'Ban the Tan' Bill Headed to Governor's Desk to Be Signed Into Law
The Jim Fulghum Teen Skin Cancer Prevention Act is headed to Governor McCrory’s desk after the Senate passed the bill on a vote of 48-2 on Wednesday. The bill would ban children under 18 from using tanning beds in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) supported the North Carolina Dermatology Association in their long battle to get this bill passed, citing the many scientific…
Pioneer ACO Model Generates Medicare Savings, Independent Report Reveals
The US Department of Health and Human Services released an independent evaluation report showing an innovative payment model created as a pilot project by the Affordable Care Act generated substantial savings to Medicare in just two years. Additionally, the independent Office of the Actuary in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has certified that this patient care model is the…
From Contraceptives to Colonoscopies Feds Clarify What the ACA Covers
To help clear up any confusion about what preventative health benefits are covered by the Affordable Care Act, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) including information on contraceptives, BRCA testing, immunizations and colonoscopies. Review the questions and answers.
What MACRA Means to You — Detailed Summary of Historic SGR Repeal Bill
The AMA has produced a detailed summary of HR 2, the hard won legislation that repealed the sustainable growth rate formula and is now known by the new acronym MACRA (the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015). The summary describes the new payment model among other aspects of the legislation and includes a timeline for implementation. Read the summary and review the timeline.
More NCTracks Users Need to Prepare for ICD-10 Implementation
The results of the second ICD-10 readiness survey for users of the state’s NC Tracks Medicaid claims system, shows a slight improvement in the number of providers prepared for the transition to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, but still not the number who need to be ready for the changeover. The NC Department of Health and Human Services Director of the Division of Medical Assistance, Robin Gary Cummings, MD,…
ICD-10 Medicare Testing Opportunity Still Available
During the week of July 20-24, 2015, a final sample group of providers will have the opportunity to participate in ICD-10 end-to-end testing with Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and the Common Electronic Data Interchange (CEDI) contractor. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is accepting additional July volunteers through May 22, 2015. This is your chance to…
CMS Offers Help On ICD-10 Implementation
It’s not too late to get ready for ICD-10 implementation on October 1, 2015. During this Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Connects National Provider Call, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) subject matter experts will present strategies and resources to help you prepare. Also, learn about ICD-10-PCS Section X for new technologies, which will be used by hospitals. A question and…
Review Your Open Payments Reports
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Open Payments program collects data from drug and device manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) about payments they make to physicians and teaching hospitals. The program also reports information about ownership interests in drug and device manufacturers and GPOs held by physicians and their immediate family members. It’s…
More Codes Open for Billing by PAs and NPs in NCTracks
There is some news in the long-running saga of CPT codes closed to PAs and NPs since the NCTracks Medicaid claims system for North Carolina went live in July 2013.
The Department of Medical Assistance (DMA) announced 66 more codes open for billing by Physician Assistants (PA) and Nurse Practitioners (NP). DMA’s posted chart incorporates these newly-opened codes into the list of codes previously…
Helpful Tips on Diagnosing Acute Pesticide Poisoning
The North Carolina Pesticide Incident Surveillance Program, a program within the NC Division of Public Health, monitors the frequency of acute pesticide poisonings in the state and requires health providers to report confirmed or suspicious cases to them. Like many illnesses linked to environmental exposures, however, pesticide poisonings are commonly under diagnosed due in large part to…
Credible Newest Gold Level NCMS Vendor Partner
Credible, the leading independent marketplace for student loan refinancing, is the newest gold level partner with the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) to benefit members through the NCMS Marketplace. The partnership will help address the growing student debt issues of young doctors, who hold an average of over $170,000 of student debt at graduation.
Credible serves as a matchmaker between…
Problem Solved: How Do I Find My Local AHEC?
If you need an answer or a problem solved regarding your practice, as a North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) member you have access to our Solution Center Coordinator, Belinda McKoy, who is standing by to help you solve the problem or answer your question. Call (919-833-3836 x142) or email Belinda the next time you need a problem solved.
