Keeping You Connected

The SBCMS keeps you up to date on the latest news,
policy developments, and events

SBCMS News/Media

rss

Free CME: Diabetes prevention webinar

Diabetes remains one of California’s fastest-growing and costliest diseases, and the burden is only expected to accelerate in the coming years. An estimated 2.5 million California adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, while 13 million – nearly half of the state’s adult population – have prediabetes, increasing their risk of developing diabetes over the next few years. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose or hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Among prediabetes patients, up ...

Webinar: Preventing physician burnout

The Physician’s Foundation biennial Survey of America’s Physicians has consistently shown the professional morale of physicians as problematic, with a majority of physicians in 2016 describing their feelings about the current state of the medical profession as somewhat or very negative. The California Medical Association (CMA) will host its first webinar of 2017, "Preventing Burnout: Individual and Organizational Intervention,” on Wednesday, January 11, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., to help physicians recognize and respond to burnout. The webinar is free to members and their staff. Our presenter, Karen Miotto, M.D., ...

Register now for November 16 webinar on prenatal vaccinations

The California Immunization Coalition (CIC) invites health care providers to attend its November 16, 2016, educational webinar: Providing Strong and Reassuring Recommendations for Prenatal Vaccinations. Taking place from 12 to 1 p.m. PT, this free webinar will focus on immunization recommendations for pregnant women and best practices for improving immunization rates in this population. Attendees will learn tips and techniques for communicating with their patients about the benefits of prenatal vaccination against pertussis and influenza, as well as ways to improve vaccination rates in their own practices. To register, click ...

CMS and AMA schedule MACRA webinars

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have scheduled a number of educational webinars to help physicians understand and prepare for the new Medicare Quality Payment Program for physicians created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Below is a list of upcoming webinars: Title: Quality Payment Program Final Rule Presented by: CMS Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT Register: Click here Title: MACRA Education Presented by: AMA Date: Monday, November 21, 2016 Time: 4 to 5:30 p.m. PT Register: Click here Title: MACRA Education Presented ...

CMA to host webinar on AB 72 out-of-network billing

In September 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed a controversial bill, Assembly Bill 72, into law. This bill will change the billing practices of non-participating physicians providing non-emergent care at in-network hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and laboratories. The October 19 webinar will present an overview of the new law, and will help physicians understand the circumstances under which the bill applies, how physicians can continue to charge their usual and customary rates, and how the bill provides an opportunity to improve network adequacy standards. Presented by Janus Norman, California Medical Association (CMA) ...

Prepare for Zika transmission in the U.S. with August 10 webinar

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Medical Association (AMA) are hosting an important one-hour webinar next week focused on transmission of the Zika virus in the United States. The webinar will be next Wednesday, August 10, 2016, at 4 p.m. PT. All interested parties are invited to participate in this free webinar. CDC Medical Epidemiologist Susan Hills will present an update on the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the current outbreak. CDC Medical Officer Kiran Perkins, M.D., MPH, will present on the implications for pregnant ...

Yes on 56/Save Lives California message training webinar now available on-demand

A recording of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) recently held webinar – Yes on 56/Save Lives California: Message Training – is now available to download in CMA’s online resource library. The webinar is available free to members only. Nearly 17,000 California kids get hooked on smoking every year, and about one-third of them will eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses. CMA and the Save Lives California coalition is helping to reverse this trend through the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (also known as Proposition 56), a ...

MACRA webinar now available on-demand

A recording of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) recently held webinar – MACRA: What Is CMA Doing to Improve It? What Steps Can You Take to Prepare Now? – is now available to download in CMA’s online resource library. The webinar is available free to members; the cost is $99 for nonmembers. In this webinar, CMA Vice President of Federal Government Relations Elizabeth McNeil provides a brief overview of the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) payment changes. She also discusses CMA’s advocacy efforts with the ...

DMHC IMR/complaint webinar now available on-demand

The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), the regulatory agency that oversees 122 health plans, recently conducted a webinar for the California Medical Association (CMA) to provide an overview of the department with a focus on the DMHC Help Center and its Independent Medical Review (IMR) process. DMHC Deputy Director of Health Policy and Stakeholder Relations Mary Watanabe provided an overview of the department’s IMR and complaint processes, including the importance of these processes in the policy, legislative and regulatory arenas. Also provided was information on how to ...

Deadline to register for CURES is July 1, 2016

Under California law, all individuals practicing in California who possess both a state regulatory board license authorized to prescribe, dispense, furnish or order controlled substances and a Drug Enforcement Administration Controlled Substance Registration Certificate (DEA Certificate) must register to use the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) by July 1, 2016. The California Medical Association (CMA) has compiled a list of educational materials to familiarize physicians with the registration process and key features of the newly upgraded system, CURES 2.0. These resources are available at www.cmanet.org/cures. Among the resources ...