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MMS News & Announcements
Congress Delays Physician Medicare Cuts by 1 Year
The 112th Congress passed legislation to avert the "fiscal cliff" for at least two more months, and blocked a devastating 27 percent cut in physician Medicare fees for at least another year. The Medicare patch was paid for by cutting spending in other Medicare accounts. These cuts included:
- $10.5 billion by adjusting some hospital coding rules
- $4.9 billion in payments for end-stage renal disease care
- $4.2 billion in payments to Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH)
Full details of the Medicare extensions and cuts are available here.
A cautionary note: The 2 percent cut required by the sequestration process was delayed for only two months, so this issue will bear some watching again in late February.
Medicare Rates: Implications for Practices
All services provided after Jan. 1, 2013 will be reimbursed at 2012 rates. However, the CMS fee schedule - as of today - still reflects the planned 27% cut, and CMS has not yet updated the schedule. By law, Medicare is required to pay physicians the lesser of the submitted charge or the Medicare approved amount, so the AMA is advising physicians not to submit claims until CMS revises the fee schedule to reflect the 2012 rates. These revisions are expected shortly.
Also, because of the uncertainty over payment rates, CMS has given physicians an extra 45 days to decide whether they want to change their Medicare participation status for the 2013 calendar year. If you choose to change your participation status, the effective date would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013. Review the issues unique to Massachusetts physicians, and download instruction on how to change your status.
Physician Focus: Doctor's Rx is Healthy Eating
The January edition of Physician Focus examines an innovative approach to healthy eating developed by Worcester medical students. Working with local restaurants with a program called WooFood, students have created more healthful choices in local restaurants.
Guests are Mitchell Li and Matthew DeWolf, medical students from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Hosting is B. Dale Magee, M.D., a physician in Shrewsbury, Mass., past MMS president, and a former Worcester Commissioner of Public Health. Watch the program online here, or check the listings of your local public access television stations for airtimes. Physician Focus episodes are also available for download on iTunes.
Call for Nominations: MMS Officer Positions
The Committee on Nominations is currently accepting nominations for the following offices: President-elect, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Speaker, and Vice Speaker.
To be considered for one of these offices, candidates should complete a nomination questionnaire and submit it with an accompanying resume by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 8, 2013, to:
Frank S. Carbone, Jr., M.D.
Chair, Committee on Nominations
MMS Department of Governance Meetings & Services
860 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451-1411
Candidate questionnairesare available online. E-questionnaires should be e-mailed to Bonney Erskine at berskine@mms.org. Interviews will be conducted on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Education Programs & Events
Live CME Activities
8th Annual Women's Cardiac Health Conference
Friday, February 1, 2013, 8:00 a.m.to 12 noon
Preventing Falls in Older Patients: A Provider Tool Kit - WEBINAR
Wednesday, February 6, 2013, noon to 1:30 p.m., via live webinar.
The Impact of Effective Communication on Patients, Colleagues, and Metrics
Friday, February 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to noon.
How to Prepare for ACOs
Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Call (800) 322-2302, ext. 7306 for more information.
Managing Workplace Conflict
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, March 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Online CME Activities
* Also available in print. Call (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306.
For additional risk management online CME activities, visit www.massmed.org/cme.
Contact us at MMSContinuingEducation@mms.org
This Week in Health Care
Flu hits Massachusetts Early and Hard
State health officials said that the number of people sick with the flu has drastically -increased the past several weeks, and the level of illness has already surpassed the peaks of the last two flu seasons.
State Working on Medical Marijuana Rules
Department of Public Health officials have indicated they want more time to implement the law, which will allow doctors' notes to enable patients' use of medical marijuana. Related news: Medical marijuana legal as of Jan. 1, but not available; Mass. towns and regulators brace for medical marijuana.
Pediatricians Renew Call for Counseling on Gun Safety
Two Boston pediatricians, in a NEJM piece, call on their colleagues to focus on gun safety, following the tragedy two weeks ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. NEJM Perspective: Preventing Gun Deaths in Children.
New Law Expands Prescription Monitoring in 2013
Legislation to reduceprescription drug diversion and abuse takes effect in the new year, but there is still uncertainty about how and when the state will implement new regulations.
Gov. Patrick Announces Plan to Overhaul Pharmacy Board
Governor Deval Patrick announced plans late this week to reorganize the state board of pharmacy to add professionals from other fields and to give the board the authority to regulate out-of-state compounding pharmacies that distribute drugs in Massachusetts.
Mass. Smoke-Free Advocates Saw Big Gains in 2012
In 2012 communities across Massachusetts took successful strides to limit tobacco use in public places and businesses.
Fitchburg Winning Fight Against Obesity
One Mass. community seeing a decrease in childhood obesity is Fitchburg, a former mill town 50 miles northwest of Boston. In 2009, 46.2 percent of kids there were overweight or obese, the second highest rate in the state.
Asthma Dropping in Boston Public Housing
Getting the vermin out of ¬Boston's public housing may have improved living conditions in more ways than one: Boston health officials say new city data indicate that asthma incidences have dropped nearly by half since 2005.
MassHealth Issues Physician Advisory on Primary Care Rate Hikes
MassHealth has issued anadvisory to physicians (.pdf) on how it will be implementing primary care rate increases. This change is mandated in the Federal Affordable Care Act and took effect on January 1, 2013. Physicians must be board certified in primary care or do at least 60% of their billing for MassHealth patients among primary care codes. Primary care physicians are advised to read the MassHealth advisory closely to ensure payments.
