The Cherokee Indian Hospital is working to improve the overall care of its patients as well as improve appointment access with its integrated health care approach. 

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"Broader health insurance coverage for the citizens of North Carolina has been the stated policy and goal of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) for the last 30 years. In the last five years, we have been pleased that more people have health insurance coverage protecting them in case of injury or illness, and hope this trend will continue unabated with the Supreme Court's decision. As recent opinion polls show, the public agrees no working person should have to sacrifice food on the table for medical care.

"No legislation is perfect, especially one as far-reaching as the Affordable Care Act. We will strive to retain the positive aspects of the law and fix what is broken on behalf of our members and their patients. As the oldest and largest physician association in the state, today representing more than 12,500 physicians and physician assistants, we are committed to continuously improving our health care system's quality, efficiency and patient service for the people of North Carolina."

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"One large health system in North Carolina is ready to launch a Medicare Advantage plan, and two others are mulling the pros and cons of becoming a payer. 

The Affordable Care Act made it through its second do-or-die Supreme Court test in three years, raising odds for its survival but by no means ending the legal and political assaults on it five years after it became law.

The 6-3 ruling, a major win for the White House, stopped a challenge that would have erased tax-credit subsidies in at least 34 states for individuals and families buying insurance through the federal government's online marketplace. Such a result would have made coverage unaffordable for millions and created price spirals for those who kept their policies, many experts predicted.

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With less than three months remaining until the nation switches from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding for medical diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) are announcing efforts to continue to help physicians get ready ahead of the October 1 deadline. In response to requests from the provider community, CMS is releasing additional guidance that will allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process as the medical community gains experience using the new ICD- 10 code set.
 

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Contact: CMS Media Relations, (202) 690-6145 | CMS Media Inquiries AMA Media Relations, (312) 464-4430 

Dear Physicians,Article by Rendi L. Mann-Stadt with Ward and Smith, PA (WCMS Preferred Vendor)

"A section of the Affordable Care Act, known as the "Sunshine Act," or the National Physician Payment Transparency Program, provides transparency by creating a national resource for consumers to research and learn more about the relationships among physicians, teaching hospitals, and industry.

The Sunshine Act imposes reporting requirements on applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations ("GPOs") regarding payments and other transfers of value made to "covered recipients and physician owners or investors." Additionally, manufacturers and GPOs are required to report ownership or investment interests held by physicians or their immediate family members in applicable manufacturers and GPOs."

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Dear Physicians,

Here's 2 good reasons to invest a little of your valuable time with your elderly patients in an effort to get them to document their Health Care Power of Attorney and Living Will. 1

1) Beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, for the first time, doctors will be paid by Medicare to counsel patients about their options for end of life care. 

2) If you introduce the issue at an office visit, my colleagues and I can get your patient to complete the legal paperwork if you refer them to us for one afternoon or evening workshop.

At the UNCA College for seniors (now called O.L.L.I.), one of my retirement activities is to coordinate an Advance Care Planning Workshop every 4 months. Click here to learn all about these free 2-hr sessions, open to any adult.

So far we have had 11 workshops, attended by over 600 adults, nearly half of whom completed the NC Short form (used by Mission Hospital, includes Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney). We notarize the form for them before they leave the workshop.

All you'd have to do after introducing Advance Care Planning to a patient is go to the OLLI website and find out the date for the next workshop, advise the patient how to prepare, and write the patient an Rx slip to be at OLLI on that particular date. We'll take it from there. 

I hope we can help you.  And....thanks for helping us by referring some patients.

Sincerely,

David Mouw MD PhD

MAHEC Family Practice Faculty 1997-2007