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Medical Society of New Jersey e-Newsletter
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Please join MSNJ in welcoming our new members for 2015!
MSNJ serves as the voice of physicians and is the only society representing all specialties and practice models in the state. We offer unparalleled advocacy and practice support.
Numbers matter...each member adds to our influence! Help us spread the word...joining is simple! Visit www.msnj.org/membership for more information.
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SoFi
SoFi refinances student loan debt from both federal and private sources into one loan with one monthly payment at lower rates. Physician borrowers save on average $20,800 on their student loans. Adjustable rates start at 2.17% APR, fixed rates at 3.5% APR. Access the discount.
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MSNJ Magazine Subscription Service
Subscription Services, Inc., does their very best to get you the lowest rates. As a member, you are eligible for the very lowest prices on magazine subscriptions as well as personalized hands-on customer service. Click "Shop for Magazines" to place new subscriptions, renewals, as well as gift order subscriptions. You can also inquire about titles you may be interested in. If you ever have a question regarding your order or your account, please call 1-800-603-5602, or use the contact page to communicate with a customer service representative. And if you ever find a lower authorized price, they will match it!
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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.
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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.
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Webinar: Collection Tips in 10 Minutes
I.C. System has created a series of short webinars to provide tips to help your office. Access the webinars.
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CMS National Provider Call: 2016 PFS Proposed Rule: Medicare Quality Reporting Programs
Thursday, July 16; 1:30-3pm
This presentation will cover proposed updates to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), Value-Based Payment Modifier (Value Modifier), Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, and Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) Initiative. Register.
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Free PCSS-MAT Office-Based Treatment of Opioid Dependence Webinar Series
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Novitas Solutions will host their 2015 Medicare Symposium in our area on the following dates:
- July 29, 2015 - Fort Lee, NJ
- August 5, 2015 - Philadelphia, PA
- November 10, 2015 - East Windsor, NJ
More information.
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Collections:
I.C. System - Bronze Level Partner
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Legal Services:
DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP - Gold Level Partner
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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.
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Policy & Strategy Panel to Hear Hospital Admission Concerns
Register now to attend MSNJ's July 23 Policy & Strategy Panel meeting during which a panel of physicians and lawyers will discuss current hospital admission issues. The panel will explore concerns surrounding hospitalist admission policies, revisit existing MSNJ and newly adopted AMA policy, and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 5:30pm
MSNJ Conference Center, 2 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ
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News
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MSNJ CEO, Larry Downs, moderated a panel at the 7th Annual NJ Ambulatory Surgical Center Review conference in June. He discussed crucial policy and legislative matters with Assemblymen Lou Greenwald and Herb Conaway, including the ACA (and King v. Burwell), surgery center taxation and out of network legislation.
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Resolutions Due August 12
The next meeting of the Revolving Reference Committee is Monday, August 24 at 7:00 pm via webinar. All resolutions need to be vetted by your County Medical Society prior to submission to MSNJ. Resolutions are due from the County Medical Societies by August 12. Click here for instructions on writing a resolution.
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2014 Open Payments Data Published
CMS published the 2014 Open Payments data on transfers of value by drug and medical device makers to health care providers. The data totaled $6.49 billion including information about 11.4 million financial transactions attributed to over 600,000 physicians and more than 1,100 teaching hospitals. Read more.
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Healthcare Heroes
Last week, we reported NJBIZ's 2015 Healthcare Heroes Physician of the Year Finalists. This week, MSNJ would like to congratulate the following MSNJ members who are the Women's Health & Wellness Heroes:
- Annette O. Cozzarelli Franklin, MD - Essex County Medical Society - WINNER
- Heather Michelle Van Raalte, MD - Mercer County Medical Society - FINALIST
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| MSNJ In The News:
Supreme Court Ruling on ACA Subsidies |
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NJ Sports Medicine Physician Admits to Accepting $60,000 in Cash Bribes
A sports medicine physician in Toms River, New Jersey admitted to accepting more than $60,000 in cash bribes in return for referring pain cream prescriptions and falsifying health records on behalf of Prescriptions R Us, a compound pharmacy in Lakewood, New Jersey. Read more.
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Legislative Update
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Governor Declares Run for President
Governor Christie has declared that he is running for President. Read more.
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State Budget
The Governor has signed the Fiscal Year 2016 budget appropriation act, vetoing the "millionaire's tax." The budget appropriates $32.5 billion, but fails to make a full pension payment after the Supreme Court ruled that it is not required. Read more.
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EMS Services
The Legislature has quickly passed a controversial bill that would change EMS delivery in the state. Read more.
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Education Mandates
MSNJ successfully stalled A.3834, a bill that would create mandatory continuing education for physicians on suicide screening. MSNJ will continue to work with the sponsor to address mental health issues, but opposes topic-specific education mandates for physicians.
