Medical Society of New Jersey e-Newsletter
 
February 12, 2015

   
In This Issue
 
Member Benefits
Employment Contract Review Program
Entering into an employment agreement can change your professional life for years to come. Don't sign until you have consulted with counsel.
Check out our Employment Contract Review Program today! View the flyer.
Check out all of MSNJ's member benefits!
CME/Events /Training

Check out the MSNJ Calendar for upcoming meetings!

SAVE THE DATE!
MSNJ's 2015 Advocacy Conference and House of Delegates Meeting
Friday, May 1, 2015
7:30am to 6:00pm
Crowne Plaza Princeton

MSNJ "Hot Topics" Dinner Seminars with CME:

MSNJ, in conjunction with the Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic County Medical Societies, are hosting a free dinner seminar on Hot Topics in Health Care on February 25 at 6:00pm at Il Villaggio. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. More information.


MSNJ, in conjunction with the Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset County Medical Societies, are hosting a free dinner seminar on Hot Topics in Health Care on March 25 at 6:00pm at Salt Creek Grille. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. More information.


New! Free on-line course on End of Life Care

Meets NJ BME education requirement for two Category 1 Credits in End of Life Care needed for 2015 license renewal. 

Members access here. 

 

We also have an alternative online option with a modest fee:

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.


PCSS-MAT and the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine will host "The Office-Based Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders: The 'Half and Half' Course Webinar". This webinar training, in conjunction with a 3.75 hour online study and exam, will provide the required 8 hours needed to obtain the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine in the office setting. This webinar will be offered on three dates:


New PCSS-MAT Online Module: Benzodiazepines and Buprenorphine: What's the Problem?

There is clear evidence of the danger of mixing buprenorphine and benzodiazepines, but many physicians prescribe them together and many more people use them without prescriptions. How do benzodiazepines work and how does this impact the danger. This module will review these topics and some of the literature on combining these drugs. There will be a brief review at the conclusion on alternative treatments for the anxious buprenorphine patient.

Access the module.

Join your colleagues and the American Medical Association, February 23-25, in Washington, D.C., at the National Advocacy Conference (NAC). By attending this important conference you will demonstrate your commitment to being an active, well-informed advocate for patients, the medical profession and the future of health care. More information and registration. 


SoFi and MSNJ will host a webinar on: Stumped with your student loans? What you need to know about advanced refinancing techniques on Wednesday, March 4, from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.
The presentation will provide an introduction to student loan debt, review government repayment programs, and advanced debt reduction techniques applicable to Physicians. Register online


The CDC will host a 2-day course on Epidemiology & Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases on March 17 and March 18, 2015 from 8:00am to 5:00pm at the Busch Campus Multi-Purpose Center, Rutgers, The State University in Piscataway. More information.

NJIT will host a Cyber Security Conference and Networking event on Monday, March 30 from 8:30am to 2:00pm at NJIT. For the 14th consecutive year, identity theft is the nations' biggest threat for consumers, topping the annual rankings of filed complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. Experts will discuss emerging and potentially damaging cyber crimes, which industries are most at risk, and solutions for concerned business owners. Register online.

Medical Publishing, LLC has published the 2014-2015 New Jersey Hospital & Healthcare Guide
Corporate Partners

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. - Platinum Level Partner   

 

Contact: Brian S. Kern, Esq., NE Regional Director, Executive VP, Healthcare Practice
Address: 101 JFK Parkway, Short Hills, NJ 07078-5000
Phone: 973.921.8497; Mobile: 908.642.4454
Fax: 973.921.2876
E-mail: [email protected]
Website  

 

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a recognized leader in the professional liability market, and is the largest broker for medical professional liability insurance in NJ as well as the US.  With a narrow focus on medical malpractice insurance, Gallagher's Healthcare Practice works with many of the largest groups in the region and maintains its high standards of excellence with each and every practice it represents.

