need as early as possible is the first step to success. Register today to learn more.

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.

"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  

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™

Northeastern Basic Course for Principles of Infection Prevention and Control

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

Pri-Med has developed online CME activities to meet your educational needs as a practicing clinician. Featured online activities include:

• Improve Patient Outcomes with Effective Diagnosis and Treatment of Underlying Psychiatric Disorders
• Fighting a Growing Epidemic: A Viral Hepatitis Update (HCV)
• Comprehensive Approaches to the Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Another Obesity-Related Epidemic

View PCSS-O and PCSS-MAT online resources: 

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

Prescription Blank Deadline Extended

NJ Department of Health Guidance to Providers on Ebola - New Clinical Guidelines for Initial Evaluation of Suspect Cases of Ebola  

Reporting Reminder for Health Care Providers:

Confirmed or suspect cases of any viral hemorrhagic fever, including EVD, should be reported immediately to the local health department where the patient resides. [Memo dated August 13 to Local Health Departments, Health Care Providers, and Hospitals from Shereen Semple, MS, Epdiemiologist, NJ DOH]

New Coding Requirements on HCPCS Modifier 59

CMS is establishing four new HCPCS modifiers to define the "Distinct Procedural Services" of modifier 59. They are:

• XE Separate Encounter, A Service That Is Distinct Because It Occurred During A Separate Encounter,
• XS Separate Structure, A Service That Is Distinct Because It Was Performed On A Separate Organ/Structure,
• XP Separate Practitioner, A Service That Is Distinct Because It Was Performed By A Different Practitioner, and
• XU Unusual Non-Overlapping Service, The Use Of A Service That Is Distinct Because It Does Not Overlap Usual Components Of The Main Service

NJ FamilyCare Medicaid Coverage for PERS

The NJ Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance & Health

Services posted additional information clarifying policies and procedures related to the provision of Psychiatric Emergency Rehabilitation Services (PERS). View the newsletter.

ICD-10 Acknowledgement Testing Weeks

CMS released a MLN Matters article instructing all MACs to promote three specific acknowledgement testing weeks with providers. MACs are also instructed to provide data and statistics to CMS to demonstrate readiness for the ICD-10 transition. The three testing weeks are:

• November 17-21, 2014
• March 2-6, 2015
• June 1-5, 2015

Read more.

The following are CMS resources on ICD-10:

• "ICD-10-CM/PCS Billing and Payment Frequently Asked Questions" Fact Sheet - Revised  
• "ICD-10-CM/PCS Myths and Facts" Fact Sheet - Revised 
• "ICD-10-CM Classification Enhancements" Fact Sheet - Revised

CMS recently released three new FAQs for the EHR Incentive Programs:

1. For the certification criteria that providers must have in place to meet the Clinical Decision Support (CDS) objective, what type of interventions must the EHR technology trigger to meet the criteria? For this and for the Eligible Provider and Eligible Hospital Core Measures related to the Objective "use clinical decision support to improve performance on high-priority health conditions," are "pop-up" alerts the only type of intervention that a provider can use to meet the CDS objective? Read the answer.
2. I am an eligible professional. What should I do if my patients don't have broadband access? Read the answer. 
3. In the inpatient setting, when providing patient data to satisfy the Summary of Care and View Online, Download, and Transmit objectives, does a hospital have to provide two different documents for patients and providers? Read the answer.

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. 

Liberty Mutual - Silver Level Partner   

Contact: Michaelesha Godfrey
Address: 80 Grasslands Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
Phone: 914.785.0180 ext. 60626
E-mail: 
Michaelesha.Godfrey@LibertyMutual.com
Website 

Report A Claim: You can report a claim online by registering for eService or call: 1-800-2CLAIMS (1-800-225-2467)

Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify.

Since 1912, we at Liberty Mutual have committed ourselves to providing broad, useful and competitively-priced insurance products and services to meet our customers ever-changing needs.

Our delivery on this commitment is the reason we're now the 5th largest P&C insurance company in the United States, why we've earned an A.M. Best Co. 'A' (Excellent) rating, and why we have the breadth, depth and financial strength that you can always depend on - in the United States and around the world.

For your business: From commercial property to specialty risk to workers compensation, we provide products and services to solve your ever-changing business needs.

For your personal needs: Liberty Mutual Group, through its various companies, offers a full line of insurance products for you and your entire family. Including auto, home and life, as well as personal liability.

Brach Eichler, LLC - Bronze Level Partner 

Contact: John D. Fanburg
Address: 101 Eisenhower Parkway, Roseland, NJ 07068
Phone: 973.403.3107
Fax: 973.228.7852
E-mail: jfanburg@bracheichler.com
Website 

  

Innovation, flexibility and focus on practical solutions to intricate problems are the hallmarks of Brach Eichler's Health Law Practice Group. In today's complex health care environment, we offer our clients the knowledge to address regulatory hurdles and the experience to address the myriad legal and business issues that can and often do occur. We offer a full panoply of services to clients across the health care field in such areas as physician and hospital contracts; corporate governance and compliance; health care mergers and acquisitions, administrative and judicial litigation; and state and federal regulatory advice.

 

Our clients reflect a cross-section of the health care industry. They range from large physician groups to individual practitioners, from hospitals and hospital systems to medical staff organizations, from physician specialty societies to health care trade associations, and from long-term care facilities and home health agencies to patients and providers seeking insurance coverage and proper reimbursement.

 

Breadth of Practice

Representation of clients in the health care industry demands knowledge and legal experience across a wide spectrum, ranging from Medicare regulations to contract negotiations, corporate compliance to provider reimbursement. In the realm of federal regulation in particular, Brach Eichler's health law attorneys structure transactions to comply with the Stark Law and "Safe Harbor" regulations, advise clients with respect to medical reimbursement issues and provide guidance to hospitals, physicians and other providers to protect and defend against fraud investigations. Having developed strong relationships with public officials on both the state and national level, we are able to effectively advocate on behalf of our clients in such areas as certification and licensure, for both individuals and health care facilities.

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.