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DEADLINE TODAY FOR E-PRESCRIBING HARDSHIP EXEMPTION
Physicians must file for an e-prescribing hardship exemption by today (Nov. 1, 2011) or face a one percent payment reduction for all 2012 Medicare part B claims. If you have not yet successfully participated in the Medicare e-prescribing program, you must file a hardship exemption for your particular case. Click here to find out more about the e-prescribing penalty program and how to file for an exemption.
IMPLEMENTATION OF ICD-10 IS OCTOBER 1, 2013
Is your practice ready? The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has a number of resource materials to help your practice prepare for the transition to ICD-10. Implementation for this HIPAA-mandated code set is on Oct. 1, 2013. This change will be significant, so don’t wait! Visit the AAFP website for information and resources to assist your practice.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FAIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER CONTRACTING ACT
The Fair Health Care Provider Contracting Act provides fair contracting standards and disclosures that will help physicians continue to make informed contractual decisions and help them provide higher quality, more cost-effective care to their patients. Overpayment recovery time occurs when insurers initiate a payment recovery for patient care for which they believe the physician was overpaid. These discrepancies can be very costly if they are not uncovered for a long period of time. This legislation would limit an insurer from going back over 3-5 years or more demanding repayment by setting an 18-month time period for recovery of overpayments. For more information, click here.
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UPCOMING CME OPPORTUNITIES
The Hershey Breakaway, the PAFP’s spring CME conference, is Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 11, 2012 at the Hotel Hershey. Online registration is available.
Click here for online CME.
Click here for three pain management webcasts.
Click here for a list of all PAFP Foundation CME.
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NEW WEBCASTS AVAILABLE
The Early Detection and Treatment of PAD in Primary Care webcast, presented by Dr. Andrew Waxler, and the suicide prevention webcast, Working with Suicidal Youth and Their Families in Primary Care, presented by Dr. Matthew Wintersteen, are now available on the new PAFP website. These two sessions are both now available online, as well as many other patient safety sessions currently online at www.pafp.com.
BECOME AN ASTHMA EDUCATOR, CARE MANAGER
On Nov. 19, the Association of Asthma Educators, the University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are offering a free six-hour course to educate health care professionals on the new asthma guidelines and identify core educational content that asthma patients and their families need to manage their disease effectively. Course content covers asthma prevalence, goals of therapy, pathophysiology, the factors that contribute to asthma severity, pharmacotherapy, medication administration, symptom monitoring, and patient education. Application of core topics is reviewed through interactive case studies. The course has been approved for six contact hours by provider #13605 of the California Board of Registered Nursing. Application has been made to the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) for continuing education contact hours for respiratory therapists. Registration is limited. Please register here.
PATIENT SAFETY PRESENTATIONS
Don’t miss the traumatic brain injury (TBI), domestic violence (DV) and the medical home transition patient safety presentations this Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Nemacolin Breakaway. Register now on the new PAFP website.
AMA TO MEDICARE: PAY DOCS FOR CARE COORDINATION
The American Medical Association wants Medicare to start paying doctors for four types of coordination services because they avoid more expensive patient care in the hospital down the line.
The services include responding to telephone calls seven days or more after a patient sees the doctor, education and training to enable patients to better manage their own health, better management of anticoagulation drugs such as warfarin, and time spent coordinating team-based care when the patient is not present. Click here for more.
PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING: A PRIMARY CARE PERSPECTIVE
Watch for upcoming Keystone Physician articles and information on lectures at the March CES in Hershey. Topics will include guidelines, ask-tell-ask discussions, screening and symptomatic diagnosis of prostate cancer in primary care.
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RESIDENCY PROGRAM COLLABORATIVE TRACKS NEARLY 18K
The Residency Program Collaborative is helping residency programs and community health centers to improve care for patients with diabetes and IVD. Now in its second year with 49 participating practices, the program is tracking 15,128 patients with diabetes and 2,858 patients with IVD. Find free online CME from this program by clicking here.
TIPS ON PATIENT OUTREACH
Outreach is a great care management strategy. You’ll increase visit volume, so spread out calls so you don’t bottleneck the schedule. Also, don’t get stuck trying to make this process perfect – just do it!
1. Identify an element of chronic care management or preventive care that needs improvement; for example, missing A1Cs for patients with diabetes or colorectal cancer screening.
2. Identify a person in your practice who could do outreach. Evening staff, MAs, students?
3. Empower staff to order labs and schedule visits.
Click here for more tips!
CONTRACTS FOR MEDICAL HOME NEIGHBORS
During the first year of the Residency Program Collaborative, one of the low-scoring measures was referral tracking. Watch for CME on improving this function in your practice later this year. Meanwhile, one practice found that using contracts with hospitalists and sub-specialists improved communication with these medical home neighbors (and thereby improved referral tracking). Click here to download.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM FMEC CONFERENCE
In case you missed the FMEC conference, here are some of the highlights:
- AAFP Prez Glen Stream, MD, explains “What the RUC?” Dr. Stream: “Family medicine residents and medical students interested in family medicine should be confident that they are in the right place at the right time for a nation and a health care system that need family physicians more than ever.”
- Please note our own student leader, Diana Tucci, MS3, Pitt, pictured and mentioned in the above blog post. Follow Diana on Twitter @Dianasplosion. Diana also tweets for @fammedstudents and for @PAFPStudents.
- Congrats to Diana, who learned this week that she’s been selected to serve a second term as our Regional FMIG Coordinator! All Student FMIG leaders, please make sure you’re connected to Diana and the FMIG Network!
- Congrats to Andy Lutzkanin, PSU MS4, PAFP Student Chair, learned this week that he’s been selected to serve on AAFP Commission on Governmental Advocacy!
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Mark your calendar! Friday, March 9, 2012 is the PAFP Leadership Development Workshop at the Hotel Hershey, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Please contact Molly Talley for more details as they become available.
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PAFP's NEW WEBSITE HAS LAUNCHED
Because the PAFP prides itself on finding exciting, innovative ways to reach out to its members and the public, the Academy staff is pleased to announce the brand new PAFP.com! The overhauled website is streamlined and more user-friendly, with many improvements and new features.
Please log on to the new PAFP.com and see why your needs are not just the top priority, but the only priority of your state chapter, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians.
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