Gov. Brown signs Maddy bill to extend ER funding for the uninsured California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 191, a bill that extends funding for Maddy Emergency Medical Services (EMS). This fund is used to offset the costs incurred for care provided to uninsured patients in hospital emergency rooms. The California Medical Association (CMA) and the American College of Emergency Physicians cosponsored the bill. The law that authorizes the Maddy Fund was set to expire on January 1, 2014. Without this bill providers of emergency medical care throughout the state would have lost $50 million per year that is currently used to ... October 8, 2013 General Advocacy, EMS, Maddy Funds, Emergency Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
Government shutdown to have minimal impact on Medicare and TRICARE programs With the October 1 shutdown of the federal government, the California Medical Association (CMA) has received calls from physicians with questions about how federally funded programs like Medicare and TRICARE will be affected. TRICARE On October 1, 2013, the Defense Health Agency issued a statement regarding TRICARE programs, indicating that there will be minimal impact to TRICARE beneficiaries utilizing private sector physicians. CMA has also confirmed with United Healthcare Military & Veterans Services, the managed care support contractor for the TRICARE West Region, that there should be no interruption in operations ... October 4, 2013 General Medicare, TRICARE, Insurance/Reimbursement 0 0 Comment Read More »
Vaccine refusal tied to pertussis outbreak Parents refusing to vaccinate their children against pertussis (also known as whooping cough) might have played a role in the deadly 2010 outbreak in California – this according to a new study published in the October issue of Pediatrics. In 2010, 9,120 cases of pertussis were reported in California, the most since 1947. This new study examines the role of clusters of individuals who refused the vaccine. The study, “Nonmedical Vaccine Exemptions and Pertussis in California, 2010," analyzes non-medical exemptions for children entering kindergarten from 2005 through 2010, and pertussis cases ... October 2, 2013 General Advocacy, Immunization, Pertussis, Whooping Cough, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medicare and Medi-Cal continue to operate despite government shutdown; FDA, CDC, and NIH are impacted A stalemate in Congress over a spending plan for the 2013-2014 fiscal year and a delay in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has forced a federal shutdown at midnight last night, closing many federal agencies, including a number of departments under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new fiscal year began today, October 1. The House Republicans are proposing to continue spending at current levels with a one year delay in the implementation of the ACA. While the Senate Democrats have also agreed to continue ... October 2, 2013 General Medi-Cal, Medicare, Government, Insurance/Reimbursement 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA optimistic as Covered California opens Sacramento – As Covered California, the state’s Health Benefit Exchange, opened today, California Medical Association (CMA) physicians remain optimistic. Throughout the health care reform debate, CMA strongly advocated for affordable access to care for California’s uninsured and for an expansion of health insurance coverage. “CMA has long supported access to health care for all patients,” said Paul R. Phinney, M.D., CMA president. “Today marks a positive inflection point in our nation's commitment to access to health care for all Americans Five categories of plans will be available through Covered California, consisting ... October 1, 2013 General Covered California, Health Benefit Exchange, Health Care Reform 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor Brown signs CURES bill On Friday, Gov. Brown signed into law a bill that will provide funding for ongoing maintenance and staffing of the Controlled Substances and Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). CURES is an online database that allows authorized users, including physicians, pharmacists, law enforcement and regulatory boards, to access information about a patient’s controlled substance prescription history. The new law will provide $9 million annually to maintain the database. The bill builds on funding provided through the 2013 budget to upgrade the system. The mission of CURES is to prevent pharmaceuticals ... October 1, 2013 General CURES, Public Health, Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor signs bill for Steve M. Thompson loan repayment program Governor Jerry Brown has signed a California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored bill that will refine the eligibility criteria for a successful physician retention program, the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program. The program provides grants of up to $105,000 to physicians who agree to practice in medically-underserved areas of the state for at least three years. The program was created in 2002 under a bill sponsored by CMA. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $17 million to over 220 individuals. Unfortunately, high demand for this program ... October 1, 2013 General Advocacy, Medical School Loans, Rural Health, Underserved Communities, Steven M. Thompson Loan Program, Young Physician 0 0 Comment Read More »
Don't miss out on increased Medi-Cal payments The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will soon be implementing rate increases for primary care physicians who treat Medicaid patients, as authorized under the Affordable Care Act. The increase also applies to services provided by physicians to Medi-Cal managed care patients. In order to see the bump in pay, providers must first attest to their eligibility. According to DHCS, less than half of eligible providers have completed the brief self-attestation process as of September 24. For purposes of this regulation, primary care is defined as family medicine, general ... September 30, 2013 General Health Care Reform, Insurance/Reimbursement, Medi-Cal, Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 0 0 Comment Read More »
NEPO surveys L.A. physicians' immunization practices for adults Each year, vaccine preventable diseases impact the lives of millions of people in the United States. While there have been tremendous gains in vaccinating and preventing infectious diseases in children under the age of 18, due in part to the establishment of the Vaccines for Children Program in 1994, the complexity of reaching adults in need of recommended vaccinations often varies by age group, risk factors, existing medical conditions and medical insurance coverage. Last year, the California Medical Association Foundation’s Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO), in collaboration with the ... September 25, 2013 General Immunization, NEPO, Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, Public Health, CMA Foundation 0 0 Comment Read More »
FDA issues final guidance on mobile medical apps The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final guidance for developers of mobile medical applications (apps) or software programs that run on mobile communication devices and perform the same functions as traditional medical devices. According to an agency press release, the FDA intends to focus its regulatory oversight on a subset of mobile medical apps that present a greater risk to patients if they do not work as intended. "Mobile apps have the potential to transform health care by allowing doctors to diagnose patients with potentially life-threatening conditions outside ... September 25, 2013 General Health Information Technology, Food and Drug Administration 0 0 Comment Read More »
