Wisconsin Medical Journal
107 #6
107 #6
Medigram - March 20, 2008
TOP STORY
Explore your hidden potential at the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation annual event
There’s still time to register to attend the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation’s 2008 fundraising event featuring the unique opportunity to meet one of the world’s few identified prodigious savants, Kim Peek. Peek was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man. He has read more than 7,600 books and has 98 percent recall of each one—not to mention a storehouse of facts on subjects ranging from music to history to sports. He’s also developmentally disabled.Joining Kim will be his father, Fran, and Wisconsin Medical Society Past President, Darold Treffert, MD, an internationally recognized expert on Savant Syndrome.
“We are very fortunate to have Fran and Kim Peek and Doctor Treffert join us this year. Each of these accomplished speakers brings his own unique message to the stage as they also encourage us to look beyond individual differences and search for ‘islands of genius’,” said Foundation President Ayaz Samadani, MD.
The event will be held April 10 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center. The evening will begin with a large silent auction, hors d’ouevres and a cash bar at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the program at 8 p.m. Kim will encourage audience members to “stump” him in one of his areas of knowledge.
A raffle will also be held, with prizes of 2.48 carat diamond earrings or $1,500 toward the vacation of your choice. Attendance is not required for winners, and a limit of 1,000 raffle tickets will be sold.
The success of this event is critical to providing funding for the Foundation’s scholarship and grants programs. Event tickets are $100; raffle tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. To purchase tickets, e-mail Renee Reback or call her at 608.442.3720.
NEWS BRIEFS
Society joins Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease
The Wisconsin Medical Society has become a partner in a nonpartisan coalition working to educate the public about the scope and cost of chronic disease and to ensure that the issue is a focus of health care debate during this election year. The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease in Wisconsin was launched last month with press events held across the state. Speakers included former Governor and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and Sue Ann Thompson, along with Society president Clarence Chou, MD, and Michael Dunn, MD, Dean of the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, and Robert Nesse, MD, in La Crosse.“We’re trying to influence the presidential candidates, and we want to have a seat at the table when it comes to health care discussions,” former Gov. Thompson said during a press conference.
Partners in the coalition, which represent political, business, health care labor and faith communities include the Society, Medical College of Wisconsin, Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Marshfield Clinic, AFL-CIO of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians.
Help build Wisconsin’s public health team
Efforts are underway to determine ways to broaden the ranks of Wisconsin’s public health workforce, and physician input will be important in achieving that goal.Last month a group of stakeholders from across the state held a Public Health Workforce Summit to identify preliminary goals. Society members who participated included Peter Layde, MD, MSC, George Mejicano, MD, MS, Patrick Remington, MD, Ayaz Samadani, MD, Thomas Schlenker, MD, MPH, and Susan Turney, MD. Now plans are being developed for 2008-2010.
Workgroups are focusing on three key areas: sufficiency, competency and diversity. Building a sufficient, competent and diverse workforce requires the cooperation of many partners across all sectors. And here’s how physicians can help:
- Participate in one of the planning workgroups by being part of a core planning team, part of the workgroup or by offering feedback on documents as they circulate.
- Review and provide feedback on the Summit results and subsequent process by participating in feedback opportunities in April/May (specifics of those opportunities are to be determined).
- Make a commitment to participate in the implementation of the workforce plans (starting in July 2008).
For more information or to review the results of the February Summit, visit the WPHA Web site. If you would like to get involved, e-mail Sarah Beversdorf or call 920.560.5611.
CME conference for young pediatricians April 18-20
New autism detection guidelines, increasing influence through emotional intelligence and the latest on electronic medical records will be among topics discussed at next month’s American Academy of Pediatrics—Wisconsin Chapter Annual Meeting.Titled, Not Your Dad's CME: Young Physicians Managing Work, Family, Future and Self, the conference will take place April 18-20 at the InterContinental Hotel in Milwaukee. Click here for secure on-line registration. For room reservations, call the hotel at 800.381.9552, reference code AAP.
