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
The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho Program (WWAMI) has a position available for a .75 FTE Assistant Dean. The Assistant Dean for Rural Programs will be accountable directly to the Associate Dean for Curriculum and will be responsible for: Leadership, coordination and development of rural academic programs at the UWSOM. For more information click here.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to remind you that new payment amounts and contracts go into effect on July 1, 2016. This program has been an essential tool to help Medicare set appropriate payment rates for DMEPOS items and save money for beneficiaries and taxpayers while ensuring access to quality items.
The Round 2 Recompete will include seven product categories in the same geographic areas that were included in Round 2. Most Round 2 Recompete Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) have one Competitive Bidding Area (CBA). However, the three largest MSAs (Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York,) are subdivided into multiple CBAs, and CBAs in multi-state MSAs have been defined so that there are no multi-state CBAs. As a result, 117 CBAs are in the Round 2 Recompete.
The national mail-order program contract suppliers can also be found on www.medicare.gov/supplier. Suppliers that are awarded a national mail-order contract will be required to furnish mail-order diabetic testing supplies to beneficiaries with Original Medicare in all parts of the United States, including the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.
The CMS DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program website features current information that is a resource for you and your staff:
The DMEPOS Competitive Bidding toolkit, a resource for people who help beneficiaries:http://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/Partnerships/DMEPOS_Toolkit.html.
The CMS DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program website, which includes updated fact sheets and other information: www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/index.html.
CMS welcomes the distribution of this information to other referral agents and encourages you to sign up for our email update at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USCMS/subscriber/new?pop=t&topic_id=USCMS_7814
Forty-three state and national organizations, including WMS, have signed a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) expressing grave concerns about anti-competitive behavior seen in state reviews of the proposed mega-mergers of Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana. The letter was organized and delivered by a coalition comprised of Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, Connecticut Citizen Action Group and the Connecticut State Medical Society.
The flawed review process in most states has led the 43 signatories to urge the DOJ to carefully review the mergers’ impact on each state and on the country as a whole. The DOJ has the expertise and enforcement power to protect people from the harm these mergers will cause.
The Wyoming Prescription Drug Donation Program has a new function to its website – an online inventory listing. The Wyoming Department of Health launched it’s new website on Friday June 17th and the page offers a simple access to patient application, online inventory and an interactive map to locate the nearest medication donation drop off site. For more information call 1-855-257-5041.
The White House released the estimated amount of funding each State could qualify for under the new cooperative agreements proposed in the President’s Budget to expand access to opioid treatment, particularly medication-assisted treatment. Roger Chou, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, uses his podcast to give an overview of the Centers for Disease Control’s newly released guidelines for opioid prescribing.
Kid Care CHIP would like to connect with some awesome moms in Wyoming to make short videos on their back-to-school hacks. Do you know a savvy mom who loves to make videos, has great ideas we all need to know about or has just started a blog she’d like to promote?
They are looking for moms who can share the following information:
• How to find the best deals for back-to-school;
• Back-to-school doctor and dentist appointments;
• Organizational tips;
• School lunches;
• Anything else.
The videos will be shared on Kid Care CHIP’s website, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Facebook and hopefully the Facebook of our friends in the community like you. Please contact Sara at sara.rigsby1@wyo.gov by July 1 to participate.
Michelle Main, the area rep for Kaleo Pharmaceuticals was in the office last week and mentioned her firm has put together an Opioid Overdose Risk Assessment checklist that she wanted to share with Wyoming providers. Kaleo is the maker of Evzio, which is an opioid antagonist which is used in emergency treatment of opioid overdose, as manifested by respiratory and/or central nervous system depression.
DocbookMD sent a note telling WMS members that ScryptInc is the new owner of DocbookMD. Here is a news release announcing the purchase and the next steps to expect out of DocbookMD.
OSHA Medical Courses points out Federal OSHA regulation Title 29, Part 1910.1200 has been amended to conform to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification & Labeling to ensure consistent warning to employees re hazardous materials (i.e. specimen preservatives, lab chemicals, etc.). Employee training and written Hazard Communication Plan modification is mandatory by June 1, 2016. Federal OSHA regulation Title 29, Part 1910.1030 requires that all employees with potential for exposure to blood and blood borne pathogens MUST receive training BEFORE beginning work and must be re-trained annually. OSHA Medical Courses, LLC, is pleased to offer both online and conveniently viewed narrated Power Point (CD) training programs and compliance plans. For more information contact Don Berman at donbermanmd@gmail.com.
Last week, HHS announced $20 million in technical assistance grants to fund on-the-ground training and education for Medicare clinicians, in individual or small group practices of 15 clinicians or fewer, transition to Quality Payment Programs. “Doctors and health care providers in small and rural practices are critical to our goal of building a health care system that works for everyone,” said Secretary Burwell. “Supporting local health care providers with the resources and information necessary for them to provide quality care is a top priority for this administration.”
