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Medical Society of New Jersey e-Newsletter
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Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic County Medical Societies Joint Membership Meeting and Dinner Seminar
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 6:30pm
Valley Regency, Clifton, NJ
More information.
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Symposium - Fear of Tiers: Finding the Right Balance of Government Oversight, Transparency and the Free Market for Narrow Health Insurance Networks
January 21, 2016 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm at Princeton University
Come see MSNJ CEO, Larry Downs speak on this issue.
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Brach Eichler's 1st Annual Fraud & Compliance Forum for Doctors
Thursday, January 21, 2016 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
W Hoboken, Hoboken, NJ
More information.
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Webinar: HIPAA - Texting and Emailing
Tuesday, January 26
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Health Management Associates Webinar: Provider Vitality Workshop: Strategies for Ensuring an Energized and Effective Healthcare Workforce
Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
More information.
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Save the Date! MSNJ's 2016 Advocacy Conference and House of Delegates Meeting
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Save the Date! MSNJ's 250th Anniversary Celebration and Inaugural Gala honoring Dr. Joseph Costabile
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Corporate Partners
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Legal Services:
DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP - Gold Level Partner
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Health Insurance:
QualCare, Inc. - Platinum 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 Meeting
Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 5:30pm
MSNJ Conference Center
Two Hot Topics for 2016:
- Presentation by the Federation of State Medical Boards on the Interstate Compact to Expedite Medical Licensure and Facilitate Multi-State Practice
- Discussion of telemedicine policy and legislation - balancing convenience and good medicine
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Attention Tier 2 Physicians:
If you have been assigned to Tier 2 by Horizon, please take this survey to help us assess the impact.
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Call for Nominations
We are accepting applications of interested parties for positions on the Board of Trustees, AMA Delegation, Judicial Council and various positions. Please review the MSNJ Open Positions for 2016 and read a brief synopsis of the committees and expectation. Your involvement is key to the Success of MSNJ.
If you are interested in running for a position or have questions about specific vacancies, first contact your county executive, then contact MSNJ at 609-896-1766 x 207.
The Deadline to submit a request is January 25, 2016. Watch e-News for weekly updates on Declared Candidates. The Nominating Committee meeting is on Sunday, February 7, 2016 at 9:30am at MSNJ.
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Legislative Update
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Tiered Networks (OMNIA)
As previously reported, MSNJ continues to work with legislators to address tiered networks, advocating for network adequacy and physician profiling transparency. MSNJ COO, Mishael Azam, testified at a December hearing and MSNJ CEO, Larry Downs, will speak at a conference in January. See event information.
If you have been designated as an OMNIA Tier 2 physician, please help us by completing our survey.
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Out of Network Legislation
MSNJ continues to oppose the legislation, which has stalled for the 2014-2015 legislative session. MSNJ CEO, Larry Downs, Esq., appeared on NJTV this month to discuss our opposition to the out of network legislation. See the interview with Michael Aron.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE TO OPPOSE THIS LEGISLATION.
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Hospital Property Taxation
The Senate Budget Committee has passed S.3299, which requires non-profit hospitals to pay "community service contributions" to host municipalities (except in case of hardship exemptions). MSNJ supports the exemption for physician services (other than leased space). The bill will prevent future lawsuits like Morristown Medical Center's. The Governor is expected to sign the bill. Read more.
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Advance Care Planning
MSNJ urges members to learn about Medicare coverage for end of life planning. See information. A bill requiring Medicaid coverage in New Jersey for advance care planning is on the Governor's desk.
Read CMS's article "Advance Care Planning (ACP) as an Optional Element of an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV)," which informs providers to waive the deductible and the coinsurance for ACP when furnished as an optional element of an AWV.
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News
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PAI Urges DOJ to Stop Health Insurer Mega-Mergers
Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI), of which MSNJ is a founding member, urged the Department of Justice to stop the proposed acquisitions of Humana by Aetna and Cigna by Anthem. In a letter to the DOJ, PAI outlines the reasons that bigger is not better in the health insurance industry and asks that detailed analysis of the anticompetitive effects of the proposed mergers be undertaken. Of particular note is the emboldened conduct of health insurers subsequent to the compliance periods in the national class-action lawsuits. The letter warns of a "too big to fail" scenario in the health insurance industry.
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MSNJ Weighs in on PIP Internal Appeal Rule Proposal
MSNJ filed comments in support of improvements to the PIP internal appeals process. The rules will standardize appeals for all carriers, increase timelines and permit electronic submissions. We continue to have concerns about the 50% co-payment penalty for failure to timely file for authorization, particularly if the treatment is found to be medically necessary.
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MSNJ Member Testifies before ONC on Electronic Medical Records
Read the testimony of MSNJ member, Douglas Ashinsky, MD, a solo practitioner, who was invited by ONC to provide comments on the value of an electronic medical records comparison tool. Dr. Ashinsky is an ONC Health IT Fellow and a NJ-HITEC Physician Vanguard. He urges ONC to concentrate its efforts on interoperability. He previously testified before the ONC on Meaningful Use.
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The 2015 NJBIZ Power 50 Health Care list is out!
We congratulate the winners, including MSNJ member Dr. Andrew Pecora. See the list.
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N.J. ranks 5th highest in hospital safety
Read more.
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Meridian, Raritan Bay wrap up merger, begin improving locations
Read an article on the merger.
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MSNJ Member in the News
MSNJ's Past President, Dr. Paul Carniol among Honorees of HomeTowne TV's Fred Honold Community Service Awards. Read more.
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Practice Management
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2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Claims Hold
Medicare contractors are holding claims for 2016 services paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for up to 14 calendar days (January 1, 2016 through January 14, 2016) to implement corrections to technical errors discovered after publication of the final rule. Medicare claims for services rendered on or before December 31, 2015 are unaffected by the 2016 claims hold and will be processed and paid under normal procedures and time frames. The 2016 fee schedule has been temporarily removed from the Novitas website, as corrections are made by CMS. We will keep members apprised of any updates. It is important to note that if you bill Medicare an amount less than the Medicare fee schedule, you will be paid the lesser amount.
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2015 PQRS Data Submission Timeframes
CMS has announced the 2015 PQRS data submission timeframes listed below:
- EHR Direct or Data Submission Vendor (QRDA I or III) - 1/1/16 - 2/29/16 by 8:00pm
- Qualified clinical data registries (QCDRs) (QRDA III) - 1/1/16 - 2/29/16 by 8:00pm
- Group practice reporting option (GPRO) Web Interface - 1/18/16 - 3/15/16 by 8:00pm
- Qualified registries (Registry XML) - 1/1/16 - 3/31/16 by 8:00pm
- QCDRs (QCDR XML) - 1/1/16 - 3/31/16 by 8:00pm
Eligible Professionals who do not successfully report quality measure data to meet the 2015 PQRS requirements will be subject to a negative PQRS payment adjustment on all Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule services rendered in 2017. Through a partnership with PQRSwizard®, MSNJ has 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. 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.
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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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2016 © 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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