Medigram - April 16, 2009 | Wisconsin Medical Society

NEWS BRIEFS

Society advocates for statewide workplace smoking ban; goes smoke-free June 1

As part of Wisconsin’s "Holding Our Breath" coalition, the Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) is advocating for a statewide workplace smoking ban and supports a provision in the 2009-2011 biennial state budget that accomplishes this goal. The coalition is currently collecting both on-line and hard-copy signatures in support of the budget proposal, with a goal of collecting 5,000 signatures.

To sign the on-line petition, click here. Or, print out a hard copy of the petition to collect signatures in your physician lounge or office.

The Society is taking steps toward a creating healthier workplace for Society employees, members and visitors as well. While the Society’s Madison headquarters have been smoke-free, beginning June 1, the grounds will also be smoke-free.

CMS recognizes Joint Commission for continued hospice deeming authority

The Joint Commission’s authority to determine if hospice organizations meet Medicare and Medicaid certification requirements and are eligible for Medicare reimbursement has been renewed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services renewed this authority for the maximum six-year term allowed because The Joint Commission’s standards for hospice meet or exceed those established for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

For more information, read the press release here.

Nominations open for USP Council of Experts

US Pharmacopeia is seeking qualified candidates to serve as scientific decision makers on the 2010-2015 Council of Experts and its Expert Committees. The Wisconsin Medical Society is a USP member organization, and any Society member may be considered for one of the USP Committees or Councils.

Individuals may nominate themselves or colleagues at www.usp.org/goto/nominate. Members of the Council of Experts will chair 20 expert committees in areas such as nomenclature, small molecules, biologics and biotechnology, excipients, general chapters, reference standards, compounding, food ingredients and dietary supplements. USP also is seeking candidates for expert panels that will be formed to provide additional expertise in specific areas.

The deadlines for applications are December 31, 2009 for Council of Experts members and May 15, 2010 for Expert Committee members. Recruiting will continue through the summer for panel members.

Measuring hand hygiene adherence: making the what, why and how decisions
Joint Commission, partners release free educational monograph

Effective hand hygiene practices are important for reducing the transmission of potentially deadly germs in health care settings. To aid health care organizations in targeting efforts in measuring hygiene performance, The Joint Commission has released “Measuring Hand Hygiene Adherence: Overcoming the Challenges.” A result of a two-year collaboration with major infection control leadership organizations in the United States and abroad, the monograph helps identify effective approaches for measuring adherence to hand hygiene guidelines in health care organizations by providing a framework to help health care professionals make necessary decisions about when, why and how to measure compliance with hand hygiene.

Electronic copies of the monograph are available on The Joint Commission’s Web site. A free printed copy may be obtained by calling The Joint Commission’s Department of Customer Service Center at 630.790.5800, option 5, or sending an e-mail to customerservice@jointcommission.org.

For more information, read the press release here.

YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Society offers Red Flag Rules Toolkit for members

As reported in previous issues of Medigram, physicians must comply with federal regulations known as the “Red Flag Rules” by May 1. The Red Flag Rules require “creditors” to develop and implement written identity theft programs. The FTC has taken the position that health care providers (including physicians) are creditors—and subject to the Red Flag Rules—if they bill consumers after their services are completed or allow payment plans. Also health care providers (including physicians) that accept insurance are considered creditors if the consumer is ultimately responsible for the medical fees. (To read a previous summary of the Red Flag Rules, click here. To read about the postponement of the original enforcement date, click here. To read about opposition to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) interpretation that the rules apply to physicians, click here.)

Click here to read the rest of this article. (Member login required.)

CAPITOL INSIDER

Worker’s Compensation update: Management proposes treatment protocols

As part of negotiations over potential changes to the state’s Worker’s Compensation (WC) laws, Management representatives to the Worker’s Compensation Advisory Council (WCAC) this week proposed that current treatment guidelines be converted to strict protocols, with patients needing prior authorization for any care beyond those protocols. The negotiations happen every two years; the treatment guidelines took effect in November 2007, and are used when Worker’s Compensation treatment disputes occur.

Labor representatives expressed their concerns about the protocols proposal at Monday’s WCAC meeting, stressing that any change to the current system should not adversely affect WC patient outcomes or decrease patient satisfaction with the quality and timeliness of care. Negotiations are expected to continue for several weeks. If the WCAC’s voting members reach consensus, legislation is drafted and presented to the legislature, which generally passes the agreed-to bill in original form.

You can read Management’s proposal here (the provision on protocols begins on the second page). The Society is one of three non-voting health care liaisons to the WCAC, along with the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association. For more information, contact Mark Grapentine, JD.

Legislature’s Finance Committee starts voting on biennial budget—What you can do

The State Legislature’s powerful Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) began its work today on approving Governor Jim Doyle’s 2009-2011 $64.6 billion biennial budget proposal. While there will undoubtedly be some changes to the governor’s bill, wholesale amendments are not expected. Today’s topics centered on the Department of Transportation (including a proposal to make vehicle seatbelt use a primary enforcement offense, which passed today on a 14-1 vote) and various government operations and procedures. For a list of budget papers from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, click here. These papers provide JCF members with background information and potential options for voting on each budget item; for example, the primary enforcement paper is here.

As mentioned in previous editions of Medigram, the budget contains numerous items of interest to physicians and their patients. If you would like to receive an alert when the legislature is preparing to vote on those issues and you would like your voice to be heard, join the Society’s Key Contact program for e-mailed alerts.

For more information, contact Mark Grapentine, JD or Beth Alvin.

F.Y.I. FOR YOUR INSURANCE

Floods emphasize the need for business insurance

Wisconsin’s 2008 floods highlighted just how important it is for small-business owners to have adequate insurance coverage. According to insurance industry experts, many small businesses, which include medical practices, are underinsured, either in dollar terms or in the kinds of policies they’ve taken out. There are many reasons for this. For example, the business owner may not realize that a policy does not cover certain hazards, and some owners may decide to forgo a certain type of insurance coverage for economic reasons.

A business owner needs to weigh the risk of a disaster striking the company against the cost of coverage or the cost of having to rebuild the business if it is underinsured. One mistake owners make is to take out a policy that covers property damage from forces such as wind, rain, hail and fire, assuming that’s all the coverage they need. They would be better off with a business owner’s policy, which includes property coverage and—perhaps even more important in the event of a disaster—business interruption insurance. It may cost more than a standard property policy, but business interruption insurance can help save a company from going under.

Contact the Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. for assistance with purchasing a business owner’s insurance plan that meets the needs of your business.

QUALITY CORNER

Comments needed for draft of AHRQ research review

A new draft of a research review is available for comment under The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Program. To review or comment on “Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Therapies with or without ACEs or ARBs for Stable Ischemic Heart Disease,” click here.

FAQ

Question:
What is “Return of Premium” life insurance?

Answer:
“Return of Premium” life insurance is a term life insurance policy that provides both death benefit protection and a return of premium insurance feature. If you keep your policy for the term period, at the end of that time, whether 15, 20 or 30 years, the company that issued the insurance with the return of premium policy returns the entire premium that you paid for the insurance. Unlike regular term policies, Return of Premium term life insurance rewards you for keeping the policy by giving a guaranteed return of your total cumulative premium paid on the policy during the policy term period.

For more information, contact your Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance & Financial Services agent to learn more about your particular plan, or use this on-line contact form.