 

Gallagher has unsurpassed access and is the largest broker with virtually every major medical malpractice company in the country, thus enabling it to help ensure that every physician secures the best possible terms for the lowest possible price. With its dedicated involvement in many areas of healthcare, Gallagher is the resource for physicians choosing among types of coverage, different policy terms and options, as well as the various companies. Gallagher offers the depth and insight to help practices navigate the new world of healthcare and build a foundation to assume risk.  In fact, Gallagher is a nationally-recognized leader in alternative risk, having helped clients build numerous risk-sharing programs, including captives and risk retention groups.  With its deep resources, Gallagher helps clients understand every facet of the liability process - from historical trends, to present claims handling, to managing risk for the future.

Gallagher works closely with organized medicine in virtually every capacity. The agency is a consistently strong supporter of state, specialty and county societies, and always at the forefront on important issues that can benefit the practice of medicine. The Gallagher healthcare team has been involved on many matters related to tort reform, including the fight for caps on non-economic damages, a better-defined statute of limitations, and an improved system based on fault, not based on deep pockets, and not one that encourages plaintiffs to name as many defendants as possible.

DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP - Gold Level Partner    

   

Address: Glenpointe Centre West, 500 Frank W. Burr Boulevard, Suite 31, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Princeton Address: 103 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 201-928-1100
Fax: 201-928-0588
Website 


DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP, is a full-service law firm with eighty attorneys headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey. We are a group of skilled, experienced attorneys who practice in a wide variety of specialties. A partial list of our practice areas includes healthcare law, real estate, labor law, public procurement, litigation, environmental law, public finance, tax, municipal law, government and regulatory affairs, corporate law, banking and bankruptcy.

 

Healthcare Law Section

Our Healthcare group has successfully represented healthcare entities and professionals in a complex industry, business and regulatory environment. The DeCotiis healthcare attorneys have represented physicians in New Jersey before the following State and federal agencies and private entities:

  • The New Jersey Attorney General's Office
  • The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners
  • The Medical Practitioner Review Panel
  • The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor
  • New Jersey State Medicaid investigation
  • The United States Attorneys Office
  • The Office of Inspector General
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, including the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General
  • Hospitals, nursing homes
  • Extended care facilities
  • Ambulatory surgery centers
  • Insurance companies
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.
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Legislative Update

Drug Abuse

The Assembly has passed two bills of the package of 21 bills on drug abuse. A.2859 codifies the "Project Medicine Drop" program, under which each county is required to have medication drop off locations in police stations. A.709 requires pharmacies and prescribers to supply patients with a Division of Consumer Affairs notice publicizing available drug take-back programs and giving suggestions for the safe disposal of drugs with each controlled dangerous substance dispensed. The Senate has already passed these bills, which MSNJ supports.

The Senate Commerce Committee passed S.2180, another bill that is part of the 21 bill package. This bill would prohibit the use of utilization management review for behavioral health treatment. MSNJ testified in support of the bill, along with Dr. Michael Shore. See press coverage.

Read more press coverage. Find testimony here.

 

The Senate has passed S.R77, which urges the FDA to reconsider approval of Zohydro, pending more testing. The sponsor is concerned about the danger of abuse of this drug, noting that it does not come in an abuse-deterrent form and twenty-nine state attorney generals have asked the FDA to reconsider its approval. MSNJ supports this resolution.

 

The Governor has signed two of the bills in the package. He signed A.3722, which requires the Departments of Human Services and Corrections to coordinate to ensure the provision of mental health services to inmates. MSNJ and NJPA support this bill. The Governor also signed S.2373, which requires the Department of Human Services to make public an annual report on substance abuse providers. MSNJ has no position on this bill.

 

MSNJ continues to publish our op ed on the drug abuse issue.

End of Life

The Governor has made appointments to the New Jersey Advisory Council on End-Of-Life Care. Dr. Joseph Fenelly, Chair of the MSNJ Committe on Biomedical Ethics, will serve as a physician member. See the full committee membership. The appointments to this Committee are important as MSNJ continues to oppose assisted suicide legislation - we have urged that this Committee should study the issue before any legislation is moved.

