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1. Missing VA Hard Drive Holds Sensitive
Data on 1.3M Doctors, Including 53K in California
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently notified physicians that an external hard drive that went missing in January from the VA Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., also contained billing and demographic information for more than 1.3 million doctors nationwide. Initially, the VA indicated that the drive contained personal information on 48,000 veteran patients. Officials later learned that the missing hard drive contained sensitive personal information on nearly 200,000 patients and more than 1.3 million physicians, including 52,733 doctors in California. The VA is offering a year of free credit monitoring to those who were affected.
The missing hard drive contained physicians’ Unique Physician Identification Numbers (UPINs), state license numbers, dates of birth, business addresses, and employer identification numbers. While there have been no reported misuses of this information, physicians are urged to take steps to protect themselves from identity theft.
Affected physicians should have recently received a letter with instructions on how to take advantage of the free credit monitoring offer. The VA has established a dedicated call center to answer your questions about this issue. Call center staff can be reached by phone (888/368-0312 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time) or e-mail (call.center2@va.gov).
Click here for more information.
Contact: Veterans Affairs Call Center, 888/368-0312 or call.center2@va.gov.
2. Doctors Experiencing Pediatric Vaccine Delays
A number of physicians have reported to CMA delays in receiving pediatric vaccines ordered through the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program. Orders that usually take two weeks from order to fulfillment have been taking four to five weeks.
Physicians should be aware that the delays do not signal a vaccine shortage. According to the California Department of Health Services (DHS), the delays are a temporary result of the recent transition to a new centralized national vaccine inventory and distribution system.
Physicians are urged to assess their inventory and adjust their ordering practices to make sure they do not run out of vaccine.
Howard Backer, M.D., chief of the DHS Immunization Branch, has assured CMA that the department is aware of the problem and is doing everything it can to stabilize and improve the situation. “We do not have any control over delays at the CDC and the national distributor, although we are a loud squeaky wheel to the CDC concerning the deterioration in customer service,” says Dr. Backer. “We are taking aggressive measures at our end to minimize delays and reduce processing time. “
Vaccines for Children provides vaccines at little or no cost to physicians who serve eligible children. For more information on this program, call DHS at 877/243-8832 or contact your local VFC representative.
Click here for more details, including a contact information for your local field VFC rep.
3. You Wanted to Know: Is My Website HIPAA Compliant?
If you, like a growing number of physician practices, have a website to promote your practice, don’t forget about your obligations under the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
The Privacy Rule requires all physicians with “direct treatment relationships” to provide their patients with a written notice of the privacy practices they use to protect patients’ health information. (Physicians with indirect treatment relationships—such as pathologists or consulting radiologists—do not have to give patients a notice of privacy practices.)
Not only are you required to post your privacy notice prominently in your office where it can be seen by your patients, but you are also required to post the notice on your website and make it available electronically (by fax or e-mail, for example) to patients who request it.
CMA has a number of resources to help physician offices comply with HIPAA. Among those resources is a notice-of-privacy-practices template, available free to members at the CMA members-only website. Members can download the template, which is included in ON-CALL document #1603, “HIPAA ACT SMART: Introduction to the HIPAA Privacy Rule,” at CMA's members-only website. Nonmembers can purchase this and other ON-CALL documents for $2 per page at CMA’s online bookstore. The template has been customized to comply with California-specific privacy laws, as well.
CMA members also get a discount on a comprehensive HIPAA compliance tool kit, from CMA’s HIPAA partner, PrivaPlan. The easy-to-use CD-ROM was specifically designed to meet the needs of California’s solo and small to midsize practices. It includes a step-by-step compliance plan and all the California-specific forms, policies, and procedures you’ll need to maintain HIPAA compliance.
CMA members receive the CD-ROM tool kit for a special discounted price of $325 (nonmembers pay $495). Annual updates are available for a small additional fee. Place your order online or call PrivaPlan at 877/218-7707.
Click here for more information.
Contact: CMA’s legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.
4. 2007 Medicare Quality Reporting Tool Kits Now Available
On July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin its Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), a voluntary reporting program that encourages quality improvement through the use of clinical performance measures.
To help physicians successfully participate in the program, CMS, in collaboration with the AMA, recently published a PQRI tool kit. The tool kit, available at the PQRI website, contains educational resources and measure-specific worksheets designed to walk the user step by step through reporting for each measure. The tool kit will be expanded as new educational resources become available.
PQRI establishes financial incentives – bonus payments of 1.5 percent of total allowed charges for covered Medicare physician services – for physicians who participate in this voluntary program. The current reporting period is for claims with dates of service from July 1 through December 31. Claims must be received on or before February 29, 2008, to be included in the bonus payment calculation.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Sandra Bressler, 415/882-5171 or sbressler@cmanet.org.
5. Next Medicare Conference Call on New
Quality Reporting Program Is June 27
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are hosting a series of conference calls to help physicians understand and prepare for Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The Q&A format will allow physicians and their staff to have their questions answered by CMS PQRI experts. The next call is Wednesday, June 27, noon to 2 p.m., Pacific time.
Participation is free, but registration is required. Available phone slots fill up quickly, so interested physicians are urged to register as soon as possible. Registration information is available at the PQRI website. Physicians who are unable to participate in these calls can access on-demand audio replays, also at the PQRI website.
Click here for more information.
Contact: Geanelle E. Griffith, 410/786-4466 or geanelle.griffith@cms.hhs.gov.
6. Member Benefit of the Week: 30–35% Off Epocrates Clinical Reference Guides
CMA members receive 30 percent off one-year subscriptions and 35 percent off two-year subscriptions to any Epocrates product. Students and residents receive 50 percent off all Epocrates products. Group discounts are also available. Epocrates provides physicians with point-of-care access (via PDA, desktop computer, or the Internet) to up-to-date information on drugs, diseases, and diagnostics. Epocrates allows physicians to make better clinical decisions, saving time and improving quality of care. To receive your discount, log in to the CMA members-only website and follow the links to the Epocrates website.
Click here for more information on your membership benefits.
Contact: CMA’s Member Service Center, 888/233-2937 or lgodward@cmanet.org.
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