CMA urges Tulare hospital to reverse decision to oust elected medical staff leaders A California hospital’s recent attempt to unlawfully dissolve its medical staff and replace the staff’s elected leaders has spurred the California Medical Association (CMA) to step in and urge more appropriate action. The issue revolves around a decision purportedly made by the Tulare Regional Medical Center’s Board of Directors on January 26 to “terminate its relationship” with the hospital’s medical staff and “enter a new arrangement” with a new medical staff – one that has been approved by the hospital's board, according to a letter sent from Board Chair Sherrie ... February 9, 2016 General Legal Advocacy, Medical Staff Self-Governance, Tulare County Medical Society, Hospital Medical Staff 0 0 Comment Read More »
New report gives California "F" grade for tobacco control policies California is largely failing in its efforts to fight tobacco use, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). In its 14th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report released on February 3, ALA gave California a failing grade in three out of four possible categories: Tobacco prevention and cessation funding, tobacco taxes, and access to cessation services. For the final category, which rates a state’s efforts to provide smoke-free air, California received a “B.” “While significant progress has been made in reducing youth cigarette smoking, youth use of other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes ... February 9, 2016 General Electronic Cigarettes, Public Health, Save Lives California, Tobacco, Tobacco Tax, American Lung Association 0 0 Comment Read More »
IMQ webinar: Building an infection prevention program Effective infection control is becoming increasingly important due to a shift in health care delivery from inpatient to outpatient. Given the critical need to ensure patient safety and reduce health care-associated infections, it is more important than ever for health care workers to carefully adhere to infection prevention principles. In an effort to help physicians meet the demands of infection control in their offices and other outpatient settings, the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ), a subsidiary of the California Medical Association, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health ... February 9, 2016 General IMQ, Institute for Medical Quality, Continuing Medical Education 0 0 Comment Read More »
UHC to require prior authorization for select musculoskeletal and pain management procedures As indicated in its January 2015 Network Bulletin, United Healthcare (UHC) will begin requiring prior authorization for certain additional musculoskeletal and pain management procedures effective April 4, 2016. Included in the new prior authorization requirement are various arthroscopy procedures, spine-related surgeries, neurostimulators for back pain and certain foot surgical procedures. For a complete listing of procedures requiring notification, physicians can access the Advance Notification Requirements on the UHC website. Prior authorization will be required for services performed in all places of service settings, including inpatient/outpatient hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers ... February 9, 2016 General, Managed Care Preauthorization, United Healthcare, Pain Medicine 0 0 Comment Read More »
Blue Shield revises Provider Data Confirmation form In December 2015, the California Medical Association (CMA) began receiving calls from physicians who had received requests from Blue Shield of California to complete its Provider Data Confirmation form. According to Blue Shield, the requests are an effort to comply with Senate Bill 137, a new law that requires payors to maintain accurate provider directories (among other things). Blue Shield is asking that participating providers review and complete the form to indicate whether the data it has on file for each provider is accurate, incorrect or incomplete. Some physicians, ... February 9, 2016 Managed Care Blue Shield 0 0 Comment Read More »
CPPPH hosting Bay Area workshop on disruptive behavior California Public Protection and Physician Health, Inc. (CPPPH) is hosting a workshop for physician health committees that will focus on evaluating disruptive behavior. The workshop will be Saturday, February 27, 2016, in Oakland. Presenters will include medical leaders and experts in the field of physician health. The workshop is centered around three case illustrations of disruptive behavior, and includes discussion around what was done, what was learned and what was the outcome. The workshop will also include identifying resources and sharing information. Participation is usually limited to those who serve on ... February 9, 2016 General California Public Protection and Physician Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Deadline to file for meaningful use hardship exemption is March 15 In mid-December, Congress adopted a last-minute bill that gives CMS the authority to grant a blanket exemption for all eligible physicians who apply for the exemption from the 2015 meaningful use penalties. This action prevents the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing Medicare payment penalties for physicians who fail to demonstrate meaningful use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) system in 2015. New rules released last year state that eligible professionals must attest that they met the requirements for stage 2 meaningful use for a period ... February 9, 2016 Medicare Electronic Health Record, Meaningful Use, Medicare, EHR 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA seeking physician feedback on proposed health insurance mergers Proposed mergers of the some of the largest national health insurance companies have been announced, with Aetna reaching a $37 billion deal to purchase Humana, and Anthem agreeing to purchase Cigna for $48.4 billion. State and federal regulators are interested in knowing the prospective effects of these possible mergers on your practice and patient care. The California Medical Association (CMA), in collaboration with the American Medical Association, is asking for your feedback on these proposed mergers. The survey should take about 8-9 minutes to complete. Only de-identified data will be used ... February 9, 2016 Managed Care Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Humana, Aetna 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA publishes online Zika resource center for physicians On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency as the spread of the Zika virus has moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America. This rare move by the WHO signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries powerful new tools to fight it. The WHO is concerned about a possible link between Zika virus and microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with brain damage and unusually small heads. Reported cases of microcephaly have risen sharply in Brazil, where Zika ... February 3, 2016 General Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, American Medical Association, WHO, Zika Virus 0 0 Comment Read More »
Connect with CMA today - find us on social mediat! The California Medical Association (CMA) invites its 41,000 member physicians and all others interested in a healthier California to follow, like or bookmark our social media accounts. Catch the latest CMA and California health news on Twitter; tag yourself in our latest event photos on Facebook; share our public health reminders on Instagram; watch inspiring videos on Youtube; and find the latest CMA job openings and event announcements on LinkedIn. CMA also invites you to share your organization’s events or news, as well as any other items of interest to the ... February 3, 2016 General Social Media 0 0 Comment Read More »