Here is a common question Belinda receives:
How do I…
In the News
What's Next If the Supreme Court Strikes Down Obamacare Aid? NPR, 5-11-15
White House Moves to Fix 2 Key Consumer Complaints About Health Care Law, The New York Times, 5-8-15
Advocates Say Precision Medicine Could Lead To Enormous Benefits, NEJM Journal Watch, 5-7-15
Study on Premature Babies Raises Questions About Abortion and Medical Care, The Washington Post, 5-7-15
Medicare Payments Still…
Learning Opportunities
NCTracks Training Courses Available in May 2015. Unless otherwise noted, all courses will be offered at the CSC facility (2610 Wycliff Road, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607-3073) and involves hands-on training. Enrollment will be limited to 45 participants. To register for these courses, logon to the secure NCTracks Provider Portal and click Provider Training to access SkillPort. Open the folder…
NCMS Update: May 11, 2015
Watch what you call that disease:
In naming infectious diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) would like to be more sensitive. Read their view on the issue.
North Carolina Wins Kudos from Sec. Burwell:
The US Health and Human Services Secretary praised the state for being one of the top enrollment states for the ACA. Read health care reporter Karen Garloch’s account of her visit to…
NCMS Update: May 7, 2015
The NCMS Legislative Cabinet met last night
The group discussed the latest developments at the legislature and welcomed NCMS PAC chair Sharon Foster, MD, who encouraged Cabinet members to host PAC events to support our legislative agenda.
Don’t miss today’s webinar – but if you do, no worries. It will be repeated next Tuesday
Stephen Nuckolls, CEO of Coastal Carolina Quality Care, will present a…
NCMS Update: May 6, 2015
NCMS UPDATE
May 6, 2015
Gun bill dropped for the moment
HB 562, Second Amendment Affirmation Act, was pulled from the calendar of the House Appropriations Committee where it was to be discussed Wednesday morning. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jacqueline Schaffer, R-Mecklenburg did not explain why she had it removed from the calendar, according to press accounts. The NCMS opposes the…
NCMS Update: May 5, 2015
NCMS UPDATE
May 5, 2015
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
NCMS Announces Settlement of Lawsuit with United Healthcare:
Read our press release on the settlement of this 11-year old lawsuit. Here’s a brief selection of media coverage of the settlement.
Triangle Business Journals
WFAE radio in Charlotte also ran a brief story quoting NCMS CEO Robert W. Seligson and the Raleigh News & Observer is working on…
NCMS Update: May 4, 2015
Got Quality? See How You’re Doing According to CMS:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2014 Mid-Year Quality and Resource Use Reports (MYQRURs) to physician solo practitioners and groups of physicians nationwide. The 2014 MYQRURs were made available for informational purposes only and provide interim information about performance on the six cost and three…
NCMS Update: May 1, 2015
Crossover is over; Onward to the Budget: The NC General Assembly finished their business in the wee hours of this morning (2:26 a.m. to be exact). Overall, 1,655 bills were filed this session with 343 bills passing in the House and 164 passing in the Senate by the crossover deadline. Several policy bills of interest to NCMS made it through:
HB158, the Jim Fulghrum Teen Skin Cancer Prevention…
NCMS UPDATE: April 30, 2015
Time stands still in Raleigh: Today is “crossover” at the General Assembly, meaning late nights for the NCMS Government Affairs lobbying staff as legislators try to push their bills through either the House or Senate. If a policy bill is not passed by either chamber by midnight tonight, it’s pretty much ‘dead’ this session. Bills with a budget impact, however, like Medicaid reform, are not…
The SGR Has Been Repealed. Now What?
With the long awaited and historic repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula two weeks ago, national health policy analysts and North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) staff have been digging through the legislation to uncover what it all means for you and your practice going forward.
First, add a new acronym to your vocabulary – MACRA, which stands for Medicare Access and CHIP…
ACO Toolkit for Gynecologists Now Available
For gynecologists interested in learning more about accountable care organizations and what their practice’s role may be in such a model of care, a new resource is now available online. The Accountable Care Guide for Gynecologists (PDF) has been released and may be downloaded for free on the Toward Accountable Care (TAC) Consortium and Initiative website. The Accountable Care Guide for…
Applications Now Accepted for NCMS Leadership College 2016
Applications for Leadership College 2016 are now being accepted. The NCMS Foundation Leadership College, part of the Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership, was developed for physicians from across the state who want to develop their leadership skills, and who are interested in attending a professional leadership development program. Since its inception in 2002, the Leadership College has…
Practice in the Triangle? Come to the May 15 NCMS Mixer!
May 15, 2015 - DuBose House, Rizzo Center, Chapel Hill
Open House from 5:30pm-7:30pm
Physicians, PAs, and students in and around the Triangle area are invited to attend this informal mixer, where attendees can meet with NCMS Board members and mingle with peers.
