Learn about physician engagement in the advance care planning process on July 19 call As part of its Advance Care Planning Initiative, the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) hosts a monthly forum to discuss successful advance care planning efforts and share ideas about what is working to improve conversations and processes in both health care and community settings. The next call will take place on Tuesday, July 19, from noon to 1 p.m. Facilitated by Lael Duncan, M.D., CCCC medical director of consulting services, the topic is Engaging Physicians in Advance Care Planning. During the call, Dr. Duncan and other guest physicians ... July 14, 2016 General End of Life issues, Advanced Care Planning 0 0 Comment Read More »
A chat with the head of California's doctor lobby Written by Emily Bazar; Reprinted from California Healthline. The California Medical Association, which represents about 41,000 doctors, has been at the heart of health care deliberations in Sacramento for decades. This year, it has staked out strong and sometimes surprising positions on the legalization of marijuana, Medi-Cal provider rates and the role it believes nurse practitioners should play in patient care. California Healthline discussed these positions with current CMA president, Steven Larson, a primary care and infectious disease physician who practices in Riverside. Larson is also CEO of Riverside Medical Clinic, ... July 14, 2016 CMA CMA in the News 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA medical legal library updated for 2016 CMA On-Call, the California Medical Association (CMA) online health law library, is fully updated for 2016. One of CMA's most valuable member benefits, On-Call contains nearly 5,000 pages of up-to-date legal information on a variety of subjects of everyday importance to practicing physicians. The searchable online library contains all the information available in the California Physician's Legal Handbook (CPLH), an annual publication from CMA's Center for Legal Affairs. New documents for 2016 include: Provider Directories (#7163) Self-Referral Prohibitions: Federal Exceptions Related to Other ... July 14, 2016 CMA, General Health Law Library, California Physician's Legal Handbook 0 0 Comment Read More »
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 ... July 14, 2016 Managed Care DMHC, Webinars, Department of Managed Health Care 0 0 Comment Read More »
CDC warns of multistate outbreak of B. cepacia possibly tied to liquid docusate The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a joint warning for a multistate outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia infections (also known as B. cepacia complex). To date, 47 B. cepacia cases have been confirmed from health care facilities in five states. Reports of possible cases from additional states are currently being investigated. CDC has confirmed that two samples of unused oral liquid docusate product received from one of the affected hospitals have tested positive for B. cepacia complex. B. cepacia is a gram-negative ... July 14, 2016 General Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Infectious Diseases, Public Health, CDC 0 0 Comment Read More »
United Healthcare extends clinical data submission deadline to Sept. 2 At the request of the California Medical Association (CMA), United Healthcare (UHC) has delayed the expansion of its Clinical Data Submission Protocol in California. Originally scheduled to take effect July 1, the expansion will now be pushed back until September 2. First introduced in 2015, the program originally targeted only Medicare benefit plans and required physicians to submit all laboratory test results for UHC Medicare patients. The expansion of the program will require practices to submit laboratory tests for all UHC Medicaid and commercial benefit plans. For more information about ... July 14, 2016 General Medicare, United Healthcare, Clinical Laboratories 0 0 Comment Read More »
UC Riverside School of Medicine receives $2.3 million grant to address region's poor chronic disease metrics The School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, has received a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration Primary Care Training and Enhancement Program. The grant will allow the medical school to help transform the local health care system by embedding continuous quality improvement in inland Southern California primary care practices. “We will deploy a research curriculum to equip medical students, residents, practicing physicians and pharmacists with the population health skills needed to address inland Southern California’s poor chronic disease metrics and health care ... July 14, 2016 General Primary Care, UC Riverside, Underserved Communities, Medical Students 0 0 Comment Read More »
Updated payor profiles available The California Medical Association’s (CMA) Center for Economic Services has published updated profiles on each of the major payors in California including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA, Health Net, United Healthcare, Medicare/Noridian and Medi-Cal. Each profile includes key information on health plan market penetration; a description of the plan’s dispute resolution process; and the name and contact numbers for medical directors, provider relations, and other key contacts. Don’t waste your time searching the internet for this information – members can download CMA’s Payor Profiles free ... July 14, 2016 Managed Care Payors, Payor Profiles 0 0 Comment Read More »
Noridian reports low response rate for Medicare Part B revalidations Noridian, Medicare’s administrative contractor for California, reports that only 19 percent of physicians have responded to the most recent Medicare Part B revalidation notices. Noridian is in the process of deactivating Medicare billing privileges for physicians who received a revalidation notice from Noridian but did not turn in a completed application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) prior to the most recent deadline of May 31. If you are deactivated for failure to respond to a revalidation notice, you must submit a reactivation application. The date ... July 14, 2016 Medicare Noridian, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA publishes guide on new provider directory accuracy law On July 1, 2016, a new law took effect that requires plans to ensure that their physician directories are accurate and up-to-date. The law (SB 137) includes multiple components aimed at providing patients with more accurate and complete information to identify which providers are in their payors' networks. The California Medical Association (CMA) has published a new guide to help physicians understand the new law, and what they need to do to avoid penalties. The guide, "What Physicians Need to Know to Avoid Penalties Under the New Provider Directory Accuracy ... July 14, 2016 General, Managed Care Provider Directory Accuracy Law, Provider Directories 0 0 Comment Read More »