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Ambulatory Care Facilities (ACFs)
MSNJ, along with RSNJ and others, fought unsuccessfully to reduce taxation on ACFs during the negotiations on the State budget. Legislation has been introduced to reduce the tax (A.4588), and MSNJ will continue to seek a reduction of the tax, especially since the need for the tax revenue has gone down with reduced charity care spending.
Legislation to limit ACF ownership to New Jersey hospitals moved quickly to the Governor's desk in June. The bill, A.4476/S.2876, includes a provision that would retroactively ban out-of-state hospitals from owning ambulatory centers in New Jersey. Read more.
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Palliative Care
The Assembly has passed A.3911, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin. The bill requires certain health care facilities to provide information concerning palliative care and hospice services. MSNJ supports improvement in access to palliative care.
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Drug Abuse
The Legislature has passed A.622, which prohibits sale of certain products containing dextromethorphan to minors under 18 years of age. MSNJ supports this bill.
The Governor has signed A.709, which requires pharmacies and prescribers to notify patients about how to ensure proper and safe disposal of unused prescription drugs. MSNJ supports this bill to reduce diversion.
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Scope of Practice
The Governor has signed A.3922, which allows optometrists to prescribe hydrocodone, even though the NJ statute only allows them to prescribe Schedules III and IV drugs. Hydrocodone was recently rescheduled to Schedule II. MSNJ opposed this bill (read our letter), though the NJ Academy of Ophthalmology was neutral.
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Women's Health
The Governor has vetoed A.2795, which would have required Medicaid coverage for family planning services to individuals with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
The Governor has vetoed S.866, which would allow for and provide legal parameters for gestational carrier agreements. The Governor vetoed this bill last session, too. As previously reported, MSNJ has not taken a position on the bill. Read press coverage.
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Medical Marijuana
New Jersey will have one more dispensary. Read more.
The Legislature has sent A.4587 to the Governor. The bill would requires facilities providing services to persons with developmental disabilities and schools to adopt policies permitting administration of medical marijuana to qualifying patients. Read more.
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ACOs
Legislation allowing for shared savings with Medicaid ACOs was passed in NJ in 2011. The regulations for the program were finalized last year, with the first ACO, the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, approved this month. Read more.
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Federal Legislation
After the House passed H.R. 1190, which would eliminate the ACA's Independent Payment Advisory Board, MSNJ sent letters to our Senators to support the bill as well. Read our letter.
MSNJ has signed on to a letter opposing H.R. 2519, which would inappropriately provide audiologists with unlimited direct access to Medicare patients without a physician referral and amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include audiologists in the definition of "physician."
MSNJ continues to support the creation of a grace period for ICD-10 transition and will urge our delegation to sign on to pending legislation.
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Practice Management
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Practice Managers: Please take our Medical Practice Managers Section Events Survey
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CMS re-issued MM7492, Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) Claims Processing Guidance for Implementing International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10). Read the guidance.
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AMA released an article on "3 answers to know before Sunshine Act data goes public." Read the article.
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ERA Toolkit and Webinar
The AMA recently updated their Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) toolkit that offers ERA processing tips and information on how to get started.
AMA will host a webinar on "ERAse payment issues with ERA," on July 9 at 12 pm EST. Learn processing tips and participate in a demonstration of the Claims Workflow Assistant code look-up tool. Register online.
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Submit 2015 PQRS data to avoid the 2017 penalty!
MSNJ is continuing its PQRS Reporting Benefit in 2015:
Have you started thinking about PQRS reporting to CMS for 2015? Start planning now to avoid the 2% penalty in 2017!
Through a partnership with PQRSwizard® we have made it easy for your practice to participate. PQRSwizard, like Turbo-Tax™ for PQRS reporting, will help guide you step-by-step to simplify the CMS PQRS reporting process.
Measures Groups, individual measures, and GPRO Lite options are now open for 2015 registration.
Visit www.msnj.org/benefits to access the preferred MSNJ price of $225 per provider (Regular Fee is $299).
The deadline for 2015 reporting through PQRSwizard, using the MSNJ discount, is February 26, 2016.
Note that ALL PROVIDERS THAT BILL MEDICARE FFS are responsible for reporting under the PQRS program.
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Only 90 Days Away!: ICD-10 Deadline October 1, 2015
The following are CMS's 5 steps on preparing for ICD-10:
1) Make a Plan
2) Train Your Staff
3) Update Your Processes
4) Talk with Your Vendors and Health Plans
5) Test Your Systems and Processes
Read more about each step in CMS's Quick Start Guide. Read AMA's beginner and expert's guide to ICD-10 prep: Steps for July.
View resources on MSNJ's website. Register for upcoming ICD-10 Webinar Workshops.
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Medical Society of New Jersey
2 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(o) 609-896-1766 e-mail:
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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.
"Your Partner in Practice... Your Voice in Trenton"
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2015 © Medical Society of New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written permission of the Medical Society of New Jersey.
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