April 2017 Download PDF Here NEWS Public Health Priorities: Interview with MMS’ Own Matt Willis, MD CMA Federal Health Reform Update California Attorney General to speak at CMA's Legislative Advocacy Day CHPI Publishes Physicians' Quality Ratings for Cycle 2 Study Shows Burnout Best Addressed at Organizational Level CMA Foundation Launches Program to Increase Diversity in Clinical Trials CMA Urges CMS to Create "Administrative Burden" Hardship Exemptions PRACTICE RESOURCES NEWS Public Health Priorities: Interview with MMS’ Own Matt Willis, MD With issues like opioid addiction, low vaccination rates and unequal access, being a public health officer has never been more important. Read the interview in Marin Magazine with MMS Board Member, Matt Willis, MD. CMA Federal Health Reform Update On Friday, March 24, House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump pulled the American Health Care Act (AHCA) after it failed to garner enough votes within the House Republican caucus. The move followed a six-week sprint to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read more. California Attorney General to speak at CMA's Legislative Advocacy Day April 18, 2017Sheraton Grand, Sacramento The California Medical Association (CMA) will host its 43rd annual Legislative Advocacy Day on April 18, 2017. Join MMS at the State Capitol to learn about legislative issues affecting medicine, foster relationships with state legislators, and gain hands on experience in the practical aspects of physician advocacy. MMS members will have the opportunity to meet with legislators. All meetings with legislators will be scheduled and coordinated by MMS. ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Please note this is a member-only event, and registration fee is waived for all MMS members. To register, please contact Erin Henke at ehenke@sfms.org or (415) 561-0850 extension 268. CHPI Publishes Physicians' Quality Ratings for Cycle 2 On March 22, 2017, the California Healthcare Performance Initiative System (CHPI) released its second cycle of physician quality ratings to the public. The ratings can be accessed at CHPI’s newly launched website, CAqualityratings.org, which allows consumers to search ratings on approximately 10,000 California physicians. Study Shows Burnout Best Addressed at Organizational Level A study published in the February issue of JAMA Internal Medicine found that interventions implemented at the organizational level are more effective in combating physician burnout than interventions directed at individuals. Read more. CMA Foundation Launches Program to Increase Diversity in Clinical Trials The CMA Foundation and its Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) have launched a campaign to increase minority participation in clinical studies. The "Encouraging Diversity in Clinical Trials" campaign hopes to increase clinical trial participation among California's multi-ethnic patient populations. The campaign is part of the CMA Foundation's ongoing commitment to raising awareness about critical health disparities and their impact on California's underserved communities. Read more. CMA Urges CMS to Create "Administrative Burden" Hardship Exemptions The CMA has joined the AMA and other medical associations to urge CMS to establish a new "administrative burden" category of hardship exemption for the 2016 meaningful use and physician quality reporting system (PQRS) performance year. Read more. PRACTICE RESOURCES & CME Video Help Is On Way for Family Caregivers Who Must Draw Blood or Give Injections In December, 15 organizations joined a new national consortium, the Home Alone Alliance, devoted to providing better training and instructional materials for family caregivers. This summer, nine videos on wound care and topics will be added and include dealing with newly sutured wounds, bed sores, cellulitis and diabetic foot care, among other topics. By the end of the year, another 20 videos should be available. Read more. CMA Updates MACRA Preparation Checklist The CMA’s Center for Economic Services has published an update to its Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) preparation checklist. The checklist, “MACRA: What Should I Do Now to Prepare?”, is available in CMA's MACRA resource center at www.cmanet.org/macra. CMA published this important checklist to help physicians understand MACRA payment reforms and what they can do now to start preparing for the transition. Also available in the MACRA resource center is an overview of MACRA, and a comprehensive list of tools, resources and information from CMA, the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. $14 Million Reasons To Be a CMA Member The CMA Center for Economic Services (CES) has recouped $14 million from payors on behalf of CMA member physicians over the past eight years. These monies represent actual physician reimbursements that would have likely gone unpaid without the intervention of the CES team. CES staff helps members with issues ranging from underpayment or denials by payors to assisting with contract analysis during negotiations. Assistance from CES also includes education on how to increase practice efficiency and direct intervention with payors or regulators. This support is reserved exclusively for CMA members. For practice management tools and other online assistance, visit www.cmanet.org/ces. UPCOMING EVENTS CMA Legislative Advocacy Day 4/18 Sheraton Grand, Sacramento 24th Annual HIV/AIDS Review 4/29 Finley Community Center, Person Auditorium, Santa Rosa Click here to register Western Health Care Leadership Academy 5/5 - 5/7 Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina San Francisco Addiction Summit 6/9, 8:30am - 5:30pm UCSF Laurel Heights Auditorium Join us for an action-oriented forum with leading multidisciplinary faculty covering opiates, pain management, alcohol abuse, tobacco, advances in addiction medicine and primary care, and more. For more information, contact Steve Heilig at heilig@sfms.org or (415) 561-0850 x270. UPCOMING WEBINARS Gender Identity and Cultural Competency in Health Care April 19, 12:15pm - 1:15pm Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) /Quality Payment Program (QPP) Update April 20, 4:00pm - 5:30pm Aligning Clinical Practice with Diabetes Prevention: Screen, Test and Refer April 26, 12:15pm - 1:15pm April 18, 2017 MMS News Briefs MMS News Briefs 2017 0 0 Comment Read More »