"News You Can Use" <> February 24, 2016 February 24, 2016 Public Health Zika Virus 0 CONTENTS Register Today for Our March 10 "Medicare Updates 2016" Seminar / Webinar Your Member Services Quiz Updated Zika Virus Resources 2015 Meaningful Use Attestation Deadline Extended to March 11, 2016 2015 Meaningful Use Hardship Exception Filing Deadline Is March 15, 2016 SDCMS-CMA Meaningful Use Member Benefits CMS Publishes Final Rule on Medicare Overpayments Help CMA Pass the 2016 Cigarette Tax Initiative by Collecting Signatures Reminder: Deadline to Register for CURES Is July 1, 2016 Read CMA’s February 17 “Whirlwinds of Change” Capitol Insight With Anthony York IMQ Surveyors Needed Golfers and Tennis Players Needed! Physicians Needed to Mentor UCSD Undergraduates Help Spread the Message of Health by Making a Brief Presentation in Your Community Thank You, Physicians, for Making Love Your Heart Day a Success! ABOVE THE FOLD Register Today for Our March 10 "Medicare Updates 2016" Seminar / Webinar — Space Limited, Lunch Provided! Thursday, March 10, 11:30am–1:00pm. Click Here for Seminar Registration • Click Here for Webinar Registration TOP YOUR MEMBER SERVICES QUIZ Member Physician Question: My physician is inquiring about a mandatory program he must enroll in for opiate prescriptions. Do you know anything about this? Click Here for the Answer TOP MEDICAL Updated Zika Virus Resources: CAHAN Alert: Zika Advisory #3 — New CDC Guidelines and Health Advisory Issued and Case Count Update (2016.02.24) CDC Health Advisory — Update: Interim Guidelines for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus (2016.02.23) CDC MMWR — Update: Interim Guidelines for Health Care Providers Caring for Infants and Children With Possible Zika Virus Infection (2016.02.19) Click Here for Further Resources at SDCMS.org TOP FEDERAL 2015 Meaningful Use Attestation Deadline Extended to March 11, 2016: For physicians who have determined that they CAN attest to meaningful use for a 90-day reporting period in 2015, CMS has extended the attestation deadline to midnight, March 11, 2016, EST. CMS is ONLY extending the attestation period, not the reporting period, so physicians must have concluded their reporting by December 31, 2015. Click Here for Details 2015 Meaningful Use Hardship Exception Filing Deadline Is March 15, 2016: Physicians are urged to preemptively file for a 2015 reporting year hardship exception to avoid 2017 penalties. Filing for a 2015 hardship exception will not preclude physicians from receiving an incentive if they do meet meaningful use requirements, but applying can serve as a safety net in staving off a penalty. Click Here for Details SDCMS-CMA Meaningful Use Member Benefits: CMA FAQ on Meaningful Use Hardship Exception (Free to Members): Click Here The SDCMS Foundation can assist primary care and specialty care physicians with new reporting to assure you receive maximum incentive funds. Those physicians registered for Medi-Cal (30% of practice) are eligible to receive FREE technical assistance, and very low-cost technical assistance available for Medicare providers. SDCMS members qualify for a 40% discount. For further information, email Barbara.Mandel@SDCMS.org or call (858) 300-2779. CMS Publishes Final Rule on Medicare Overpayments: According to the final rule (published by CMS on Feb. 8), physicians must: report an overpayment and return it within 60 days after the date the overpayment was identified report and return an overpayment only if identified within six years of the date the overpayment was received Click here for details. Click here for a primer on the False Claims Act, enacted by Congress during the Civil War to stop suppliers from defrauding the Union Army. TOP STATE Help CMA Pass the 2016 Cigarette Tax Initiative by Collecting Signatures: The initiative will increase California’s cigarette tax (one of the lowest in the nation) by $2.00. To help collect signatures: Email your name and physical mailing address to SDCMS@SDCMS.org — SDCMS will mail you a petition with a return prepaid envelope. Collect the signatures of eight registered San Diego County voters. Mail your completed petition back to SDCMS in the return prepaid envelope by March 31, 2016. The tax will fund healthcare programs (including Medi-Cal), anti-smoking programs, and medical research on tobacco-related diseases. For more information, visit SaveLivesCalifornia.com. Reminder: Deadline to Register for CURES Is July 1, 2016: Click Here Read CMA’s February 17 “Whirlwinds of Change” Capitol Insight With Anthony York: Click Here IMQ Surveyors Needed: IMQ is looking surveyors for the Ambulatory Care, Corrections, or CME Review Programs. Click Here TOP LOCAL Golfers and Tennis Players Needed! Join the SDCMS Foundation for its 4th annual Aces for Health Golf and Tennis Tournament on Monday, April 18, at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club. New this year will be a round robin tennis tournament for all experience levels, and the Health Heroes awards reception. Click Here Physicians Needed to Mentor UCSD Undergraduates: Click Here for Details Help Spread the Message of Health by Making a Brief Presentation in Your Community: Educate children, adults, seniors, and employees on how to improve their lives and take charge of their health through the Live Well San Diego Speakers Bureau. Email Andrew.Gonzalez@SDCMS.org at the SDCMS Foundation to say YES, you will volunteer just one or two times a year, quarterly, or however your schedule allows. Thank You, Physicians, for Making Love Your Heart Day a Success! On Feb. 11, the SDCMS Foundation facilitated 2,530 free blood pressure screenings to the public — a 47% increase over 2015. The annual event is part of the County of San Diego’s efforts to encourage San Diegans to “know their numbers” and take charge of their own heart health. Thank you to the physician community for making this year’s Love Your Heart Day such a great success! TOP Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today To-morrow will be dying. — Robert Herrick, English Poet (1591–1674) Comments are closed.