Invite your spouse to come along to this free event and make it a date night! Dress is casual; drinks and hors d'oeuvres are on us.…
Palmetto GBA Will Continue As North Carolina’s Medicare Administrator
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced as of April 1, 2015, Palmetto GBA has been awarded another five year contract to administer Medicare services for the region that includes North Carolina. Palmetto GBA has been the Medicare Administrative Contractor for the jurisdiction that includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia since 2010.
These…
Dispelling ICD-10 Myths
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to dispel some of the myths surrounding the impending implementation of the new ICD-10 codes. Here are the facts about ICD-10:
No more delays -- the ICD-10 transition date is set for October 1, 2015.
The government, payers, and large providers alike have made a substantial investment in ICD-10. This cost will rise if the transition is…
ICD-10 Help From NCTracks
NCTracks Medicaid claims system staff is gearing up for the transition to ICD-10, and offers this advice to providers: Find out what your ICD-10 codes will be by using the latest version of the NCTracks ICD-10 Crosswalk.
The ICD-10 codes in the Crosswalk are the ones that will be used in NCTracks when it is switched to ICD-10 codes on October 1. A few non-specific ICD-9 codes are not in Crosswalk…
BCBSNC ICD-10 Provider Readiness Survey
From Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
This ICD-10 conversion readiness survey is being conducted to identify and evaluate opportunities to minimize possible disruptions in health care billing, reporting, and payment processes within North Carolina’s health-care industry.
The survey consists of just six questions related to your organizational readiness for ICD-10 compliance on October…
What Does A Patient Safety Organization Offer?
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enacted the Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Act, which creates a voluntary reporting program in which health care providers can share information relating to patient safety events with a patient safety organization (PSO) on a privileged and confidential basis. The goal is to bolster efforts to improve the quality and safety of health…
In the News
Huge Medicare Appeals Backlog Draws Senate Scrutiny, ModernHealthCare, 4-28-15
How Is the Doctor-Patient Relationship Changing? It's Going Electronic, The Washington Post, 4-27-15
Should Doctors Be Allowed to Ask Patients About Their Gun Habits?, The Los Angeles Times, 4-23-15
Five Years Old, Going On 10: The Future of the ACA, MedPageToday, 4-22-15
Few Consumers Are Using Quality, Price…
Learning Opportunities
Diagnostic Error…It Happens! The NCQC Patient Safety Organization invites you to their May 5 webinar from 11 am – noon as Dr. Mark Graber, a national leader in the field of patient safety, addresses the reality of diagnostic errors. To Register: Click Here
NCTracks Training Courses Available in May 2015. Unless otherwise noted, all courses will be offered at the CSC facility in Raleigh…
Congress Votes to Repeal SGR
Last night history was made when the US Senate repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula with passage of H.R. 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” or MACRA. The Senate passed bill was identical to the version that passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming 392-37 margin on March 26. Now the legislation is with President Obama, who has indicated he will sign…
NCMS Leads Medicaid Reform Efforts
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has been leading the charge toward meaningful Medicaid reform most recently by bringing together the groups most affected by changes to the state’s Medicaid program. The goal of this large group of concerned organizations is to present a detailed plan to legislators in the next few weeks. Ideally, the plan would serve the most vulnerable citizens of North…
General Assembly Considers Changes To NC Medical Board Law
House Bill 543, Amend Laws Pertaining to NC Medical Board, was reviewed today by the House Health Committee. This bill is similar to one introduced last year at the General Assembly and is the result of a year’s work to reach a broad agreement within organized medicine on the content of the proposed amendments.
Among the proposed changes:
The bill would modernize the Physicians Health Program…
3 Percent Medicaid Retroactive Rate Reduction to Begin April 23
The NC Department of Health and Human Services issued a special Bulletin to Medicaid providers last night alerting everyone that they will begin reprocessing claims incorporating the retroactive 3 percent rate reduction passed by the General Assembly in 2014. The reduced rate will be assessed back to January 2014, when it was originally to begin.
Learn the details about what this may mean for you…
CMS Proposal Seeks to Streamline EHR Incentive Programs
On Friday, April 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new proposed rule for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs standardizing the 2015 meaningful use reporting period from one year to 90 days among other changes.
