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Medigram - June 25, 2009


NEWS BRIEFS

Coding & Practice Management Symposium materials headed your way

Be sure to check your mailbox: Information and registration materials for the 10th Annual Midwest Coding & Practice Management Symposium are on their way to your practice. You may also view the brochure on-line here.

The 2009 symposium, A Roadmap for Transformation in Health Care, will take place October 18-20 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells and will feature sessions on evaluation and management (E/M) auditing, ICD-10, electronic medical records, risk management, the new HITECH Act and much more.

In addition, a two-day physician track focused on the themes of From Data Mining to Data Shining and Work Smart, Work With Purpose will take place October 18-19, featuring sessions on workflow efficiency, the patient-centered medical home model of care, performance improvement continuing medical education (CME) and other topics. Materials about these physician-oriented programs will be mailed to your practice in July.

A number of this year’s offerings are eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and continuing education credits from other professional organizations may be available as well. Click here for more information on how to qualify for these credits.

For more information on the symposium or the new discount available for groups, contact Stephanie Taylor at 608.442.3796.


NHANES coming to Dane County beginning July 7

Dane County has been selected as one of 15 counties in the nation to participate in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an annual national health survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

From July 7 through September 7, more than 400 people residing in Dane County will be asked to participate in this national health survey process. Data will be collected through in-home interviews and health measurements at a mobile health center.

Interviews will include demographic, socioeconomic, dietary and health-related questions, while the examination consists of medical, dental and physiologic measurements, including vision, hearing and laboratory tests. The exams will be conducted by doctors, dentists, nutritionists and health technicians, many of whom are bilingual.

There are a number of benefits for Dane County residents who participate in NHANES, including cash compensation, free health measurements and free child care or elder care assistance. Information collected will be used to determine the prevalence of major diseases and their risk factors, assess the nation’s nutritional status and develop health-promotion policies and programs.

For more information about NHANES, visit the CDC’s Web site.

Please share this information with community leaders such as alders, county board Supervisors, neighborhood resource teams and community organizations.


International Swine Flu Conference slated for August 19-21

Health care professionals and public health officials from around the world are invited to attend the International Swine Flu Conference in Washington, D.C., August 19-21.

In additional to presentations and panel discussions by experts on the H1N1 influenza (swine flu) virus, breakout sessions on the following topics—and many others—will be held:
  • Mass fatality management planning
  • Business continuity planning
  • Emergency management services
  • 911 call center services
  • School and university pandemic planning
  • Airlines, travel, airport, quarantine and border health services
  • Infectious medical waste
More information on this event and registration instructions are available here. If you have questions, contact Rachel Carter at 202.536.5000.


New Web resources about e-prescribing available from CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created two new resource pages for their 2009 Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program.

One section shares a sample e-prescribing claim and outlines new claims-based reporting principles. The other includes fact sheets about the program, instructions on applying for CME credit and more. Click here to access this information.

NEWSMAKERS

Roberts featured on NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’

Society member Richard Roberts, MD, a family physician in Belleville, was recently featured on an episode of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” program that discussed physicians’ criticisms of the American health care system and their ideas about how to reform it.

“The debates about whether it needs to be single-payer or multipayer, I’m going to leave that to the politicians ... I just want to get it done and have everybody covered,” he said in an interview with NPR’s Joanne Silberner.

Click here to listen to the segment and read an article that includes Dr. Roberts.


Vasudevan sworn in as Waukesha County Medical Society President

Sridhar V. Vasudevan, MD, was inaugurated as President of the Waukesha County Medical Society June 3. Doctor Vasudevan practices in Menomonee Falls and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Foundation. He also is chair of the Society’s political action committee, WisMedPAC.


Clarke elected to AMA Alliance nominating committee


Sherry Clarke, RN, was elected to the Nominating Committee of the American Medical Association (AMA) Alliance at the AMA’s Annual Meeting last week. Clarke will also serve on the AMA Alliance’s Legislative Committee for the 2009-10 year. Ms. Clarke serves as President of the Wisconsin Medical Society Alliance.

YOUR PRACTICE. YOUR FUTURE.

Free monograph offers seasonal influenza vaccination strategies

The Joint Commission is releasing a free monograph titled Providing a Safer Environment for Health Care Personnel and Patients through Influenza Vaccination: Strategies from Research and Practice, which is designed to help health care organizations of all types improve seasonal influenza vaccination rates in health care personnel.

The monograph highlights strategies submitted from health care organizations through the Strategies for Implementing Successful Influenza Immunization Programs for Health Care Personnel Project, a collaboration with leading infection prevention and control professional organizations. It also provides an overview of evidence-based guidelines, published research studies, legislative and regulatory efforts and accreditation considerations related to improving seasonal influenza vaccination rates in health care personnel.

Click here to read more about the monograph and download a copy of it.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

July 8 teleconference to discuss soon-to-arrive HIPAA changes

Join Sarah E. Coyne from the law office of Quarles & Brady, LLP, for a July 8 teleconference addressing the sweeping changes to the HIPAA privacy and security rules set forth in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which was embedded in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as ARRA or “the federal stimulus package”).

The new laws dramatically increase HIPAA’s impact by making the rules directly applicable to business associates, ramping up enforcement and increasing patient rights. The laws will require current covered entities to revamp their policies, procedures, notices of privacy practices and business associate agreements, and will require significant compliance efforts for entities that were not previously covered.

Ms. Coyne will provide you with key information on compliance dates and timelines as she discusses the regulations that will roll out over the coming months. It is vital to begin your compliance efforts now.

For more information or to register for this teleconference, click here.

QUALITY CORNER

New policy brief explores public health insurance plan options

Should Americans be able to enroll in a newly created, publicly administered health insurance option as the nation works to expand health coverage? This question is at the center of the current health reform debate. It is also the subject of the latest health policy brief from the Health Affairs policy journal and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The new, free health policy brief explains the broad outlines of public health insurance plan proposals and probes the general concerns of supporters and opponents. It is the third in a series produced by Health Affairs.

The newest brief is available here, and the other briefs in the series are available here.

FAQ

Question:
Where can I find answers to my questions on evaluation and management (E/M) services for WPS Medicare Part B?

Answer:
WPS recently consolidated all of its information on E/M services in one location. This page houses Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) links, policy and coverage information, and answers to frequently asked questions about many aspects of E/M coding and billing.

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.