Medical Society of New Jersey e-Newsletter
 
March 24, 2016

   
In This Issue
 
Public Health
Zika Virus
CDC adds Dominica to the interim travel guidance related to Zika virus. Read more.

CME/Events /Training

Check out the MSNJ Calendar for upcoming meetings!


NJ DOH Webinar: New Jersey Poison Information and Education System
March 31, 2016 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Register online

Chamber of Commerce Southern NJ Presents: The Future of Healthcare
Featuring MSNJ's CEO, Larry Downs
Friday, April 29 from 8:00am to 10:00am at Woodcrest Country Club, Cherry Hill, NJ 

New Jersey Health Care Stakeholders Summit
Thursday, April 21, 2016
New Jersey Hospital Association Conference Center
More information. 

Save the Date! MSNJ's 2016 Advocacy Conference and House of Delegates Meeting 
May 13-14, 2016
More information. 

Save the Date! MSNJ's 250th Anniversary Celebration and Inaugural Gala honoring Dr. Joseph Costabile 
July 23, 2016
More information. 
Corporate Partners

Legal Services:
DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP - Gold Level Partner
 

Collections:
I.C. System - Bronze Level Partner

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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Attention OMNIA Tier 2 Physicians:
Physicians who have been assigned to Tier 2 by Horizon for its OMNIA plans are encouraged to take our surveys to help us assess the impact of these plans.
  • Tell us about the impact OMNIA has had on your practice.
  • Tell us about the impact of OMNIA on continuity of care and the physician-patient relationship.
MSNJ Annual Meeting and Advocacy Conference
The agenda is finalized and registration is open! We have three exciting workshops with timely topics to improve your bottom line. For our keynote, Senate President Steven Sweeney will offer his thoughts on the legislative and regulatory landscape. Please register at www.msnj.org/annualmeeting

MSNJ's 2016 Advocacy Conference & House of Delegates Meeting
May 13-14, 2016
Seaview Hotel & Golf Club, Galloway, NJ

Last Call: Resolution are due Monday, March 28 
The first session of MSNJ House of Delegates will convene on Tuesday, April 19 via Webinar/Conference call from 6-9 pm. Resolutions are due from the Counties by March 28. Register online. Read more. 
Legislative Update
Health Care Power List
MSNJ congratulates Larry Downs, Esq., our CEO, for making the NJBIZ list of the most powerful players in healthcare.  See the complete list.
Hospital Taxation
Though he vetoed the legislation to curb litigation, Christie has called for a 2-year freeze on hospital property taxes and for a committee to study the issue. Read more.
Drug Abuse
In order to use Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), physicians must have eight hours of certified training and obtain a waiver under federal law. Free courses are being offered for physicians to obtain MAT training. Read more.
News
MSNJ Weighs in on Omnia--Files Friend of the Court Brief  
Today MSNJ filed an amicus brief in the case brought by many of the Omnia Tier 2 hospitals against the New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance (DOBI). The brief brings the voice of the state's physicians to the case challenging DOBI's approval of Horizon's two-tiered healthcare plans. 
 
MSNJ developed thoughtful policy on transparency and disclosure of physician ranking criteria in 2008.  The transparency and disclosure standards contained in the policy are critical to allowing physicians and healthcare consumers to understand the process by which health plans and others rank, tier or otherwise rate physicians. In particular, physicians and consumers are entitled to know if tier status  is based on quality of care or purely cost.

MSNJ makes clear in our brief that we do not oppose tiered plans per se. However, the criteria used to rank physicians must be transparent and available to the public and physicians alike. Physicians and consumers are entitled to know how their physicians and hospitals of choice became designated as either Tier 1 or 2.  Read our press release.
The Physicians Foundation's Fourth National Survey
The Physicians Foundation is launching its fourth national Survey of America's Physicians, one of the largest physician surveys ever undertaken in the United States. The survey is being conducted by national physician search and consulting firm, Merritt Hawkins, and will be emailed to more than 650,000 physicians across the country from March-May of 2016. The survey will take approximately 10-12 minutes to complete and will allow physicians to share their thoughts on health reform, electronic medical records, new methods of physician reimbursement, ICD-10, and a variety of other topics. A full copy of the final survey report will be emailed to all physicians who participate, and participants will also be entered to win one of five $500 Amazon gift cards and one $5,000 Amazon gift card. Take the survey!
OCR Launches Phase 2 of HIPAA Audit Program
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has begun its next phase of HIPAA audits of covered entities and their business associates. In its 2016 Phase 2 HIPAA Audit Program, OCR will review the policies and procedures adopted and employed by covered entities and their business associates to meet selected standards and implementation specifications of the Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules. See OCR's announcement. Read MSNJ Corporate Partner, Brach Eichler's article on the audit program. Read more.
Enforcement Action
A Bergen County physician is sentenced to more than three years in prison for billing bogus office visits and altering patient medical records. Read more. 

HIPAA Settlements
  • North Memorial Health Care of Minnesota has agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) $1.55 million to settle charges that it potentially violated the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules by failing to implement a business associate agreement with a major contractor and failing to institute an organization-wide risk analysis to address the risks and vulnerabilities to its patient information. Read the resolution agreement and corrective action plan.
  • Feinstein Institute for Medical Research agreed to pay the OCR $3.9 million to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and will undertake a substantial corrective action plan to bring its operations into compliance. The investigation began after Feinstein filed a breach report indicating that on September 2, 2012, a laptop computer containing the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of approximately 13,000 patients and research participants was stolen from an employee's car. Read the resolution agreement and corrective action plan.
De Groote Award Nominations
MSNJ is accepting nominations for the De Groote Award which will be conferred at the MSNJ Inaugural Gala of the 224th President, Joseph Costabile, MD on July 23, 2016. 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 the close of business on Friday, April 15, 2016.
Lifetime Achievement Award
MSNJ is accepting nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented at the Inaugural Gala of the 224th President, Dr. Joseph Costabile, on July 23, 2016. Submit a short paragraph to [email protected] describing their commitment to the Medical Society.
Practice Management
Telehealth Services
Read CMS' MLN Matters article on Telehealth Services. Read Chapter 12, Section 190 of the "Medicare Claims Processing Manual" for further information regarding telehealth services. 
Medicare Quality Reporting Programs YouTube Modules
Seven new MLN Connects YouTube videos are available on the Medicare Quality Reporting Programs, focusing on the requirements you need to meet in 2016:
Read First Healthcare Compliance's blog on how CMS Enrollment Screening Will Prioritize Fraud Prevention and listen to their webinar on Medicare Audits: OIG Work Plan.
 
Medical Society of New Jersey
2 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(o) 609-896-1766 e-mail:
 

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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