NYCU January 3, 2023 January 9, 2023 CMA, CMA Benefits, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Ebola, Infectious Disease, Medicare, new, Public Health, SDCMS 0 TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2023 PHYSICIANS: On December 1, 2022, the SDCMS Nominating Committee convened and is recommending a proposed slate of SDCMS Board of Directors candidates for 2023–24. To be eligible for service on SDCMS’ Board of Directors, physicians must have been active members of SDCMS for at least two years as of the date of assumption of duties: June 2023. Additionally, for Geographic Directors, physicians must have their primary practice located within the geographic district. If you’d like to the see the list of the nominees and information for anyone who wishes to seek nomination through petition CLICK HERE. San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB), the local blood bank serving San Diego County, is celebrating National Blood Donor Month throughout the month of January. National Blood Donor Month has been observed in January since 1970 with the goal of increasing blood and platelet donations during winter — one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs. Right now, there is an urgent need for blood donations, as San Diego’s blood supply is critically low and SDBB is experiencing supply chain challenges. San Diego County Credit Union is kicking off National Blood Donor Month by hosting a multi–location blood drive at SDCCU locations throughout San Diego County tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4th, from 10am until 3pm. SDCCU branches participating will be Eastlake, Encinitas, Santee, Sports Arena and Solana Beach as well as Costa Mesa and Murrieta. To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health. Appointments are encouraged and available at SDBB by visiting sandiegobloodbank.org or by calling (619) 400–8251. Walk–ins are also welcome. A new California law that took effect January 1, 2023, requires California physicians provide patients with a written or electronic notice about the availability of the federal Open Payments Database. It also requires physicians post in their offices and on their websites a notice informing visitors about the database which can be used to search payments made by drug and medical device companies to physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses and teaching hospitals. To assist physicians with this new requirement, California Medical Association (CMA) has published sample forms and notices available at CMADocs.org/open-payments. Under federal law, drug and medical device manufacturers are required to report their financial interactions with physicians — including consulting fees, travel reimbursements, research grants and other gifts. Any payments, ownership interests and other ‘transfers of value’ are reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for publication in the public Open Payments Database. Open Payments data is published annually by June 30, and physicians are able to preview the data attributed to them during a 45–day, pre–publication review and dispute period that runs from April 1 to May 15. Physicians are encouraged to review the data attributed to them during the review period. Physicians who believe their data contain discrepancies can initiate a dispute with the reporting entity. This gives the reporting entity an opportunity to correct the information before the data is made public. Disputes can be initiated until the end of the calendar year in which the record was submitted, but disputes initiated after the end of the review and dispute period will not be reflected in the initial publication. For more information, visit CMS.gov/openpayments. SanDiegoCounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/mcsd/Older-Adult-Health.html is San Diego County’s new Older Adult Health web page! It’s intended to provide helpful resources for older people and healthcare professionals. Please give it a look! As always, let me know if you have any questions! Paul Hegyi, CEO WHAT TO KNOW … CAHAN ALERT Health Advisory COVID–19 Vaccine Update: Bivalent Booster Eligibility Expanded Down to Six Months of Age CLICK HERE Physicians React to Congress’ Vote to Cut Medicare Payments by 2.5% in 2023 CLICK HERE ‘We Didn’t Have Enough Cribs’: Inside a Children’s Hospital Strained by Viruses CLICK HERE RSV Still Challenging for Nation’s Physicians CLICK HERE Growing Vaccine Hesitancy Fuels Measles, Chickenpox Resurgence in U.S. CLICK HERE The FDA Now Says It Plainly: Morning–After Pills are Not Abortion Pills CLICK HERE Biden Administration Will Withdraw Trump–Era Rule Letting All Healthcare Workers Refuse Reproductive, Transgender Care CLICK HERE Health Care Worker Retention Bonus Deadline Extended to January 6th CLICK HERE CDPH Issues Updated Health Alert on Ebola CLICK HERE Scientists Have a Theory on COVID Loss of Smell: Damage to Nasal Cells CLICK HERE Here are 5 New Laws that Will Improve Abortion Access in California in 2023 CLICK HERE WHAT TO DO … JAN 10, 2023: 12–1pm, FREE Webinar for Members and Non–Members, ‘Virtual Grand Rounds: COVID and RSV and Flu — Updates on the Tripledemic’. This fall saw an unprecedented early surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), straining our emergency departments as well pediatric inpatient units and ICUs, not to mention busy outpatient providers. Influenza also emerged earlier than is typical. In this Virtual Grand Rounds, Michael Vollmer, MD, an infectious disease clinician from the Permanente Medical Group, will share epidemiological and clinical data and stories about the so–called ‘tripledemic.’ He will also help us learn from this year’s fall season and anticipate the remaining months of respiratory virus season. Erica Pan, MD, MPH, will also join to review COVID–19 and other important California public health issues CLICK HERE JAN 12, 2023: 12:15–1:15pm, FREE Webinar for Members and Non–Members sponsored by California Medical Association, ‘Medi–Cal Managed Care Enrollment for Patients with Medicare and Medi–Cal’. Starting 1/1/23 patients with both Medicare and Medi–Cal who are not already enrolled in a Medi–Cal managed care plan will need to enroll. This webinar covers the transition FAQs, particularly among Medicare providers. The Department of Health Care Services will highlight key points, including the fact that Medicare providers do not need to be enrolled in a Medi–Cal plan to continue seeing their dually eligible patients and continue receiving reimbursement CLICK HERE JAN 17, 2023: 12:15–1:15pm, FREE Webinar for Members, $99 for Non–Members, Free for Member’s staff with promo code, sponsored by California Medical Association, ‘The Future of Telehealth’. During the COVID–19 pandemic, many practices implemented telehealth for the first time. Now, physicians and their patients are starting to think about what happens to telehealth if–and–when the public health emergency comes to an end. Recent developments at the state and federal level are bringing the future into focus CLICK HERE JAN 19, 2023: 12:15–1:15pm, FREE Webinar for Members and their Staff [with Promo Code], $99 for Non–Members, ‘2023 E&M Coding Updates’, sponsored by California Medical Association and presented by Lynn Handy, CPC, CPC–I, COC, CCS–P, LPN. Lynn Handy brings more than 30 years of health care experience in medical office management, insurance billing and coding, and professional nursing. She is an accomplished medical practice consultant and an experienced educator in the areas of insurance billing and coding, physician coding and documentation training, computerized insurance billing and Medicare compliance. Lynn is a certified coding instructor through the AAPC and was a board member for a major project in San Diego to develop and implement a comprehensive hospital coding program. She has also been ICD–10 trained by AHIMA. Lynn speaks at various National Coding, Compliance and Auditing Associations as well as supporting local coding chapter meetings as a frequent speaker CLICK HERE FEB 9, 2023: 12:15–1:15pm, FREE Webinar for Members and their Staff [with Promo Code], $99 for Non–Members, ‘2023 CPT Coding Updates’, sponsored by California Medical Association and presented by Lynn Handy, CPC, CPC–I, COC, CCS–P, LPN. Lynn Handy brings more than 30 years of health care experience in medical office management, insurance billing and coding, and professional nursing. She is an accomplished medical practice consultant and an experienced educator in the areas of insurance billing and coding, physician coding and documentation training, computerized insurance billing and Medicare compliance. Lynn is a certified coding instructor through the AAPC and was a board member for a major project in San Diego to develop and implement a comprehensive hospital coding program. She has also been ICD–10 trained by AHIMA. Lynn speaks at various National Coding, Compliance and Auditing Associations as well as supporting local coding chapter meetings as a frequent speaker CLICK HERE FEB 23-25, 2023: Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA) in partnership with ICD Events will be hosting a ‘Healthcare Burnout Symposium’ at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center. They have secured HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra as the morning speaker on day one, and new California Surgeon General Diana Ramos to be the lunchtime speaker CLICK HERE FEB 28, 2023: 12:15–1:15pm, FREE Webinar for Members and their Staff [with Promo Code], $99 for Non–Members, ‘2023 ICD–10 Coding Updates’, sponsored by California Medical Association and presented by Lynn Handy, CPC, CPC–I, COC, CCS–P, LPN. Lynn Handy brings more than 30 years of health care experience in medical office management, insurance billing and coding, and professional nursing. She is an accomplished medical practice consultant and an experienced educator in the areas of insurance billing and coding, physician coding and documentation training, computerized insurance billing and Medicare compliance. Lynn is a certified coding instructor through the AAPC and was a board member for a major project in San Diego to develop and implement a comprehensive hospital coding program. She has also been ICD–10 trained by AHIMA. Lynn speaks at various National Coding, Compliance and Auditing Associations as well as supporting local coding chapter meetings as a frequent speaker CLICK HERE WHAT TO READ, LISTEN & WATCH … CMA in the Courts READ HERE Podcast ‘What the Health?’ The COVID Response Coordinator Speaks LISTEN HERE CMA Webinar: Telehealth Reimbursement and Privacy Laws: COVID–19 Emergency WATCH HERE CMA Webinar: What is Value–Based Care and What Does it Mean for My Practice ? WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Physician Financial Wellness (Part 1) WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Physician Financial Wellness (Part 2) WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Best Practice: Documenting Disruptive Patient Behavior WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Understanding Malpractice Risks for NPs, PAs, and Supervising Physicians WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: COVID–19 for the Long Haul: Post COVID Recovery and Care WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: How to Avoid Being Reported to the Medical Board WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Understanding the Risks: How to Dismiss a Patient from Your Practice WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Physician Wellness WATCH HERE SDCMS Webinar: Biosimilars Overview & Policy Landscape WATCH HERE Alzheimer’s Project Clinical Roundtable Free On–Demand CME Webinar Series on Dementia WATCH HERE Please Consider Supporting Our Advertisers … Thank You! Comments are closed.