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Nov. 19, 2014 | Issue 101 |
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Government Affairs
First Responders to be Trained in Using Naloxone
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First responders will be trained in the coming months to use naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of heroin. Senate Bill 1164, introduced by Sen. Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware), provides legal protections for persons helping an overdose patient seek medical attention, negating the fear of arrest. It was amended to also allow first responders to administer naloxone with training from an EMS medical director or a physician. Previously, Pennsylvania was one of only two states that wouldn’t allow first responders to carry naloxone.
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Practice Advocacy
Update: Incentive Program Payments
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made announcements concerning incentive payments and adjustments providers may notice in their Medicare reimbursement. Eligible professionals (EPs) who submitted data and met the criteria for the eRX Supplemental Incentives for the 2012 reporting period should see their 1 percent incentive paid in a lump sum to the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to which claims were submitted. On Nov. 10, CMS began sending letters to EPs who did not meet the 2013 PQRS requirement and will see a payment adjustment of -1.5 percent in their Medicare reimbursements beginning Jan. 1, 2015.
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Education
Get it Now! Free On-Demand CME Expiring Soon!
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Watch your inbox for the release of the archived webcast sessions to watch on-demand from the Pittsburgh CME Conference!
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Public Health
Great American Smokeout is Nov. 20!
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The PA Free Quitline has a Fax to Quit program to help you help your patients. Click here for Fax to Quit details! Register for Pennsylvania’s Tobacco Cessation Registry to submit for payment for smoking cessation services provided to your Medical Assistance (MA) patients. Receive $19.33 per patient for cessation counseling. The code only applies to MA patients, and you must be enrolled in MA and the registry. You can bill up to 70 annual 10-minute, face-to-face counseling sessions per patient. Enroll here. Free smoking cessation CME and resources from the PAFP: www.pafp.com/smoke
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Quality Improvement
Understand Health Disparities to Manage Population Health |
Health disparities are differences in health outcomes or determinants between different population segments. Many disparities are related to sociological determinants; for example, where people are born and live, their work, and their age. Identifying these differences which affect health determinants and outcomes is essential for reducing health disparities and managing the health of patient and community populations. Knowing the barriers to care – be they sociological, environmental, cultural, or economic – can allow for the development of strategies to combat disparities and ensure appropriate and successful care across the population continuum. Visit Primary Healthcare Consultants for assistance in managing population health!
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Residents & Students
Become a Leader; Mark Your Calendars |
Become a leader in health care quality and safety! PAFP Student Leader Diana Huang (Temple) invites students and residents to join her for the ACMQ Future Leaders in Quality and Safety Conference, at Jefferson School of Population Health on Saturday, Dec. 6. Outstanding faculty, full agenda and registration details found here.
Mark your calendars: PAFP Research Day is Saturday, March 21, 2015! Online abstract submissions available soon.
Family physician Kent Brantly MD contracted Ebola while on a medical mission trip to Liberia. He recounted his story to a standing ovation from 3,500 of his peers at AAFP’s Scientific Assembly. Video.
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Introducing Primary Healthcare Consultants
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After months of research, planning, and development, the PAFP is proud to introduce Primary Healthcare Consultants. From Meaningful Use to patient-centered medical home transformation, Primary Healthcare Consultants is dedicated to practice innovation and transformation. Click here to visit the website! For more information, join us for an introduction to Primary Healthcare Consultants at the Pittsburgh CME Conference.
Nominate Yourself or a Colleague for 2015 Family Physician of the Year!
You are a family physician – the person patients trust most when they’re not feeling well, when they have questions about their health, when they need everything from vaccinations to prescriptions. There are thousands of excellent family physicians in Pennsylvania, and we want to hear why you think you or a colleague is the best of all – maybe you’ll be chosen as the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians’ 2015 Family Physician of the Year!
Jan. 19, 2015 is the deadline for entries to the PAFP’s 2015 Family Physician of the Year contest – be sure to read the contest rules on www.pafp.com/topdoc.
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