MSNJ e-News - July 21, 2016

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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MSNJ Celebrates its 250th Anniversary this Saturday, July 23, during the Inaugural Gala honoring Dr. Joseph Costabile. This event would not be possible with the support of our sponsors:

Diamond:

Saint Peter's Healthcare System
Teladoc

Gold:

Capital Health

Capital Strategies Investment Group

Holy Name Medical Center

Lourdes Health System
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Silver:

Brach Eichler LLC
Cigna
Cowan, Gunteski & Co., PA
Immediate Care Medical Walk-In Group LLC

News

DOJ Files Suits Challenging Two Insurer Mega-Mergers

Today the Department of Justice filed suit challenging the Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers. Had the mergers been successful the number of national insurers would have been reduced from five to three. In a statement press release by the DOJ, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch stated:

These mergers would restrict competition for health insurance products sold in markets across the country and would give tremendous power over the nation's health insurance industry to just three large companies. Our actions seek to preserve competition that keeps premiums down and drives insurers to collaborate with doctors and hospitals to provide better healthcare for all Americans.

Read the Anthem-Cigna complaint. Read the Aetna-Humana complaint.

CMS Signals Flexibility Possible on MACRA Regulations In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee this week, CMS's Acting Administrator acknowledged that small, independent and rural practices would have a difficult time complying with the new regulations and that the agency is looking for ways to accommodate the challenges for these practices. He also indicated that CMS has flexibility on the established reporting period. Read more. MSNJ commented on both of these issues: we asked for a later and shorter reporting period; and, we asked that the threshold criteria to qualify for a small volume provider exemption be increased.

Smoking Prohibitions

Governor Christie vetoed a bill that would have prohibited smoking at public parks and beaches. MSNJ supports anti-smoking initiatives.

Drug Abuse - Patient Pain Scale

In response to pressure from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to remove the pain management dimension from the current Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) for purposes of funding. Read more.

OMNIA Litigation Update

Tier 2 hospitals that sued the New Jersey Department of Banking & Insurance (DOBI) over its approval of Horizon's OMNIA program last fall have filed a petition for certification to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The appellate division recently upheld DOBI's approval of the OMNIA program. Whether the New Jersey Supreme Court will accept the case is discretionary.

First NJ Case of West Nile Virus in 2016 Confirmed

The NJ Department of Health confirmed the state's first case of West Nile Virus in a 48-year old Camden County man. Read more.

NJ Couple And Two Diagnostic Companies to Pay $7.75 Million for Falsifying Diagnostic Test Reports and Failing to Properly Supervise Tests
A Morris County, NJ couple and their two diagnostic imaging companies were ordered to pay about $7.75 million for knowingly submitting false claims to Medicare for thousands of falsified diagnostic test reports and the underlying tests. Read more.

NJ Home Health Care Agency Owner Gets More than 4 Years in Prison for Defrauding Medicare out of $7 Million

A Union County resident was sentenced to more than four years in prison for his role in a scheme that used false records and unqualified home health aides to defraud Medicare out of $7 million. Read more.

Practice Management

Non-Discrimination Rules Effective July 18

In May, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) finalized rules implementing Section 1557 (the nondiscrimination provision) of the Affordable Care Act. The rules went into effect on Monday, July 18 and healthcare providers are expected to comply. Read more on the OCR's Section 1557 website, including a summary of the rule and fact sheets covering key provisions. View our webinar and read our FAQ on the provision of interpreters for hearing-impaired patients.

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Medical Society of New Jersey

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(o) 609-896-1766 e-mail:

info@msnj.org

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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