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1. It’s Time to Fill Out 2006 CME Certification Forms
Physicians can now submit their 2006 CME for certification to CMA’s Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ). Reporting forms were mailed this week to all CMA members. The forms are also available online. Please read the instructions on the reporting form carefully, as some of the certification requirements have changed this year.
IMQ, a CMA subsidiary, certifies physicians’ CME activity for credentialing purposes to the Medical Board of California, as well as to hospitals, health plans, specialty societies, and others.
CME certification is $29 a year for members, $49 for nonmembers.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Paulette Richardson, 415/882-5151 or prichardson@imq.org.
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2. CMA Foundation Launches Cervical Cancer/HPV Project
The CMA Foundation recently launched a project to educate physicians and patients about the link between Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. The project provides physicians and other health care providers with resources to increase their clinical knowledge, communicate more effectively with patients, and broaden their understanding of the cultural health disparities associated with cervical cancer and HPV.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Elissa K. Maas, 916/551-2555 or emaas@cmanet.org.
3. Online Registration Open for 10th Annual Leadership Academy,
April 13-15 in Monterey; Sign Up by March 16 and Get $100 Off Registration
CMA’s 10th Annual California Health Care Leadership Academy is April 13-15 in beautiful Monterey. This year’s conference will present information on the current and future practice of medicine — information that is not just theoretical, but of practical value. The latter emphasis is reinforced by the introduction of practice management workshops aimed at improving the efficiency — and the bottom line — of your medical practice. These powerful workshops were designed for physicians, office managers, administrators, and billing and collections personnel.
Practice Management Workshop Topics:
- Fee Schedule Analysis: Maximizing Reimbursement and Profitability
- E&M Coding for Physicians: Key Guidelines for Proper Payment
- Electronic Health Records: Strategies for Success
- Taking Charge: Third-Party Payor Contract Analysis and Negotiation
This year’s academy also offers expanded social and networking activities, including a cocktail reception at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Early-bird tuition is $595 for members, $895 for nonmembers. After March 16, tuition is $695 for members, $995 for nonmembers. Attendees can receive up to 14 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.
Since its inception in 1997, the Leadership Academy has emerged as one of the most important health policy and leadership development meetings on the West Coast. With the quality of content, the stature of the faculty, and the number of CME hours offered, CMA’s Leadership Academy rivals conferences that cost twice as much to attend.
Click here for more information or to register.
Contact: Roger Purdy, 916/444-5532 or rpurdy@cmanet.org.
4. NPI Deadlines Looming: Are You Ready?
In less than four months, physicians who are covered by HIPAA will be required by federal law to use their new National Provider Identifier (NPI) on claims and other electronic health care transactions. NPIs will replace UPINs and other payor-specific provider identification numbers.
Physicians must also register their NPIs with Medi-Cal by March 1 to ensure that their payments are not interrupted when Medi-Cal transitions from its current provider numbering system to the NPI system on May 23. To make sure you get your NPI in time, you should submit your application as soon as possible.
Applying for an NPI is fairly simple. Physicians can apply online at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov. If you do not have Internet access, call the NPI Enumerator at 800/465-3203 and request a paper application form.
While applying for an NPI is straightforward, making sure your billing systems and vendors are ready for the transition is a more complicated process, one that requires some preparation and internal assessment. CMA’s HIPAA partner, PrivaPlan, has developed an inexpensive CD-ROM toolkit to help physicians navigate the process.
If you haven’t investigated it, you should give it a look. The toolkit will help physicians understand their NPI “readiness” and the impact the NPI may have on their practices. It also provides form letters and surveys to send to your major system vendors, clearinghouses, and health plans, to determine their NPI readiness.
CMA members can purchase the toolkit for $99. CMA members who have purchased PrivaPlan’s other HIPAA toolkits pay $79. Nonmembers pay $129. Order the toolkit by calling 877/218-7707.
CMA’s legal department has also written a primer to help physicians with the NPI process. The primer, available through the CMA ON-CALL system, is available free to members at the members-only website. See document #1608, “National Provider Identifiers.” Nonmembers can purchase ON-CALL documents for $2 per page in the CMA bookstore.
Click here for more information.
Contact: CMA’s legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.
5. News Junkies: Subscribe to CMA's Daily Press Clips
Need more news? Get daily reports on health care policy and medicine from newspapers and magazines throughout California and around the nation delivered to you by e-mail. It's free to subscribe. And you can rest assured that CMA never sells its mailing lists.
Click here to subscribe.
6. Member Benefit of the Week: Guaranteed Issue Term Life Insurance
Between now and March 31, CMA members can get $50,000 of term life insurance at group rates. This special guaranteed-acceptance insurance is available to actively-practicing physician members under age 60. (“Actively practicing means working 30 hours per week for at least 90 days prior to the effective date of coverage.) Additional coverage requires a supplemental application and will be medically underwritten.
More information, including an application, is available at http://www.marshaffinity.com or call 800/842-3761.
Click here for more information on your membership benefits.
Contact: CMA’s membership hotline, 888/233-2937 or lgodward@cmanet.org.
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No. 2079