CMS’ goal is to allow providers to “focus more closely on the advanced use of certified EHR technology to support health information exchange…
CMS Certifies NCTracks Paving Way for Higher Federal Payments to State
NCTracks, the claims payment system implemented by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, has earned certification by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The certification of this claims system, which fumbled at its launch on July 1, 2013, means the federal government will now bear more of the cost of its operation resulting in about $19 million…
NC Medical Care Advisory Committee Seeks Nominees
The Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC), which advises the Director of the NC Department of Medical Assistance (DMA) on how proposed initiatives and changes would impact the Medicaid Program, is seeking new members. Read more about the purpose of the MCAC here.
Committee members must represent all 13 congressional districts in the state and must include health care providers, consumers…
NCMS President Schaaf Receives Order of the Long Leaf Pine
Robert Seligson (left) presented Dr. Robert Schaaf with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine during an employee event at Wake Radiology.
North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) CEO Robert W. Seligson presented NCMS President Robert E. Schaaf, MD, FACR, with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine on behalf of Governor Pat McCrory on Monday evening, April 13, at the Wake Radiology employee dinner and…
Practice in Pennsylvania in the Last Six Years? You May Get a Refund Payment
If you practiced in Pennsylvania in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, or 2014, you may be eligible for a refund payment from the Mcare Fund, a state fund that provides excess medical liability coverage for physicians and certain other health care providers and is funded by assessments on the providers.
The refunds are required as a result of a settlement of litigation involving the Mcare Fund brought by…
Tomorrow Is Health Care Decisions Day
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed tomorrow, Thursday, April 16, 2015 Health Care Decisions Day. The special recognition is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for health care decisions related to end-of-life care and medical decision making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves. The proclamation also encourages the specific use of advance…
Credible — Newest NCMS Gold Level Partner
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is pleased to announce Credible has become a new Gold level partner as part of our Marketplace to benefit our members.
Credible offers NCMS members the ability to easily save on their student debt. With Credible, you can easily submit a single form and receive offers from multiple lenders. The average medical school graduate who refinances with Credible…
Nominees Sought For Physician Community Service Award
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is accepting nominations for the E. Harvey Estes, Jr., MD, Physician Community Service Award. This award is designed to provide recognition for the many and varied services rendered by physicians to their communities apart from their practice of medicine. The recipient must be a physician licensed in North Carolina; must not have received the award…
Anderson Award Open for Nominations
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) is accepting nominations for the John Huske Anderson Award, given annually to a layperson whose contributions have had a positive impact on the medical profession and public health. The award honors Mr. Anderson's service to medicine and the Society, having served as NCMS legal counsel from 1937 until his retirement in 1983. Nominations must be made by an…
Problem Solved: Are There Guidelines For Closing Or Departing a Medical Practice?
If you need an answer or a problem solved regarding your practice, as a North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) member you have access to our Solution Center Coordinator, Belinda McKoy, who is standing by to help you solve the problem or answer your question. Call (919-833-3836 x142) or email Belinda the next time you need a problem solved.
Here is a common question Belinda receives:
Question: Are…
NCMS Plan Health Promotion Coordinator Named To Top 100
NCMS Plan Health Promotion Coordinator Jason Horay was named as one of the Top 100 Health Promotion Professionals by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) for promoting well-being among NCMS Plan members.
WELCOA’s Top 100 were selected based on peer voting and a judging panel that reviewed the applications. To qualify, the health professionals must coordinate ongoing health programs, implement…
In the News
Prescription Drug Spending Jumps 13% To Record $374 billion in 2014, The Los Angeles Times, 4-14-15
Oncologists Weigh In On Ken Burns' Cancer Documentary, MedPage Today, 4-13-15
Survey: Nearly 9 in 10 Adults Now Have Health Insurance, The Associated Press, 4-13-15
The County Doc With A $10 Billion Budget, MedPage Today, 4-12-15
Health IT Interoperability Remains Elusive, ModernHealthCare,……
Learning Opportunities
NCMS Legislative Update, TOMORROW, Thursday, April 16, noon- 1p.m. Join Jennifer Gasperini, NCMS Director of Health Policy, for this free webinar in which she will discuss the latest updates on Medicaid reform and other legislative issues being discussed by the North Carolina General Assembly in the 2015 long session. You must register here to attend.
How to Register for the PQRS Group…
Thank your legislators for the repeal of the SGR
Please reach out to thank the Senators and Representatives who voted in favor of HB2 and repeal of the SGR. A sample message may read:
Thank you for your support of HB2. This is historic legislation that finally brings an end to an era of uncertainty for Medicare beneficiaries and their physicians and puts us on the road toward implementation of innovative care models that will improve care…