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Medigram - February 28, 2008


CONTENTS


TOP STORY

Save the date: Society’s Annual Meeting April 11 and 12

Preparations for the Wisconsin Medical Society’s 2008 Annual Meeting are well underway. Society members are encouraged to participate in this annual event, which is scheduled April 11 and 12 at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison.

Although only delegates are allowed to vote on policy issues, all Society members can take an active role by voicing their opinions on proposed action items during “town-hall” style reference committee meetings Friday afternoon. Additionally, a CME presentation entitled “Cost of Care (Efficiency) Measurement” will be offered Friday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. for all members, and the Society’s 153rd president, Steven Bergin, MD, of Stevens Point will be sworn in during Friday evening’s inaugural and award ceremony. For a schedule of events, click here.

Caucus meetings will be held across the state on the dates listed below to allow delegates the opportunity to discuss items being acted upon at the Annual Meeting.
  • District 1 Caucus: Monday, April 7, Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West, 2303 N Mayfair Rd, Wauwatosa. Milwaukee County delegates will meet from 6-7 p.m.; all District 1 delegates will meet at 7 p.m.
  • District 2 Caucus: Tuesday, April 1, Wisconsin Medical Society, Madison, 6:30 p.m.
  • District 3 Caucus: March 17, Freighthouse Restaurant, La Crosse, 6:30 p.m.
  • District 4 Caucus: March 19, Wausau Country Club, Wausau, 6:30 p.m.
  • District 5 Caucus: Tuesday, March 11, Robbins, 1810 Omro Rd, Oshkosh, 6 p.m.
  • District 6 Caucus: Thursday, March 13, Cheffetta's, 2222 Riverside Dr, Green Bay, 6:30 p.m.
  • District 7 Caucus: Wednesday, April 2, Sweetwater's Restaurant, Eau Claire, 6:30 p.m.
  • District 8 Caucus: Thursday, April 3, The Platter Restaurant, Ashland, 6:30 p.m.
  • Specialty Section: Monday, April 7, Wisconsin Medical Society, Madison, 7 p.m.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Society Field Directors Melissa Breen or Jeffrey Nelson.

NEWS BRIEFS

Calls to Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line break all records

As February winds down, the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line announced that in the first two months of 2008 it has fielded a record-breaking 20,000 calls from Wisconsin residents looking for help to quit. During a typical year, the quit line provides services to about 9,000 callers.

“This unprecedented success in assisting Wisconsin smokers through 1-800-QUIT-NOW breaks all previous state records,” said Society member Michael Fiore, MD, director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, which manages the quit line. “National peers who provide quit services in other states report they have never before seen such a successful state effort to help smokers quit.”

The increase in caller volume was likely spurred by a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase, which went into effect January 1.

All Quit Line users receive free information in the mail. Quit coaches help create individualized quit plans, which include tips on how to live smoke free. At the caller’s request, quit coaches will call back up to four times to offer more free assistance. Callers who agree to receive the quit line coaching receive a two-week starter kit of FDA-approved nicotine medication (patch, gum or lozenges).

Physicians and other health care professionals who want to help their patients quit using tobacco are also encouraged to view this Web-based training program, which features information about new medications, leading-edge methods and new patient resources. Doctor Fiore presented the program just before the new tax took effect. It was sponsored by the Society, Smokefree Wisconsin and UW-CTRI.


Physician profiling resources available from AMA

More and more health insurers are creating profiles of physicians for the purpose of publishing "doctor-ratings" aimed at patients and establishing tiered and narrow health plan networks, according to the American Medical Association. And as a result, the AMA has been working actively to expose such programs as schemes to steer patients toward doctors deemed "less costly" than their peers, based on flawed methodology. It has also prepared a number of resources to help physicians understand, prepare for, and, when necessary, challenge the way they are profiled. Some are available for AMA members only on the AMA’s Web site, but two are available for download at no charge. Click here to access "Physician profiling: How to prepare your practice" and "How to challenge your ‘profile' or placement in a tiered or narrow network."


Former Rep. Gielow joins Society on special assignment

Curt Gielow, former state representative from Mequon, has joined the Wisconsin Medical Society staff on a part-time basis as Senior Advisor to the CEO. Rep. Gielow will focus on identifying and executing strategic initiatives that position the Society for a leadership role on issues affecting physicians. Health care reform proposals, long term care reform initiatives and medical claims data assimilation for use in quality improvements and transparency are some of the issues under consideration.

