SFMS Career Fair is open and free to all residents and fellows. This is an excellent opportunity for physicians looking to practice in the Bay Area to network with representatives from a variety of practice types and settings based in San Francisco Bay Area, including CPMC/Sutter Health, UCSF Medical Center Primary Care, Kaiser Permanente, Haight-Ashbury Free Clinics-Walden House, North East Medical Services, La Clinica de la Raza, Asian Health Services, Brown & Toland, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and CHW! Interested in exhibiting at the Career Fair? Click here for exhibitor registration details.

California provider groups say the state is intentionally keeping them in the dark about how major proposed cuts to the state's Medicaid program will affect access to care. It's been two months since California formally requested CMS approval to slash Medicaid by $1.5 billion through provider rate cuts, new mandatory co-pays and limits on the number of physician visits. The state's care providers are up in arms over California's refusal to share information on how those cuts would affect Medicaid beneficiaries' ability to get care. "They're stonewalling us," said Francisco Silva, CMA general counsel, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request with CMS two weeks ago to determine whether the state has done its homework on how the cuts would affect physician access. (Millman, 8/30) Source: www.politicopro.com/story/healthcare/?id=5533

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), uninsured children and adults who have pre-existing health conditions can secure comprehensive health care coverage through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) until the new insurance market rules take effect in 2014. At that time, PCIP enrollees will transition to the health insurance exchanges that will be established in every state.

Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined more flexible steps that physicians can take to help PCIP applicants secure coverage in states where the federal government administers the plan. Previously, applicants had to provide a denial letter from an insurance company to prove they had a pre-existing condition. Now physicians can supply PCIP applicants with a letter stating that the applicant either currently has a medical condition, disability or illness, or that the applicant had one within the last 12 months. This is a major step toward ensuring that patients get the care they need. HHS has provided a simple template letter that physicians can use. To be eligible for the PCIP, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or reside in the country legally. In addition, the applicant must have been without health insurance coverage for at least six months before applying. Finally, the applicant must have a pre-existing condition or have been denied coverage because of his or her health. Eligibility for the program is not income-based. For applicants who are accepted into the PCIP, all benefits—including those related to pre-existing condition treatments—are effective upon the date of coverage. The benefits include primary and specialty care as well as hospital care and prescription drugs. Enrollees in the PCIP should not have to pay a higher premium due to a medical condition. According to HHS, many PCIP enrollees will pay significantly lower premiums than they would have paid for coverage available to them in the general insurance market. Visit the California PCIP website to learn more about PCIP eligibility. The toll-free PCIP call center is (877) 428-5060; hours are 8 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday, and 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday.

This week, Assembly Joint Resolution 13 received bipartisan support in the California State Senate today with a 24–10 vote. The joint resolution urges the president and Congress to provide resources to increase the supply of physicians in California in order to improve access to care in underserved areas. The resolution also encourages the president and Congress to consider solutions that would increase the number of graduate medical education residency positions to keep pace with the growing need for physicians in California and the United States. “With the baby boomers beginning to retire, national health care reform expanding coverage to millions of previously uninsured citizens, obesity rates hitting epidemic levels and the repercussions of the national recession and California’s own severe budget deficit still playing out, it is more important than ever that we continue to assess, address and reform the obstacles facing California’s healthcare system,” James G. Hinsdale, MD, president of the California Medical Association said. “The most important of these obstacles, and one that is projected to grow substantially in the coming years, is ensuring sufficient and timely physician access for every Californian in need of a physician’s care.” The Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) recommends that a state have between 60-80 primary care physicians per 100,000 people. In California, there are on average 63 primary care physicians for every 100,000 people. However, 42 out of California's 58 counties fall below COGME’s minimum recommendations regarding adequate physician supply for primary care. SFMS and CMA have been active on a number of fronts to address the challenges of physician supply and distribution, including:

• Working with the Legislature to create the Steve Thompson Scholarship program. The program would provide up to $105,000 in scholarships to selected participants who agree in writing prior to completing an accredited medical or osteopathic school to serve a minimum of three years in “medically underserved areas” or where unmet propriety needs for physicians exist as determined by the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission.
• Creating the Steve Thompson Loan Repayment Program that provides grants to pay off medical loans for physicians working in underserved areas. Each participating physician receives up to $105,000 in exchange for a three-year service commitment in a medically underserved area of the state.
• Supporting new medical schools, UC Merced and UC Riverside, and pushing an expedited timeline to build them.
• Supporting efforts to increase the diversity of the physician workforce through CMA's Ethnic Medical Organization Section.
• Promoting increased incentives for pursuing primary care and supporting primary care physicians to keep their practices viable.

To date, over $149 million in incentive payments have been made under the Medicare Incentive Program, and over $248 million has been paid under the Medicaid Incentive Program across the nation.

Registration Reminder

Registration for the EHR Incentive Programs is open and CMS is encouraging Medicare providers to register early to avoid potential payment delays. In order to register, providers will need their:

• National Provider Identifier (NPI).
• National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) User ID and Password.
• Payee Tax Identification Number (if you are reassigning your benefits).
• Payee National Provider Identifier (NPI), if you are reassigning your benefits.

To register, please go to www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/20_RegistrationandAttestation.asp. If you have problems with the registration process, you can contact our EHR Information Center from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm (Central Time) Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at (888) 734-6433. Target Audience:  Medical coders, physician office staff, provider billing staff, health records staff, vendors, and all Medicare FFS providers. Registration Information: In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. Registration will close at 1:30pm on August 26 or when available space has been filled; no exceptions will be made. For more details, including instructions on registering for the call, please visit http://www.eventsvc.com/palmettogba/082911.

Deadline for Eligible Professionals to Begin Reporting Period for 2011

A reminder that October 3, 2011 is the last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011. Eligible professionals have until February 29, 2012 to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for the 2011 calendar year, but the reporting period for which they are attesting needs to be 90 consecutive days within the 2011 calendar year. If a provider does not participate in the Medicare Incentive Program in CY 2011, they can still begin participation in CY 2012 and receive $18,000 for their first year’s incentive payment. Remember, for demonstrating meaningful use through both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, the EHR reporting period for an EP's first year is any continuous 90-day period within the calendar year. In subsequent years, the EHR reporting period for EPs is the entire calendar year. Under the Medicaid program, there is also an incentive for the adoption, implementation, or upgrade of certified EHR technology, which does not have a reporting period.

Meaningful Use Specification Sheets

A reminder that specification sheets on meaningful use, for both hospitals and professionals, are available at www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/30_Meaningful_Use.asp in the Downloads section.  These sheets provide detailed information on each of the meaningful use measures, including specifics on how to calculate numerators and denominators, what qualifies for exclusions, and more.

EHR Assistance

Regional Extension Centers (RECs) are federally funded organizations under the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and cover every geographic region of the United States. They support and serve health care providers to help them quickly become adept and meaningful users of EHRs. The target audience of RECs is primary care clinicians, but many RECs offer assistance to specialists, as well. If you need assistance as you look into transitioning to EHRs and participating in the CMS EHR Incentive Programs, consider contacting:

California Health Information Partnership and Services Organization (CalHIPSO)

www.calhipso.org (888) 589-4897

 

Lumetra, San Francisco Local Extension Center

www.lumetrasolutions.com     

(415) 677-2081