Revolving Reference Committee to Hear Two Resolutions
On September 30 at 7 o'clock MSNJ's Revolving Reference Committee (RRC) will hear two resolutions "Revised Straddle Drug Pricing for Medicare Part D" proposed by Atlantic and Camden counties and "Educational Requirements decided by Specialty Societies and State Board of Medical Examiners" proposed by Camden county. The RRC will hear the resolutions via webinar. Information on these resolutions may be found on MSNJ's web site by logging into the members' only web site and clicking on "Communities." From "Communities" click onto "Committees and Councils" and then "Revolving Reference Committee." The web page will include information on the RRC as well as information on each resolution. Members who wish to comment on these resolutions may do so by writing to resolutions@msnj.org. Please submit any written comments by noon on September 26 so that the RRC will be able to take the comments into consideration.  

Board of Trustees Summary 

The Board of Trustees met on September 11. Here is a brief summary of the actions. 

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.

Are you Communicating in Your Patients Preferred Way?

POS® Messaging is much more than your traditional automated communication system. With POS Messaging your practice can send automated patient messages via email, phone, text and mail to increase practice revenue, simplify internal processes and improve patient care.

Try it for FREE!

For a limited time, try POS Messaging for FREE!

Click here to watch a short demo video.

MSNJ and New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA) proudly announce a joint effort to offer discounts to all of our members on prescription blanks. Visit our website for participating vendors and pricing. 

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. 

IC Systems presents a live webcast: Collection Fees; What's legal, What's Trouble on September 25, 2014 at 12:00pm. Learn:

• What are Reasonable or Excessive Collection Fees?
• When can I Add Collection Fees?
• How do I Legally and Safely Add Collection Fees?
• What are the Risks and Benefits of Applying Fees?

"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™

SAVE THE DATE!

MSNJ and the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey are co-hosting a free "Do No Harm Symposium" on prescription drug abuse.

October 1, 2014 - 12:00pm-3:00pm

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Join Cumberland County Medical Society for NJ PURE's

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER" Dinner Presentation "Partnering with your Patients to Reduce Malpractice Risk"

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 from 6:00pm-9:00pm

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

More information.

Northeastern Basic Course for Principles of Infection Prevention and Control

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

Join MSNJ, in conjunction with the Burlington County Medical Society and the Monmouth-Ocean County Medical Society for A Free Advocacy & Financial Planning Seminar for Physicians.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Sheraton Eatontown, Eatontown, NJ

This event is FREE to physician members and non-members. Dinner and cocktails will be served. More information and registration.

MSNJ, HRET and HFMA will host a seminar "Show Me the Money: Capturing the Benefits and Avoiding the Risks of Healthcare Reform" on October 30, 2014 at New Jersey Hospital Association. View the brochure and register online.

NJ Chapter, American College of Surgeons 63rd Annual Clinical Symposium

Saturday, December 6, 2014 from 7:30am to 5:30pm at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel & Conference Center

Clinical Sessions include:  

Bariatric Surgery; Cardio-Thoracic Surgery; Colon & Rectal Surgery; Neurosurgery; Trauma Surgery; Plastic Surgery; Otolaryngology; Urologic Surgery; Vascular Surgery; Trauma Surgery; Global Surgery.

Special Sessions include:  

End of Life Care - POLST; 2014 ACS Update; Sheen Award Lecture; Resident Jeopardy/Resident Manuscript Awards

Registration coming soon.

View September's Coding Tip of the Month for information on the use of I codes for diseases of the circulatory system in ICD-10.   

Renew your dues ONLINE by October 15, 2014 and receive a 5% discount on your state dues!

First Case of EV-D68 in New Jersey Child Confirmed by CDC

On September 17, the CDC confirmed New Jersey's first case of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). This is a potentially serious respiratory illness that is more likely found in infants and children, sometimes resulting in hospitalization. Children with asthma are particularly vulnerable. This case was identified from a specimen sent to the CDC from a Philadelphia hospital. The child has since improved and been discharged. Please be aware of the signs and symptoms of this respiratory illness that range from mild to severe. Read the FAQs.

Drug Abuse

This week, the Legislature introduced a package of 21 bills aiming to curb drug abuse and increase the availability of addiction services. MSNJ is reviewing the bills, but does already have a position on a bill regarding the State Prescription Monitoring Program. Please see our letter here. Please find media coverage here. MSNJ has been very focused on this issue. Please see www.msnj.org/drugabuse for more information and resources.