Rep. Gielow holds an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He can be reached at curt@gielowassociates.com.


YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Can a physician be liable to a third party for the actions of a patient?

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently said “yes,” allowing the mother of a boy who was hit by a car and died to sue the physician who prescribed medications to the driver (Coombes v. Florio, 450 Mass. 182 [2007]). Massachusetts is not the only state to expand physician liability to third parties; courts in Washington, Maine and Hawaii have issued similar rulings.

Wisconsin courts could reach a similar conclusion. In Schuster v. Altenberg (144 Wis. 2d 223 [1988]), the Wisconsin Supreme Court (Court) recognized that third parties could potentially sustain a claim against a physician. Click here to read this article in its entirety.

CAPITOL INSIDER

Assembly version of statewide smoking ban heard in committee

The Assembly Public Health Committee held a public hearing yesterday on Assembly Bill 834, the “Breathe Free Wisconsin Act”, which would require every workplace in Wisconsin – including bars and restaurants – to become smoke-free. Society members who were at the four-hour hearing to testify in support of the bill included Patrick Remington, MD, MPH, Michael Fiore, MD, MPH, Frank Byrne, MD, Todd Mahr, MD, Robert Phillips, MD, and Robert Feulner, MD.

AB 834 is the Assembly companion to Senate Bill 150. However, the effective date of AB 834 is January 1 2009, a year sooner than the Senate Public Health Committee had agreed on during its executive session for SB 150. It appears that the Assembly Public Health Committee will meet Tuesday to take executive action on AB 834. If the bill passes at that time, advocates will have roughly two weeks to get the bill through both legislative houses before session ends.

In support of a smoke-free state, Citizens for Smoke-free Air is holding a day at the Capitol and a rally at the Monona Terrace Tuesday, March 4. Seven-time Tour de France winner, cancer survivor and cancer advocate Lance Armstrong will appear with Governor Jim Doyle to urge approval of The Breathe Free Wisconsin Act during the rally at Monona Terrace from noon to 12:45 p.m. Armstrong is the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports cancer research.

Society members are encouraged to participate in the rally. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. and the rally and group visits to legislative offices will wrap up around 3 p.m. Free buses are available for those traveling from Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wausau, Green Bay and Milwaukee.

For more information, contact Jeremy Levin.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

PQRI, NPI, CAP, MAC, C-SNAP, EPO, IVR, RAC ... it just sounds like vegetable soup!

Mark your calendars and prepare to join Society Educator Penny Osmon, CPC, and a guest speaker from WPS Provider Outreach and Education to learn everything you need to know to Master Medicare in 2008. This full-day session will address last minute changes to the physician fee schedule final rule, Medicare coverage of the many new CPT codes for 2008, NPI and PQRI updates, an up-close tour of the new WPS Web site, policy and coverage updates you won’t want to miss and more. Back by popular demand, this seminar will end with a one-hour open forum Q&A session in which any of your Medicare billing, coding or policy questions may be addressed. So don’t wait, register today and be well on your way to Mastering Medicare in 2008!

Click here for more information and a list of cities.

QUALITY CORNER

State e-health activities in 2007: Findings from a state survey

Virtually all states now are actively engaged in e-health strategies to facilitate the use of information technology to make the health care system more effective while providing greater value and higher quality. States see e-health initiatives as high-priority; however, they and their private sector partners face significant challenges that accompany such initiatives, including the issues of cost and time required for implementation and for realizing a return on the investment. This report is based on a 2007 survey of states and the District of Columbia conducted by the National Governors Association in partnership with Health Management Associates and with support from The Commonwealth Fund. The purpose of the survey was to identify current e-health initiatives, priorities and challenges within state governments. To read the report, click here.

FAQ

Question:
How much will my physician be reimbursed if we have an unplanned, related return to the operating room following the initial procedure during the postoperative period and we append modifier 78 to the CPT code?

Answer:
When you append modifier 78, you will be reimbursed the intra-operative percentage only. You can find this information by CPT code in The Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value File on the CMS Web site.

For answers to other Frequently Asked Questions about coding matters and more, click here to review our Education Department’s FAQ archive, or e-mail efaq@wismed.org.