Assisted Suicide

The Senate Health Committee took testimony on the assisted suicide bill (but did not take a vote). MSNJ remains opposed to this bill, which recently passed the Assembly by one vote. See our opposition letter here.

See press coverage of the hearing here.  

Scope of Practice:

Optometrists 

Despite opposition from MSNJ, the Senate Commerce Committee passed a bill that would allow optometrists to prescribe hydrocodone.  When the DEA rescheduled hydrocodone combination products (HCP) to Schedule II, optometrists lost the power to prescribe HCP, since they are only allowed to prescribe Schedule III and Schedule IV drugs.  This bill would allow them to prescribe HCP and hydrocodone regardless of DEA schedules. See our opposition letter here.

See press coverage here.    

Physician Assistants 

The Senate Health Committee passed S.1184 (Vitale), which would expand the scope of practice for physician assistants.  MSNJ, along with specialty societies, negotiated closely with the PA society on amendments to strike a balance protecting patient concerns. Read more.  

MSNJ Weighs in on End-of-Life CME Requirement
In a meeting on December 7, the Board of Trustees of MSNJ considered the recommendation of the Revolving Reference Committee that it adopt a resolution that would require MSNJ to seek legislation to limit the end-of -life continuing medical educational requirement to a one-time two credit event. The law currently requires two credits of CME on end-of-life at each biennial license renewal. The Board voted to adopt the resolution which was brought forward by Union County and joined by 6 others.

MSNJ Asks CMS to Address RAC Audit Issues
In comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services MSNJ has requested that it make improvements to the RAC audit program including the following:

• RACs should be subject to financial penalties for inaccurate audit findings and physicians should receive interest when they win on the appeal of a RAC audit.
• RAC audits should be performed by a physician of the same specialty or subspecialty who is  licensed in the same jurisdiction.
• CMS should provide an optional appeals settlement to physicians similar to that provided to hospitals for appeals related to short-term care.

MSNJ Urges Medicare to Address the Two-Year Backlog of Appeals
In a  letter to the Office of Medicare Hearings & Appeals, MSNJ asked the Chief Law Judge to address the two-year backlog of Medicare appeal cases by extending the 65% settlement option that has been offered to hospitals to physicians. We provided the judge with our letter to CMS (above) on necessary RAC improvements as the RAC program is largely responsible for creating the backlog.

Most Physicians are Now Registered in the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

As reported on numerous occasions, MSNJ has been working with legislators and other stakeholders on the drug addiction prevention efforts. The Attorney General's office has just reported that registration for the prescription monitoring program is through the roof.

Healthcare Spending Rate Slows

POLITICO on the New Congress and Fate of the Affordable Care Act

2014-2015 Influenza Vaccination

MSNJ encourages members to remind their patients to get vaccinated. Read more. Read NJDOH's 2014-2015 Influenza Vaccination Key Messages and FAQ's for the Public and Key Messages for Health Care Professionals.

Guide to Assist New Jersey Consumer Selection of Health Insurance Plans for 2015

The Sentinel Project has published "A Guide to Assist New Jersey Consumer Selection of Health Insurance Plans for 2015." This new guide provides important information to help those helping New Jersey consumers make the best choices for health insurance when shopping on  www.healthcare.gov, the Federal Marketplace.

Managing your Online Reputation

Read AMA's article on "How to Manage your Online Reputation." Take advantage of our new benefit, vitals.com and save 20% on individual and group practices. Access the discount.  

Call for Candidates

MSNJ is accepting applications from candidates interested in positions on the Board of Trustees, AMA Delegation, Judicial Council and various positions. Please review the MSNJ Open Seats Chart and read a brief synopsis of the positions and expectations. Your involvement is key to the Success of MSNJ.

If you are interested in running for a position or have questions about specific vacancies, please feel free to contact your county executive or Sue Hoisington at 609-896-1766 x 207.

De Groote Award Nominations

MSNJ is accepting nominations for the De Groote Award which will be conferred at the MSNJ Inaugural Gala of the 223rd President, Steven Berkowitz, MD on May 9, 2015. The De Groote Award was established by resolution to honor the selfless work of Dr. Robert De Groote in service to the medical profession. The De Groote Award will be given to the individual whose selfless and idealistic work benefits humankind and not himself or herself.

