CMA CFO honored by Sacramento Business Journal Lance Lewis, chief operating and financial officer for the California Medical Association (CMA) was honored as one of the Sacramento Business Journal's CFOs of the Year. Lewis was recognized because his innovative leadership over the past 18 years has helped transform CMA into a thriving organization that cultivates and values talent, systems and processes that support a diverse, high performance workplace culture. Lewis oversaw the complete transformation of the association’s financial processes, revamping the budgeting process from a traditional accounting method to an activity-based costing model tied to the strategic ... July 24, 2017 Awards, CMA Awards, CMA in the News 0 0 Comment Read More »
Digital medicine conference comes to La Jolla in October Consumers are increasingly able to monitor their health using a vast array of wearable devices and digital technologies, at a small fraction of the cost imposed by our modern health care system. This change, powered by mobile internet, is giving patients unprecedented control over their health care. The Scripps Translational Science Institute is hosting a one-of-a-kind, interactive conference—DIGIMED17 – Transforming Healthcare Through Evidence-Driven Digital Medicine—October 5-6 in La Jolla. The principal goal of this conference is to jumpstart efforts to drive the widespread incorporation of evidence-based mobile health solutions for more ... July 24, 2017 General Conferences, Health Information Technology (HIT) 0 0 Comment Read More »
Webinar: Medical staff self-governance and the Tulare medical staff trial Medical staff self-governance is a vital part of a carefully crafted system designed to ensure the delivery of quality patient care in California hospitals. Join us for a one-hour webinar on Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at 12:15 p.m., for an overview of the rights and responsibilities of the self-governing medical staff under state and federal law, including credentialing, establishing clinical criteria and standards, organizing committees to monitor patient care, reviewing medical records, working with hospital administrators and governing bodies, and peer review, among other things. Presenter: Long Do, CMA legal ... July 24, 2017 CMA, General Hospital Medical Staff, Legal Advocacy, Medical Staff, Medical Staff Self-Governance, Webinars 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medical students, residents and fellows invited to submit research abstracts and poster The California Medical Association (CMA) and Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) are hosting a joint annual poster session to showcase research by medical students, residents and fellows across California. All medical students, residents and fellows in the state are invited to submit abstracts for their original research, regardless of membership status. Students who serve marginalized and underserved populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Research categories include basic science, clinical research, clinical vignette, health policy, and social science research. Applicants may only submit one abstract with a 350 word limit, ... July 24, 2017 CMA Residents and Fellows, Building Healthy Communities Summit, House of Delegates, Medical Students, NEPO 0 0 Comment Read More »
Survey finds nation's physicians not ready to fulfill MACRA reporting requirements Fewer than one in four physicians feel ready to meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Payment Program (QPP) reporting requirements, according to a survey of 1,000 physicians conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA). QPP is the new physician payment system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). It replaces the fee-for-service reimbursement model with two paths to choose from: the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APM). Over half of those surveyed (56 percent) plan to participate in MIPS in ... July 24, 2017 Medicare MACRA, Medicare, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, Alternative Payment Models (APM) 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free CME: Child abuse prevention, recognition and reporting The Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) is offering a free online course on child abuse prevention, recognition and reporting. This 75-minute course, created by the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Sacramento, is designed for physicians, nurses and other health care professionals who are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect, but who may not be familiar with the signs and symptoms. This course will also explain what, when and to whom to properly report findings. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive 1.25 continuing education credits ... July 24, 2017 General CME, Continuing Medical Education, IMQ, Institute for Medical Quality, Child Abuse 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA joins coalition to oppose Senate health care bill The California Medical Association (CMA) and a coalition of 9 other state medical associations have joined together to oppose the Republican Senate health care reform bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA). CMA and the other associations are concerned that the Medicaid funding cap and inflation index would not keep pace with rising costs beyond physicians’ control. The California Department of Health Care Services estimates that the Senate bill would cut California’s Medi-Cal program by $114 billion. "The proposal places an untenable burden on state budgets and an ... July 24, 2017 Medi-Cal Advocacy, Health Care Reform, Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), Federal Legislation, Medicaid, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
New video shows physicians how to avoid Medicare payment penalties The American Medical Association (AMA) has published a short instructional video to help physicians avoid being penalized under the new Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP). QPP is the new physician payment system created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Because QPP is new this year, AMA and the California Medical Association (CMA) want to make sure physicians know what they have to do to participate in QPP’s “pick your pace” options for reporting. This is ... July 21, 2017 Medicare MACRA, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
Noridian to issue electronic Level 1 Medicare Redetermination Notices via web portal Effective June 16, 2017, providers who submit their redetermination and/or reopening requests through the Noridian Medicare Portal (NMP) will now receive their Level 1 Medicare Redetermination Notices (MRNs) via NMP. If a redetermination or reopening outcome results in a fully favorable (payable) determination, the remittance advice will provide details. For all other decisions in which providers receive an MRN, the determination letters will now be available through the Appeal Status Inquiry feature in NMP only. Practices that submit electronic reopening and redetermination requests should ensure that any assigned staff member is ... July 21, 2017 Medicare Medicare, Noridian 0 0 Comment Read More »
UnitedHealthcare to issue new Premium Designation physician results In its June Network Bulletin, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) announced that the next iteration of its Premium Designation assessment results will be sent to physicians in early July. These results will be released publicly via the payor's online physician directory beginning September 6, 2017. Physicians within 16 specialties (allergy, cardiology, ENT, endocrinology, family medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, internal medicine, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics, pulmonology, rheumatology and urology) and their 46 credentialed sub-specialties will again be ranked by UHC on both national and specialty-specific measures for quality and various cost-efficiency benchmarks. UHC says ... July 21, 2017 Managed Care United Healthcare 0 0 Comment Read More »