Scope of Practice

The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee passed A.3922, which allows optometrists to prescribe hydrocodone, even though NJ statute only allows them to prescribe Schedule III and IV drugs. Hydrocodone was recently rescheduled to Schedule II. MSNJ opposes this bill. Find our testimony.

 

The Assembly Health Committee passed A.1319, which allows APNs to diagnose death and complete certifications. MSNJ has opposed this bill for a few years. Find the physician coalition opposition letter. Due to our opposition, the bill was amended to narrow the circumstances under which an APN could make the diagnosis: if s/he is the patient's primary caregiver and if the physician is unavailable. The Senate has already passed the bill. The Governor has pocket vetoed it twice. We will continue to oppose this bill.

 

The Assembly Health Committee passed A.1950, which modernizes the scope of practice for physician assistants. As previously reported, MSNJ and specialty societies worked very closely with the physician assistant society to craft the parameters of the bill and support the final version. The main change from current law is that a physician will now be allowed to execute an agreement with the PA to determine his/her scope of practice, if the physician chooses to allow the PA to perform functions beyond those enumerated in current statute.

Physician Mandates

The Senate passed S.876, which would require physicians and hospitals to provide testing for Hepatitis C for adults born between 1945 and 1965. The bill would require that the test be offered at every patient encounter unless the patient confirms that s/he has already been tested. MSNJ, the NJ Hospital Association and specialty societies oppose this mandate. See our testimony. The bill barely passed, gaining only the minimally required 21 votes. MSNJ will continue to oppose the bill, which has not moved in the Assembly.

Gestation Agreements

The Senate passed S.866, which would allow for and provide legal parameters for gestational carrier agreements. The Governor vetoed this bill last session, making it a priority for Democrats to pass this session. As previously reported, MSNJ has not taken a position on the bill. See press coverage.

Diabetes

The Assembly Health Committee has passed A.3460, sponsored by Dr. Conaway, which requires Medicaid coverage for diabetes self-management education, training, services, and equipment for patients diagnosed with diabetes, gestational diabetes, and pre-diabetes. MSNJ supports this bill.

CHIP Funding

MSNJ signed on to a letter urging congressional leaders to take action to provide four years of renewed funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). CHIP provides coverage for more than 8 million children and hundreds of thousands of pregnant women. CHIP funding is currently set to expire on September 30, 2015. Read the letter.
News
There is still time to avoid Medicare payment penalties. Read more.

MSNJ In The News:

  • MSNJ's CEO Larry Downs is featured in this NJ.com / NJ Advance Media article on "Who will treat the flood of Obamacare Medicaid patients?"
  • MSNJ continues to respond to an opinion piece miss-characterizing our drug abuse efforts - check out this response by our CEO Larry Downs, featured in The Asbury Park Press.
  • Dr. Debra Koss and MSNJ's CEO Larry Downs are both featured in this Courier-Post article on New Jersey's mental health system.
  • MSNJ member Dr. Ted Louie is featured in this New Jersey 101.5 piece on childhood vaccine safety.

Congratulations to the MSNJ Nominating Committee Candidates

The MSNJ Nominating Committee chaired by Dr. Ruth Schulze met on Sunday, February 1, 2015. Congratulations to all the candidates and thanks to all participants. You are the key to our success!!

MSNJ Revolving Reference Committee

With 30 people in attendance via webinar, the RRC met on February 2 to discuss two resolutions and made the following recommendations. Read the complete report. 

  1. Recreational Use and Abuse of Prescription Drugs was recommended for adoption.
  2. Physician/Patient Relationship-Right to Continuity of Care, Admitting and Consultation Privileges for Family Physician and Internist for their Hospitalized Patients was recommended to be referred to MSNJ staff for legal analysis and then be referred to the Board of Trustees for further action.
Physician Recognition
Please be aware that this year's nominations for the Healthcare Heroes event are open.

