Sweeping series of bills takes on big tobacco to save lives in California Unprecedented multi-legislative effort puts forth five bills to curb youth tobacco use, rein in cost of smoking-related disease, and expand access to health care. Today, the Save Lives California coalition gathered with lawmakers at the California State Capitol to laud a sweeping series of recently introduced bills that take on Big Tobacco. Taken as a whole, these bills represent an unprecedented coordinated legislative effort in California to curb youth tobacco usage, regulate e-cigarettes, and save Californian lives and money, as well as expand access to health care for low-income Californians. ... April 9, 2015 General Smoking, Save Lives California, Tobacco 0 0 Comment Read More »
California has one of the lowest acceptance rates for new Medi-Cal patients A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that, in 2013, only 54 percent of California physicians accepted new Medi-Cal patients, a rate that is significantly lower than the national average of 68.9 percent. California has the second-lowest physician acceptance rate of new Medi-Cal patients, with New Jersey coming in last with 2013 acceptance rates of 38.7 percent. The report compared physician acceptance of new patients across payors, mainly focusing on Medicare and private insurance. The CDC found that the national average of physicians who ... April 8, 2015 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
April is National Donate Life Month; physicians encouraged to talk to patients about the importance or organ donation n honor of Donate Life Month, the California Medical Association (CMA) and the CMA Foundation are encouraging physicians to talk to their patients about the importance of organ and tissue donation, particularly in underserved ethnic communities. More than 123,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, with more than 22,000 living in California. Each day, an average of 150 people are added to the national organ transplant waiting list. Unfortunately, an average of 21 patients on the waiting list die each day. What you can do: Visit ... April 8, 2015 General Public Health, Organ Donation 0 0 Comment Read More »
Supreme Court limits avenues providers can use to sue states over Medicaid funding In March, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote, stating that individual health care providers cannot sue states under the Medicaid Act to challenge how states set reimbursement rates in their Medicaid programs. The California Medical Association (CMA) had filed an amicus brief in Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, which went to the Supreme Court last month to determine whether Medicaid providers have a cause of action under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution to challenge a state’s compliance with Medicaid laws in setting reimbursement ... April 8, 2015 Medi-Cal Medicaid, Medi-Cal, California Supreme Court 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA joins vaccine advocates to launch "I Heart Immunity" campaign in support of Senate Bill 277 The California Medical Association (CMA), American Academy of Pediatrics, California (AAPCA), California Immunization Coalition (CIC), Vaccinate California and Health Officers Association of California (HOAC) have joined forces to launch the “I Heart Immunity” campaign in an ongoing effort to promote the importance of vaccines and Senate Bill 277 (Pan/Allen). The bill would remove the personal belief exemption (PBE) option from the school and child care enrollment requirements. It would also require schools to publically provide information about their immunization rates. Removing the PBE will help protect the most vulnerable, including ... April 8, 2015 General Immunization, Personal Belief Exemption, Public Health, Vaccination, I Heart Immunity, State Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA updates physician guide to getting started with PQRS The California Medical Association (CMA) has just updated the “2015 PQRS and Value-Based Modifier Getting Started Guide,” free for physician members. The Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) was federally mandated by legislation and requires physicians to report quality information to Medicare or suffer a fee reduction in 2015. This guide will assist physicians in determining how to proceed with successful reporting. Contact: Michele Kelly, (213) 226-0338 or mkelly@cmanet.org. April 8, 2015 Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System, PQRS, Valued-Based Payment Modifier, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
IMQ offers two types of peer review to assist medical staffs The California Medical Association’s Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) now provides two types of peer review services for medical staffs, including a clinical review of individual cases as well as a comprehensive evaluation of a physician’s entire practice. These services are customized for each medical staff, group or clinic, with fees based on the scope of services provided. IMQ peer review services are most helpful when the medical staff’s peer review body, with the consent of the subject physician, has freely sought such services as an aid to its ... April 8, 2015 General Institute for Medical Quality, Medical Staff, Peer Review, IMQ 0 0 Comment Read More »
Study finds physicians fail to tell patients of an Alzheimer's diagnosis A report published by the Alzheimer’s Association last week found that physicians are more likely to tell patients of their diagnosis if they have cancer than if they have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The”2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures” report found that just 45 percent of Medicare patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s said they were informed of the diagnosis by their doctor. In contrast, more than 90 percent of Medicare patients with cancer said they were told. “These disturbingly low disclosure rates in Alzheimer’s disease are reminiscent of rates seen for cancer ... April 8, 2015 General Public Health, Alzheimer's 0 0 Comment Read More »
Western Health Care Leadership Academy speakers include author of "Emperor of All Maladies," subject of Ken Burns documentary The 2015 Western Health Care Leadership Academy, to be held May 29-31, will feature special guest speaker Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies. The book is the focus of a recent three-part Ken Burns documentary that aired on PBS March 30 through April 1, 2015, which critics called “powerful and poignant.” Dr. Mukherjee is an oncologist, cancer researcher and science writer who brought new insights into the causes and cures of cancer. In his book, Dr. Mukherjee gives readers a fascinating look ... April 8, 2015 General Public Health, Western Health Care Leadership Academy, Cancer 0 0 Comment Read More »
ACIP updates HPV vaccine recommendations During its February 2015 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (9vHPV; Gardasil 9, Merck) as one of three HPV vaccines that can be used for routine vaccination, according to a report published in the March 26 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 9vHPV in December 2014. Based on a review of clinical trials, the committee determined the new vaccine was more cost-effective and had 97 percent efficacy compared with the current 4-valent HPV ... April 8, 2015 General Immunization, Public Health, Vaccination, HPV 0 0 Comment Read More »
