Events, Conferences, and Announcements for January 21, 2016

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 and Opportunities

KEPRO, the Quality Improvement Organization for CMS’ Areas 2, 3, and 4, is looking for physicians interested in doing peer reviews. KEPRO is always looking for qualified reviewers in order to expand its Peer Reviewer roster for all three of its contract areas, which includes 33 states as well as the District of Columbia. Opportunities for Peer Reviewers from all health care disciplines such as advanced nursing, various therapies (physical, occupational, speech), and physicians currently exist. KEPRO Peer Reviewers:

• Are offered challenging opportunities to use their medical knowledge to improve the quality of health care;
• Enjoy competitive compensation;
• Receive complete confidentiality;
• Have the convenience of reviewing a case at home or at the office; and
• Can join a pool of physicians who are leaders in their specialties.

For further information, please contact Jessica Whitley, MD, Medical Director, at 216-447-9604, extension 5784, or email Jessica.Whitley@bfcc3.hcqis.org. For additional information about which states KEPRO covers, please visit www.keproqio.com.

The American Academy of Family Physicians has released its Family Practice Management publication for Jan./Feb. Among the stories are: The Problem with Patient Satisfaction Scores; Coding and Billing Rules in 2016; Four Tools for Reducing Burnout by Finding Work-Life Balance; and a story on five-star apps.

The University of Wyoming ECHO conference is a great opportunity for the medical community to learn about the resources available via the UW ECHO program (like assistive technology, behavior intervention supports, autism, early literacy, and early childhood transition) and also to earn ASHA credits. Here is the direct link to the announcement on the University of Wyoming website here.

Webinars and conferences

CMS offers an upcoming MLN Connects National Provider call on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 1:30-3 p.m. called IMPACT Act:  Connecting Post-Acute Care across the Care Continuum. CMS subject matter experts and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT discuss the implications of the IMPACT Act for health information exchange across the care continuum. Click here for more information. For more information about these calls and the MLN Connects National Provider Call Program , visit www.cms.hhs.gov/npc

HITECH Answers offers a $150 savings on its live online workshops. HITECH has four, 4-day (one hour-a-day) workshops. Among the upcoming webinars are: Become a Meaningful Use Project Manager; Becoming a Meaningful Use Administrator; Become a PQRS/CQM Project Manager; and Becoming a Certified HIPPA Security Professional. Click here for more information.

CMS released its latest Provider Enews, which covers such subjects as An Introduction to the IMPACT Act of 2014; Preventive Services Posters; Drug Diversion and Medicare Parts C, and D General Compliance Training.

ZirMed offers a webinar called “Reform Your RCM:  Best Practices and Beyond,” on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. In the webinar, group product manager Dustin Hamilton will provide real-world, actionable guidance designed to help you manage and conquer RCM challenges in 2016 and beyond.

HITECH offers a webinar called, “The ABCs of MIPS,” on Wed, Jan 27 from noon-1 p.m. Learn how the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System will impact your reputation as well as your bottom line MIPS starts January 2017, which means activities during the next 12 months are critical to being best prepared.

Providers’ Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies (PCSS-O) offers a webinar on Jan.27 at 9 a.m called Pain Care and Prescription Drug Abuse:  Current Topics, Legislation and Policy. This session will discuss the major issues affecting pain care policy with a focus on the effects of opioid and other prescription drug abuse on pain care. Presenters will discuss newly enacted federal policies and noteworthy pending federal and state level legislation affecting care for people with pain.

Providers’ Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies (PCSS-O) is a three year grant funded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). It is offering an archived webinar called Putting Naloxone Into Action. Prescription drug and opioid overdoses continue to rise in the United States Communities with Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) programs have demonstrated how effective this practice can be in the number of lives reported to have been saved.