Each week the Wyoming Medical Society receives a number of webinar, CME, and other conference opportunities which we share with our members without endorsement. This week’s list includes:
Announcements
WMS Member and Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Pediatrician Andrew Rose, MD penned a letter on behalf of CRMC and Colorado Children’s Hospital encouraging Wyoming Department of Health State Medical Director and fellow WMS member Wendy Braund, MD this week. In the letter, Rose encouraging the Wyoming Newborn Screening Committee to include pulse oximetry testing in the newborn screening protocol. Click here to see his letter, a carbon copy of which was sent to WMS.
High Fidelity Wraparound is a care coordination process that supports the success of children and youth with complex behavioral health needs. It aims to ensure children grow up in their homes, schools and communities while getting their needs met. This program is for children ages four-to-21 who have severe emotional disturbances, severe and persistent mental illness or other behavioral health issues. Magellan Healthcare is the Medicaid care management entity in Wyoming and oversees the intensive care coordination process as well as provides access to resources, such as the Partnership Access Line(PAL) which offers psychiatric evaluations and medication consultations for all Wyoming children and youth.
CMS will hold its RO VIII Quarterly Stakeholder Call and Webinar from noon-1 p.m. on March 8. CMS will offer updates from its regional administrator, as well as members of its CMS Innovations group. Physicians are encouraged to offer suggestions on topics for the meeting agenda by contacting Ceilly Robl at ceceilia.robl@cms.hhs.gov. For information on how to take part in the webinar, click here.
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for the 2017 coverage year, along with related guidance documents, as part of our ongoing efforts to promote healthy and stable markets that works for consumers and for insurers.
To help stakeholders plan ahead, CMS also finalized the open enrollment period for future years. For coverage in 2017 and 2018, open enrollment will begin on November 1 of the previous year and run through January 31 of the coverage year. For coverage in 2019 and beyond, open enrollment will begin on November 1 and end on December 15 of the preceding year (for example, November 1, 2018 through December 15, 2018 for 2019 coverage). The fact sheet with details on these key provisions and others can be found here. The final Annual Letter to Issuers can be found here. CMS also released a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the Moratorium on the Health Insurance Provider Fee that can be found here.
The American Medical Association (AMA) seeks nominations for the Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committees for Ambulatory Care and Hospital Accreditation Programs. Nomination forms must be submitted by March 11, 2016. Contact Keith Voogd (keith.voogd@ama-assn.org or 312-464-4539) for more information.
Newsletters and Reports
American HealthLine’s First Look newsletter was released this week with the lead story on CMS’ extension of the deadline by which hospitals and eligible professionals must file applications for hardship exemptions under the meaningful use program. Other subject matter includes the closure of the Health Republic Insurance Company of Oregon, a co-operative health plan, and a Focus on Pfizer.
HITECH Answers also released its monthly newsletter this week, with stories on Meaningful Use living on, as well as webinar savings.
CMS released it’s MLN Connects Provider Newsletter, which includes content on provider enrollment revalidating; the CMS Quality Conference 2015; and the CMS Provider Minute: Multiple Same Day Surgeries and Modifier 51 information.
But wait.. CMS didn’t stop there. They also released the winter edition of The Pulse, for the Denver region.
United HealthCare’s monthly newsletter offers entries on: Non-Participating Lab Practices: Waiving or Capping Member Cost Share Prohibited; an Amendment to 2016 Administrative Guide; PRA Enhancements for Some UnitedHealthcare Commercial Plans; and much more.
Friends of the WMS program member The Doctor’s Company, released a report this week called, EHR Risks: How to Protect Your Practice, outlines areas of potential EHR-related malpractice exposure and patient safety risks, reveals findings from our comprehensive analysis of EHR claims, and provides practical tips you can implement to help mitigate EHR risks.
Webinars and conferences
Providers’ Clinical Support System for Medication Assisted Treatment (PCSS-MAT) offers a webinar called Medication-Assisted Treatment and the Criminal Justice System at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 8. Medication Assisted Treatments (MAT) for smoking, alcohol, and opioid use disorders are rarely promoted or accessible among incarcerated or community-supervised (i.e. parole) individuals. This is despite a growing body of high quality evidence emphasizing the effectiveness of MAT in CJS populations, as they are in community treatment settings.
PCSS-MAT offers another webinar on Wednesday, March 16 at 1 p.m. called Prescription Monitoring Programs: Capabilities and Benefits. This presentation will cover the scope of the prescription drug abuse problem; the history and purpose of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs); how PDMPs operate; how to gain access to the PDMP; types of PDMP reports; PDMP effectiveness; and current status of PDMPs in the U.S.
ZirMed offers a complimentary webinar called Payer Payments: How to Achieve Faster, More Accurate Bank Reconciliation on March 9 at 11 a.m. Join ZirMed Product Manager Renee Netherton and industry expert Andrew Christman to learn how fast and easy it can be to automate bank reconciliation, streamline workflow, and empower your AR team to significantly reduce redundancy, increase staff productivity, and improve results-even if you use multiple systems.
The Society of Army Physician Assistants will hold its 37th Annual SAPA Refesher Course in Fayetteville, NC April 25-29. There will be 30-37 category I CME’s available and the cost is $225-350. For more information, contact Bob Potter, PA-C at 309-734-5446 or opotter@aol.com