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 »
Child Health and Disability Prevention code and claim form conversion effective July 1 The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is currently transitioning Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program billing processes to be compliant with HIPAA standards for national health care electronic transactions and code sets. Rather than billing on the CHDP Confidential Screening/Billing Report (PM 160) claim form, claims will be submitted using CPT codes on the CMS 1500 or UB-04 claim forms or equivalent electronic claim transactions. The transition, effective for dates of service on or after July 1, 2017, affects claims for Medi-Cal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis ... June 22, 2017 Managed Care, Medi-Cal Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, Department of Health Care Services, DHCS, HIPAA, Medi-Cal, CHDP 0 0 Comment Read More »
Important information about 2016 and 2017 Medi-Cal EHR incentive program attestations, including delays for groups The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has extended the attestation deadline for the Medi-Cal electronic health record (EHR) incentive program reporting for the 2016 program year. The deadline has been pushed to May 23, 2017. After that date, DHCS will only accept 2017 attestations. Eligible providers should be aware that 2016 is the last year that they can sign up for the program. Providers who have not received at least one incentive payment by the end of the 2016 reporting year won’t be able to receive any ... May 22, 2017 General, Managed Care, Medi-Cal Electronic Health Record, Meaningful Use, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association urges legislature to adopt state budget that improves access to care for Medi-Cal patients PRESS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Joanne Adams, jadams@cmanet.org Sacramento, CALIF. – Today, Governor Jerry Brown released his revised state budget, which applies tobacco tax revenues to cover general fund responsibilities in the Medi-Cal program. In response, California Medical Association (CMA) President Ruth E. Haskins, M.D., made the following statement: "We’re disappointed that Governor Brown’s revised budget continues to ignore the clear language of the tobacco tax initiative (Proposition 56) and the will of California voters. "More than a third of Californians, including 50 percent of children in the state, rely on Medi-Cal for health care. ... May 22, 2017 General, Medi-Cal California State Budget, Medi-Cal, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), State Legislature 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Congressional delegation urges Gov. Brown to restore tobacco tax funds California’s Democratic Congressional delegation urged Governor Jerry Brown to restore $1.2 billion in tobacco tax funds and use them for their intended purpose: to improve access to and quality of medical services for all Californians, especially our most vulnerable communities who rely on Medi-Cal for basic care. “With the success of the expanded Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act, it is critical Medi-Cal patients not only have coverage, but that they also have access to providers that accept Medi-Cal, which has been challenging to patients since the Medicaid expansion,” ... May 22, 2017 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, Tobacco Tax Funds 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor Brown Urged to Restore Tobacco Tax Funds California’s Democratic Congressional delegation urged Governor Jerry Brown to restore $1.2 billion in tobacco tax funds and use them for their intended purpose: to improve access to and quality of medical services for all Californians, especially our most vulnerable communities who rely on Medi-Cal for basic care. “With the success of the expanded Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act, it is critical Medi-Cal patients not only have coverage, but that they also have access to providers that accept Medi-Cal, which has been challenging to patients since the Medicaid expansion,” ... May 12, 2017 Medi-Cal Medicaid funding, Medi-Cal, Tobacco Tax Funds 0 0 Comment Read More »
Californians with Medi-Cal Face Hurdles Seeing Specialists California’s communities face a severe shortage of physicians, which is expected to get exponentially worse as the population continues to grow and our aging physician workforce moves toward retirement. Medi-Cal enrollment has surged since 2014, but the percentage of California physicians serving Medi-Cal patients has dropped, a trend that is hampering access to care for enrollees. One in every three Californians (14 million) is dependent on Medi-Cal for health care, so this disparity also negatively impacts a patient’s ability to access needed treatment, according to a recent study by the ... April 12, 2017 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, physician shortage 0 0 Comment Read More »
DHCS extends reporting deadline for 2016 Medi-Cal meaningful use The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has announced that it will extend the deadline for Medi-Cal meaningful use reporting for the 2016 program year. The deadline has been pushed back one month to May 2, 2017. After that date, DHCS will only accept 2017 attestations. The Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program provides funding to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) providers and hospitals to adopt, implement, upgrade and make meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Eligible providers should be aware that 2016 is the last year that eligible ... March 2, 2017 Medi-Cal Electronic Health Record, EHR, Meaningful Use, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMS erroneously warns some physicians of 2017 meaningful use penalties Providers who attested to meaningful use with the Medi-Cal Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for program year 2015 are exempt from Medicare payment adjustments in 2017. Because the California Department of Health Services pushed back the deadline to submit meaningful use applications for the 2015 program year to December 13, 2016, the agency was not able to send information to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding 2015 Medi-Cal meaningful use attestations until late in December 2016. For this reason, some Medi-Cal providers are now erroneously ... February 13, 2017 Medi-Cal, Medicare Department of Health Care Services, EHR, Meaningful Use, Medi-Cal, Medicare, CMS 0 0 Comment Read More »
Time to verify your patients' eligibility and benefits for 2017 The beginning of a new year brings with it changes to your patients’ eligibility and benefits. Physicians are urged to be diligent in verifying each patient’s eligibility and benefits to ensure they will be paid for services rendered. The beginning of a new year also means that both calendar year deductibles and visit frequency limitations reset. And, with open enrollment, patients may even be covered by a new payor. Don’t get stuck with unnecessary denials or an upset patient. Do your homework before the patient arrives by obtaining updated ... December 21, 2016 General, Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Medicare Running a Practice, Eligibility 0 0 Comment Read More »