The University of Wyoming Family Medicine Residency Program at Cheyenne is one of seven FMRPs just selected to receive a 2016 AAFP Foundation Senior Immunization Grant Award. This $11,200 award will allow the UWFMRP-Cheyenne to implement a quality improvement project, which is aimed at improving influenza and pneumococcal vaccine rates in patients age 65 and older during the upcoming 2016-2017 flu season. The project, Not Just for Children, Anymore. Improving Senior Immunization Delivery in Primary Care, will involve all 18 residents in its implementation. Rotating medical students will also be included to enhance their education and UWFMRP-Cheyenne’s patient care. Patients from the UWFMRP-Cheyenne home clinic and seniors who are cared for by the Residency Program through home visits, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and mobile clinics that are under development will be included in this vaccine improvement effort.
Ezekiel Fink, MD, Director of Inpatient Pain, Houston Methodist Hospital shared a letter with WMS that we will distribute here. His is an academic/practicing pain physician who believes that Prescription Drug Monitoring (PDMP) is an excellent and underutilized resource that assists in safe prescribing of opioids. He would like to see healthcare professionals be reimbursed for the time it takes to check the PDMP for their patients. Click here to read the letter, which he suggests should be shared with your US congressional representation.
Podcasts and Publications
RT Welter, a Denver-based medical services company posted its monthly newsletter which includes posts on revalidation for Medicare and Medicaid along with billing cycle management.
The American Academy of Family Physicians’ June newsletter includes stories on Four ways to Maximize Coding Revenue, Seven Steps to Higher Patient Satisfaction, and how to avoid coding skin procedures.
First American Healthcare Finance released a new blog article called Three Tips for Funding Your Healthcare Strategy.
The Docpreneur Institute sent a podcast on the Pscyhology of Color and its Impact on Patient Care with By Mitra Pakdaman, CEO/Founder of LA Healthcare Design.
The July Newsletter for HITECH Answers includes a preview on the impact of the national election on healthcare podcast slated for August, and number of articles on IT’s impact on healthcare.
RT Welter, a Denver-based healthcare services company, released its newsletter this week with posts on: Automated Claim Correction via the Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR); and big fees in other services.
Webinars and Conferences
Fall Family Medicine Review at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus-Monday Oct. 31st – Friday Nov. 4th. The 63rd Fall Family Medicine Review provides five days of continuing medical education on recent developments in patient management for Primary Care Physicians, Physician Assistants and Advanced Practice Nurses. The Review is presented by expert faculty members of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in a format of morning presentations and afternoon interactive workshops. The review takes place at the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO. Link to Website and Registration
Last week, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) announced its line-up of 2016 Employer Information Seminars. The public seminars feature agency subject matter experts and are aimed at helping Wyoming employers enhance their knowledge regarding new law changes relevant to employers, improving workplace safety and many other workforce-related programs.The seminars will be held from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the following communities:
- Cheyenne, July 7, Laramie County Community College, Center for Conferences & Institutes, Centennial Room 129 and 130;
- Rock Springs, August 4, Western Wyoming Community College, rooms 3650A and B;
- Casper, September 29, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, room 129
Agency experts will be on hand to provide information regarding workplace training programs, what to expect during an unemployment insurance appeal process, changes to the workers’ compensation experience modification rating system, new overtime rules and services offered by local workforce centers, among other topics. There is a nominal fee to attend the seminars, which covers lunch and breaks. Individuals can register online through the Department of Workforce Services at wyomingworkforce.org or call (307) 777-8717 to request registration information.
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health offers a webinar called 2016 Meaningful Use Mid Year Review on Wednesday July 13, at 1 p.m. Join Patty Kosednar, HTS Consultant, to review what you need to know and do to successfully attest to Meaningful Use for the 2016 reporting year. MPQH will also provide an overview of the alignment/conversion of the existing MU program into MACRA/MIPS for 2017.
HITECH offers a podcast called Protecting ePHI Transmissions in Healthcare – Are you Secure? on Tuesday, June 28 at noon. Bring your ePHI related questions and join our webinar for another popular discussion and live Q&A event this month on the transmission of sensitive, electronic protected healthcare information (PHI and ePHI), related HIPAA regulations, and the ever-present threat of cyber-attacks. We will also discuss the multiple methods of PHI/ePHI transmission – from BYOD and Fax, to email and messaging.
PCSS-O offers a webinar called Rational Pain Management in Children with Chronic Medical Conditions at 11 a.m on Wednesday, June 29. This webinar is the fourth in a series of six sponsored by the AAP to review management strategies and therapeutic options for rational pain management.
PCSS-O also offers a June 29 webinar with Wilson Compton, MD, who joined us at the WMS Annual Meeting at Jackson Lake Lodge this summer. Compton will present a webinar called Prescription Opioids and Heroin: Science = Solutions at 10 a.m. on June 29. The webinar will cover rising trends and consequences of opioid use disorder.
MLN Connects announced a clinical diagnostic laboratory test payment system final rule call. Registration is open for the call, which is scheduled for July 6 from 12:30-1:45 p.m. During this call, CMS experts provide a high level overview of the final policies in the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test Payment System final rule (CMS-1621-F). The final rule, issued by CMS on June 17, significantly revises the Medicare payment system for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and discusses a related data collection system.