New Laws 2019: What physicians need to know The California Legislature had an active year, passing many new laws affecting health care. In particular, there was a strong focus on health care coverage, drug prescribing, public health and mental health issues. To help physicians understand the most significant new health laws, the California Medical Association has published its annual new laws round up, “Significant New California Laws of Interest to Physicians for 2019.” This document is free to all interested parties. January 14, 2019 CMA, General Health Care Reform, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
ABMS seeking physician comments on Maintenance of Certification reform In 2017, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and its 24 member boards launched a major initiative—Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission—to re-envision the future of continuing board certification. The commission recently released its draft report, which includes the key findings and recommendations for reforming how ABMS specialty boards operate continuing certification programs. The draft report is open for public comment until Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The California Medical Association (CMA) is encouraging physicians to review the recommendations and provide comments on ... January 14, 2019 CMA, General Licensing & Regulatory Issues 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Physicians Congratulate Governor-elect Newsom, Lieutenant Governor-elect Kounalakis Today, voters chose Gavin Newsom and Eleni Kounalakis to serve as California’s next Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In response, California Medical Association (CMA) President David H. Aizuss, M.D. issued the following statement: “The voters have decided, and CMA is proud to congratulate Governor-elect Newsom and Lt. Governor-elect Kounalakis for their respective wins tonight. “Governor-elect Newsom has a distinguished track record in championing health care for all, and Lieutenant Governor-elect Kounalakis showed voters that she has the passion and experience to help push California forward. We look forward to their continued leadership ... November 7, 2018 CMA, General Elections 0 0 Comment Read More »
Prop. 56 webinar: Are you getting your share of the supplemental Medi-Cal funds? The California Health Care, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Prop. 56) created new revenues dedicated to the Medi-Cal program. Physicians receive supplemental payments in both fee-for-service and Medi-Cal managed care when providing Medi-Cal services under certain CPT codes. A total of $325 million was allocated for physician payments in the budget for 2017-18, with $488 million proposed for 2018-19. The California Medical Association (CMA) is hosting a webinar with the California Department of Health Care Services on Wednesday, November 7, to discuss the status of distribution of ... November 6, 2018 CMA, General, Medi-Cal Public Payors, Advocacy, Professional Development & Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
Coding Corner: Separate reporting of pre-intra- and post-procedure work “Coding Corner” focuses on coding, compliance, and documentation issues relating specifically to physician billing. This month’s tip comes from G. John Verhovshek, the managing editor for AAPC, a training and credentialing association for the business side of health care. The global surgical package includes all “necessary services normally furnished” by a provider “before, during, and after a procedure,” as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS). When a provider is responsible for only a portion of the global package (e.g., an emergency department physician initiates fracture care, ... November 6, 2018 CMA, General Payor Issues and Reimbursement, Practice Management 0 0 Comment Read More »
UnitedHealthcare to implement outpatient advanced radiology policy Effective January 1, 2019, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) will require prior authorization for certain advanced imaging procedures when performed in the outpatient hospital setting. As highlighted in the UnitedHealthcare Network Bulletin October 2018, certain magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography and computed tomography imaging procedures will now be subject to a site of care review when performed in the outpatient hospital under UHC’s Outpatient Radiology Notification/Prior Authorization Protocol. Site of care reviews will not be done as part of the prior authorization process if a procedure will be performed in a free-standing diagnostic ... November 6, 2018 General, Managed Care Commercial Payors, Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology 0 0 Comment Read More »
CDPH hosts webinar on California Parkinson's Disease Registry On July 1, 2018, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched the California Parkinson’s Disease Registry, a statewide population-based registry that will be used to measure the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease. MD’s, DO’s, PA’s, and NP’s who diagnose or treat Parkinson’s disease patients are required to report. The first deadline for data submission is March 29, 2019, for cases encountered during the first quarter the law was in effect (July 1 to September 30, 2018). Details on the reporting obligation can be found in the Implementation Guide, ... November 6, 2018 General Professional Development & Education, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA Applauds the Enactment of Federal Opioid Legislation The California Medical Association (CMA) applauded the enactment of H.R. 6 – a sweeping bipartisan bill that addresses nearly every component of the national opioid epidemic. The legislation would improve access to preventive services, opioid use disorder treatment programs, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and non-opioid therapies, including mental health services. It would lift restrictions on using telemedicine for treatment of substance use disorders. To address the escalation in overdose deaths, it would also strengthen law enforcement efforts to crack down on international shipments of illicit drugs such as fentanyl. H.R. 6 ... October 26, 2018 General Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
First-ever TRICARE open enrollment begins November 12 Beginning November 12 and running through December 10, 2018, TRICARE will initiate its first ever open enrollment period for beneficiaries to enroll in or change their TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select health plan coverage. Beneficiaries already enrolled who want to continue with their current plan without changes do not need to do anything. Any changes made during the 2018 open enrollment will be effective January 1, 2019. Outside of open enrollment, beneficiaries enrolled in Prime or Select will only be able to make a plan change if they have ... October 26, 2018 General, Managed Care Commercial Payors, Practice Management 0 0 Comment Read More »
L.A. Care partially rescinds recoupment requests Between June and August of this year, L.A. Care issued a large number of overpayment requests to physicians. According to L.A. Care, it was requesting refunds on overpaid Medi-Medi claims. However, some of the requests were for very old claims, dating back to 2012. The California Medical Association (CMA) raised concerns with L.A. Care about the timeliness of some of the refund requests, as California’s Knox Keene act limits plans’ ability to request refunds to 365 days from the date of payment, except in cases of fraud or misrepresentation. After ... October 18, 2018 General Practice Management, Public Payors 0 0 Comment Read More »