Top Doctors 2015: Make Your Voice Heard in New Jersey Monthly by Sunday, March 1
New Jersey Monthly
's annual survey of physicians is underway. This is the only survey that is mailed to all doctors in active practice in New Jersey rather than relying on the opinions of a smaller group of doctors or a national poll. MSNJ encourages all members to participate. Vote online by Sunday, March 1. You will be asked to enter your medical license number before entering the site to vote. The list is "locked down" before any solicitation of advertising, and a variety of methods are employed by the polling company to prevent ballot-box stuffing. The results will be published in the November issue of New Jersey Monthly and is searchable throughout the year at www.njmonthly.com.

Last Call for 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 him or herself.

 

Nominations should be made by submitting a brief narrative to [email protected] by close of business on Friday, February 20, 2015.
Practice Management

Ready Set Code! ICD-10 Webinar Workshops

The compliance date for implementation of ICD-10 is October 1, 2015. Will you be ready? MSNJ and the New Jersey Hospital Association will host a series of specialty specific webinar workshops on ICD-10. These hands-on coding workshops will help you master ICD-10-CM and the documentation requirements associated with coding for your specialty-specific practice. Participants will gain an understanding of the code format and structure of ICD-10 and the ability to successfully assign diagnosis codes using ICD-10. Choose one workshop that best describes your practice. Each 2-hour Specialty Workshop will be repeated on two different dates/times for your convenience. All workshops are approved for 2 AAPC CEUs. More information and registration.  

ICD-10: Only 230 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. Register for upcoming ICD-10 Webinar Workshops. Participate in NJ DOBI's ICD-10 Readiness Survey.

Coming Soon: New Coding Benefit from SuperCoder.com

We are excited to introduce a new member benefit to help your practice transition to ICD-10. Our Practice Management Section will soon feature coding tools powered by SuperCoder.com including:

  • ICD-10/ ICD-9 Crosswalk;
  • Code Search; and
  • Ask an Expert.
In addition, members will receive a 30% discount on all other SuperCoder.com products. Stay tuned to e-News and the MSNJ website for more information, as we roll out this new benefit.

ICD-10 Alert: These 3 ICD-10 Answers May Surprise You

brought to you by SuperCoder.com

Hint: Forget everything you know about ICD-9's 'excludes' codes after next October.

With the ICD-10 transition less than a year away, you may have a handle on how to transition your most frequently-billed diagnoses from ICD-9 to ICD-10. However, if you still have a few questions about the new diagnosis coding system, you aren't alone. CMS and the CDC aim to quell that confusion with several hard-hitting answers that will help you resolve three of your top ICD-10 questions. Read more.

NJ DOBI Standard ICD-10 Readiness Survey

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 a standardized ICD-10 Readiness Survey to collect information regarding your ICD-10 readiness. We are looking for solo and small practices in particular to take the survey. Please take this opportunity to tell us where you are in the transition process. Take the survey! 

February 28 Deadline: EHR Attestation for Eligible Professionals

Eligible Professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program have until February 28 to attest to meeting meaningful use of the data collected during their 2014 reporting period. The attestation includes the 2014 Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) Flexibility Rule options. Starting January 1, 2015, penalties were applied for Medicare EPs that did not successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2013 and did not receive a 2015 hardship exception. Medicare EPs that did not successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2014 and do not receive a 2016 hardship exception will have payment adjustments applied beginning January 1, 2016. Read the payment adjustment tipsheet for more information.

 

Please Note: You must attest to demonstrating meaningful use every year to receive an incentive and avoid a Medicare payment adjustment.

 

Medicaid EHR Incentive Program participants should refer to their state's deadlines for attestation information. 

PQRSImportant 2014 PQRS Data Submission Deadlines

There is still time to avoid the 2016 Medicare payment penalties by participating in PQRS for 2014. The following reporting methods are still available:

View February's Coding Tip of the Month for information on the use of E codes in ICD-10 for Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases (E00-E89).

 
Medical Society of New Jersey
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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.

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