Legislative Update:  

Smoking Legislation

The Governor absolute vetoed A-1080/S-1772, which would have prohibited smoking at public parks and beaches. MSNJ, along with the American Cancer Society and NJ Breathes Coalition, supported the bill.

Family Planning

The Governor absolute vetoed A-2795/S-1203, which would have provided Medicaid coverage for family planning services to individuals with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.  The Governor has vetoed similar legislation before, as women's health and family planning have become partisan, political issues.

Down Syndrome Awareness

The Senate Health Committee approved S.475, which requires the Department of Health to make available on its Internet website, to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, the following: 

1. up-to-date, evidence-based, written information about Down syndrome that has been reviewed by medical experts and national Down syndrome organizations, including, but not limited to, the Center for Disease Control and the March of Dimes, which information would include physical, developmental, educational, and psychosocial outcomes;
2. life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options; and
3. contact information regarding telephone and support services, including information hotlines specific to Down syndrome, resource centers, and other education and support programs. 

The department may also make such information available to any other person who has received a positive test result from a test for Down syndrome.  The Assembly has not yet moved this bill. The Medical Society does not yet have a position on this bill, but is concerned about how this mandate will affect physician work flow.

Newborn Screenings

Governor Christie has signed A-1101/S-668, called the "Let Them Be Little Act."  The bill provides for screening newborn infants for mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I, also known as Hurler syndrome, Hurler-Scheie syndrome, or Scheie syndrome) and mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II, also known as Hunter syndrome).

In addition, the Senate Health Committee passed S.461, which revises the State's Newborn Screening program by requiring the Commissioner of Health to establish a Newborn Screening Advisory Review Committee consisting of medical, hospital, and public health professionals, as well as scientific experts and consumer representatives, which would be authorized to make recommendations on the disorders to be screened for by the department, as well as on screening technologies, treatment options, and educational and follow-up procedures, to be used in the State's newborn screening program.  The committee would be required to meet annually to review and revise the list of disorders that are recommended for inclusion in the program.  The bill also makes the following changes to the screening, follow-up, treatment, and education components of the Newborn Screening program:

• the commissioner is required to annually review a list of disorders recommended by the advisory committee;
• the commissioner, within 60 days of adding a new disorder to the program, must advise the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly;
• the commissioner is required to provide timely intervention and appropriate referral to specialist treatment centers for newborn infants who screen positive for disorders;
• the commissioner is required to collect screening information on newborn infants in a standardized manner and develop a system for quality assurance which includes the periodic assessment of measurable indicators, and is further authorized to use the collected information to provide follow-up and appropriate referral to newborns and children with screened positive diagnoses, without regard to the age of the infant or child;
• the commissioner is required to provide education or training on the Newborn Screening program to physicians, hospital staffs, nurses, and the public;
• the reasonable fee charged by the department shall be for the screening, follow-up, and treatment of newborns, and the education of physicians, nurses, and the public, with a portion of the fee to be used for ongoing infrastructure upgrades, including providing electronic access to physicians to obtain screening results and follow-up recommendations; and
• parents of newborn infants are required to provide notice in writing if they object to screening on the grounds that it would conflict with their religious tenets or practices.

MSNJ Objects to Expanded Scope of Practice for Audiologists
This week MSNJ joined virtually all of organized medicine objecting to H.R. 5304 a bill that would give audiologists unlimited direct access to Medicare patients without a physician referral and would grant a "limited license physician" status for audiologists. Read the letter to leaders of Congress.  

Report Reveals Network Inadequacy for Psychiatric Care
On September 15 the Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) released a report on managed care network adequacy in New Jersey. Representatives from MSNJ attended the press conference during which the report was released. Dr. Linda Gochfeld an MSNJ and New Jersey Psychiatric Association (NJPA) member spoke at the conference. The report reveals a serious shortage of psychiatrists in managed care networks, inaccuracy in the information provided in directories about the psychiatrists network status, and long wait times for first appointments. Among the recommendations by MHANJ is requiring plans to more clearly communicate its exception policies when an in-network psychiatrist cannot be found. MSNJ is not surprised by any of the findings in the report, shares concerns about network adequacy for psychiatric care, and will work with all the stake-holders including NJPA to address the issue. MSNJ is already working on network adequacy issues and recently expressed our concerns to members of the Legislature and the Department of Banking & Insurance. Read our letter.  

