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1. CMA Endorses Free Online CME for Physicians
Treating Victims of Domestic Violence
CMA has endorsed an innovative online education program to help California doctors better fulfill their important role in treating victims of domestic violence. The free CME program is now available at http://www.respondtodv.org.
The award-winning web-based education program fulfills two vital goals. It provides physicians with the tools they need to help patients who may be victims of domestic violence, while at the same time allowing doctors to meet state requirements for continuing education.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) is investing $355,000 to make the training available to all physicians at no charge for two years. The BSCF grant has also enabled the program’s authors to add important information on California laws and domestic violence resources. California-licensed physicians who use the program can receive up to 16 continuing medical education (CME) credits—also at no charge—for completing the course.
The state-of-the-art online CME program includes text-based simulations, multimedia tutorials, video presentations by domestic violence experts, downloadable practice tools, and links to scientific journal abstracts. It was developed under a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to Medical Directions, Inc. (MDI) of Tucson, Arizona.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Susan Penney, 415/882-3322 or spenney@cmanet.org.
2. Get Your Medical-Legal Questions Answered at
CMA ON-CALL; Free to Members and Newly Updated for 2007
The 2007 CMA ON-CALL documents have been updated and are now available online. ON-CALL is an online library that this year contains over 4,500 pages of medical-legal, regulatory, and reimbursement information. The searchable library contains all the information available in the California Physician’s Legal Handbook, an annual publication of CMA’s Center for Legal Affairs.
ON-CALL documents are available free to members at CMA’s members-only website. Nonmembers can purchase ON-CALL documents for $2 per page in CMA’s online bookstore.
If you haven’t taken advantage of this extraordinary resource, spend a few minutes browsing the ON-CALL index, and see what you’ve been missing.
New and updated ON-CALL documents for 2007 include:
- Language Interpreters (#0813)
- Restraints and Seclusion (#0419)
- Pandemic (#0845)
- Pain Management (#0513 )
- Punitive Damages (#0436)
- Electronic Funds Transfer (#1609)
Click here for more information.
Contact: CMA’s legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.
3. Highlights from CMA Board of Trustees Available
The CMA Board of Trustees met January 26 in Sacramento. A summary of the board’s major actions is now available online.
The board highlights offer a brief summary of major action and informational items discussed by the board. The highlights are not intended to be all-inclusive of items discussed, and these documents are not official CMA policy.
Contact: Ginnie Yee, 415/882-5170 or gyee@cmanet.org.
4. Improve Your Practice's Bottom Line: CMA's 10th Annual Leadership
Academy Features Four Powerful Practice Management Workshops
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.
5. Free Web Seminar: Megatrends Impacting Medical Practices Today
CMA affinity partner athenahealth is hosting a free web seminar for physicians on Thursday, February 15, at 9:15 a.m., Pacific time.
During the one-hour seminar health economist and co-founder of athenahealth Todd Park will discuss current trends affecting health care, including:
- Inconsistent payor billing standards
- Pressure to adopt new clinical systems
- Pay for performance
- Consumer-directed health care
Mr. Park will also provide recommendations on how physicians can collectively survive and harness forces to improve the health care landscape.
Click here for more information.
Contact: athenahealth, 866/817-5740.
6. Republicans Weigh In on Health Care Reform Debate
State Senate Republicans this week added their voice to the growing chorus calling for health care reform in California. The GOP plan would address California’s health care concerns by focusing on tax credits and health savings accounts. Senator George Runner (R-Lancaster), one of the principal authors, said “our plan focuses not on coverage, but access.”
The plan would, among other things:
- Increase Medi-Cal reimbursement rates
- Ease regulatory requirements on what products insurers can sell
- Create a tax credit for physicians who provide charity care
- Expand non-physician scope of practice
- Expand clinic access
- Reduce Medi-Cal benefits
- Not expand access to Medi-Cal or Healthy Families
- Not contain an individual or employer mandate
- Finance plan through reallocation of existing funds
- Provide low-interest loans and tax credits to encourage the adoption of health care information technology
Click here for more information, including a side-by-side comparison of all the plans that have thus far been proposed.
Contact: Susan Bassett, 916/444-5532 or sbassett@cmanet.org.
7. Member Benefit of the Week: 5th Annual Coding Extravaganza
CMA members receive $115 off registration for DecisionHealth’s fifth annual Specialty Coding Extravaganza, February 6-7 in Las Vegas. Attendees at this two-day conference will learn how to reduce “kicked back” claims and denials and dramatically improve cash flow.
Click here to log in and get your discount code or call CMA’s member help line at 888/233-2937.
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. 2080