Nominations should be made by submitting a brief narrative to info@msnj.org by close of business on Friday, February 20, 2015.

Physician Input Needed for RTPBI Survey

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) is looking for physician input through a survey to help determine the scope of content for a future real-time prescription benefit inquiry(RTPBI) transaction. An RTPBI transaction is intended to provide patient-specific prescription benefit information at the point of care. The survey will close on Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 12:00pm EST. View a PDF copy of the survey questions. Please note: responses must be submitted online through the above survey link.

CMS Finalizes New Rules to Reduce Medicare Fraud

Enrollment Requirements for Writing Prescriptions for Medicare Part D Drugs

Physicians who write prescriptions for covered Part D drugs need to submit an enrollment application or an opt-out affidavit to Novitas by June 1, 2015, or earlier. You may submit your enrollment application electronically using the Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS) or by completing the paper CMS-855I or CMS-855O application. Note that an application fee is not required as part of your application submission. Read more.  

CMS Video on Value-Based Payment Modifier

Watch CMS' video on The CMS Value-Based Payment Modifier: What Medicare Eligible Professionals Need to Know in 2014. This video provides an overview of the value-based payment modifier and how it relates to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), so Medicare physicians will understand how the value modifier affects Medicare reimbursement starting in 2015. It also provides a walk-through of a very detailed decision tree that has been created to help providers ask the necessary questions to determine how the value modifier, in 2016, will be affected by their PQRS participation this year.

Fact Sheet Available: Complying with Medical Record Documentation Requirements

CMS released a fact sheet on "Complying with Medical Record Documentation Requirements."

UnitedHealthcare's New Products

UnitedHealthcare will be introducing several new products on January 1, 2015. They will be offering webinars to explain the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Referral Required plans, Core, and Compass for Individual Exchanges being offered in New Jersey, effective January 1, 2015. The following webinar dates are available:

• Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meeting Number: 828 735 992 Meeting Password: newjersey

• Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Meeting Number: 823 360 084 Meeting Password: newjersey 

• Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Meeting Number: 821 270 454 Meeting Password: newjersey

HIPAA Settlement for Unsecured ePHI

Anchorage Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS) has agreed to settle potential HIPAA Security Rule violations for $150,000 with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR opened an investigation after receiving notification from ACMHS regarding a breach of unsecured electronic protected health information (ePHI) affecting 2,743 individuals due to malware compromising the security of its information technology resources. Along with the $150,000 fine, ACMHS will also adopt a corrective action plan to correct deficiencies in its HIPAA compliance program. The Resolution Agreement can be found here.   

The OCR and the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology offer a Security Rule Risk Assessment Tool to assist practices that handle protected health information. Access the tool. 

Check out our new benefit partner First Healthcare Compliance for a 10% discount on compliance solutions.

Job Opportunities

Novitas Solutions has posted job opportunities on their website. View the listing of available positions.

ICD-10: 300 Days Away

October 1, 2015 is the deadline to transition to the ICD-10 code set. MSNJ encourages all physicians to begin preparing for implementation by working with software vendors and testing their systems. View resources on MSNJ's website.  

NJ DOBI Standard ICD-10 Readiness Survey - Respond by December 12 

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) ICD-10 Implementation Task Force, which MSNJ participates in with NJHA and many New Jersey payors and hospitals, is conducting their second standardized ICD-10 Readiness Survey to collect your practice's ICD-10 implementation project coordinator's contact information, as well as information regarding your ICD-10 readiness. The goal is to have all healthcare trading partners respond to one standard survey. Your survey responses will be shared. Everyone who participates in the survey will receive the results in Excel format. Trading partners, including participating payors, may use this information to follow your progress and schedule a time to begin end-to-end testing with you. This survey will be reissued periodically so you can continue to update information as you continue to make progress. Only one person should register and submit a response on behalf of your organization. Once you have done so, you will have access to all other trading partners that have submitted survey responses. Please keep in mind that registered users will also have access to your information. We urge members to participate in this survey and begin communicating with payors about transitioning to ICD-10. Submit your survey response by December 12, 2014.

View December's Coding Tip of the Month for information on the use of F codes in ICD-10 for Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders (F01 - F99)