Virtual Credit Card Advocacy 

More payors are using virtual credit cards (VCC) as a payment alternative to paper checks or electronic funds transfer (EFT). VCC payments are single use and must be entered manually in the physician's credit card machine, creating additional processing fees for manual entry transactions. Meanwhile, payors are receiving incentives from credit card companies for using this form of payment.

In a recent letter, the AMA urged HHS Secretary Burwell to, "prohibit insurers from forcing physicians to accept this payment method" and "to require insurers to give full upfront disclosures of associated fees, obtain physician authorization before implementing virtual card payments and ensure an easy opt-out process if a physician later chooses not to accept this form of payment." Read more in AMA Wire.  

MSNJ has been busy advocating on this issue on the state level. On June 20, MSNJ filed comments that generally supported a regulatory proposal by the Department of Banking & Insurance that would regulate how insurers use gift cards and virtual credit cards (alternate payment methods) to pay for medical services. The proposal requires insurers to gain permission from physicians to use these alternate payment methods. In addition, MSNJ asked the Department to: require that the permission be granted in writing; give physicians the right to revoke the permission at any time; state that physicians have a right, under HIPAA, to seek payment via automated clearing house electronic funds transfer (ACH EFT)

Ebola Resources    

End-to-End ICD-10 Testing

CMS will offer end-to-end testing to a small sample group of providers from January 26 through January 30, 2015. The sample group will be selected from providers, suppliers and other submitters who volunteer to participate. Interested in being considered for the end-to-end testing? Complete the Volunteer Testing Form by October 3, 2014. Providers will be notified, either way, by October 24, 2014.   

2014-2015 Influenza Resources for Health Care Professionals

Health Care Data Breach Hits 1 Million NJ Patients Since 2009

Since 2009, more than 1 million patients have been affected by data breaches at 17 New Jersey medical facilities. A report written by Carla Astudillo from NJ Advance Media, explains how a number of instances of lost encrypted data, including Social Security numbers and payment information, have occurred more often and in more places than realized. More information. Read the report. 

HIPAA and Same-Sex Marriage

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights has developed a guidance document to assist covered entities in understanding how the decision by the Supreme Court in United States v. Windsor may affect some of their HIPAA Privacy Rule obligations.

"HIPAA Privacy & Security Basics" Fact Sheet for Providers

CMS released a HIPAA Privacy and Security Basics for Providers fact sheet. This fact sheet is designed to provide education on basic HIPAA privacy and basic HIPAA security information for providers. It includes information on covered entities, business associates, and the disposal of private health information.

EHR Incentive Programs: Patient Electronic Access Requirements

Eligible Professionals (EPs) participating in the EHR Incentive Programs will be required to meet Patient Electronic Access measures. This allows patients to access their EHRs which will help them make more informed decisions about their health care and improve efficiencies in health care delivery. To meet 2014 Stage 1 requirements, you must provide more than fifty percent of your unique patients with timely access to their health information within four business days of the information being available to you. In Stage 2, you must also demonstrate that more than five percent of your unique patients view online, download, or transmit to a third party their health information. Read the Patient Electronic Access tipsheet. 

Update: Incarcerated Beneficiary

In 2013, CMS initiated recoveries from providers and suppliers based on data that indicated a beneficiary was incarcerated on the date of service. CMS discovered that some of the data used was incomplete. Since some of these recoveries might have been erroneous, CMS initiated refunds. Most of the incarcerated beneficiary refunds were issued before the end of December 2013, with some subsequent refunds on appeals. CMS mailed a spreadsheet to each impacted provider, which listed each claim that was being refunded. View the updated MLN Matters article on Beneficiary Liability and Messages Associated with Denials for Claims for Services Furnished to Incarcerated Beneficiaries. Read a fact sheet on Medicare Coverage of Items and Services Furnished to Beneficiaries in Custody under a Penal Authority.

Home Health Face-to-Face Visits

Princeton Insurance - Gold Level Partner   

Contact: Lois Hogya, CPCU, Vice President of Underwriting and Marketing/Communications
Corporate Address: 746 Alexander Road, Princeton, NJ 08540-6305
Phone: 800.334.0588

Mailing 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.

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.