Input sought from primary care doctors nationwide
A not-for-profit group composed of medical societies and physician leaders is undertaking one of most ambitious physician surveys ever attempted. Beginning in May, the Physicians’ Foundation for Health Systems Excellence (PFHSE) will send over 300,000 surveys to primary care physicians and selected medical specialists throughout the country. (Click here to read a press release about the survey.)“We have heard from the pundits about the state of medical care in the United States,” notes Louis Goodman, PhD, president of PFHSE and executive vice president of the Texas Medical Association. “It’s time we heard what physicians have to say.”
The key question posed by the survey, according to Dr. Goodman, is can doctors meet the needs of patients under current practice conditions?
The Physicians’ Foundation for Health System Excellence is a national grant making foundation dedicated to improving the quality of the medical practice environment. For additional information, click here.
NEWSMAKERS
Remington named to national advisory committee
Society member Patrick Remington, MD, was recently appointed by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to a new advisory committee that will make recommendations for developing and implementing national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for Healthy People 2020. Doctor Remington, from Madison, is director of the UW Population Health Institute, associate director of the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at UW-Madison and professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences. He also serves as chair of the Society’s Council on Health Care Quality and Population Health.CAPITOL INSIDER
Governor signs patient sharing data bill into law
Governor Doyle on Monday signed Senate Bill 487 into law. Now Act 109, this legislation (outlined as Assembly Bill 793 in the February 21 Medigram) is intended to facilitate sharing of “need-to-know” information among health care professionals by removing existing barriers and more closely aligning Wisconsin privacy laws with federal HIPPA rules.Act 109 is the result of work conducted under Wisconsin’s Health Information Security and Privacy Project, which involved numerous workgroups comprised of key advocacy and provider organizations, including the Society. The Society participated in the 51.30 workgroup, which set the initial framework for the bill.
Except under limited circumstances, Chapter 51.30 of Wisconsin law prohibits disclosure of mental health, alcohol and other drug abuse, and developmental disability health information without written consent. Certain elements of a patient’s treatment record, such as name, address, date of birth, date of service, diagnosis, and medications can be released without written consent to health care providers in a related health care entity. The legislation also permits sharing diagnostic test results and symptoms with any health care provider treating the patient even if the provider is outside the related health care entity without written consent. Sharing any other health care information under Chapter 51.30 would still require written consent.
To read a detailed explanation of the legislation prepared by the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), click here. More information is also available in this DHFS press release. For more information, contact Jeremy Levin.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Society Web site FAQ now includes Evaluation and Management coding information
The Wisconsin Medical Society Education Department has recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Society’s Web site to include new Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding questions. These updated E/M FAQs have been reviewed by WPS Medicare and are in agreement with CMS 95 & 97 documentation guidelines. In addition to the E/M FAQs, the Education Department will continue to post answers to the most frequently asked CPT, ICD-9 and Medicare questions, so please check back often.Another new feature in the Education FAQ section is a link to the Wisconsin Medical Group Management Association (WMGMA) Web site where you can find the most recent questions and answers from the WMGMA Medicare-Medicaid Workgroup Meeting. The WMGMA Medicare/Medicaid Workgroup is a forum in which appointed members throughout the state from both large and small facilities meet with representatives from Medicare and Medicaid to discuss issues of concern or interest. These concerns/interests may be in the form of reimbursement, policy clarification, claims processing or the latest update from CMS. The group meets four times a year, usually very close to the timing of the Medicare Carriers Advisory Committee meetings.
Medicare requirements for prescribing durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies—What you need to know
Medicare has specific medical necessity requirements for prescribing durable medical equipment (DME) items. This process begins in the office of the prescribing physician.Do you ever wonder what happened to the Certificates of Medical Necessity? Why does the DME supplier want copies of medical records? Why isn't a pad prescription sufficient? Join the Wisconsin Medical Society's Education Department for a teleconference May 13 to learn about the changes Medicare has made in establishing medical necessity for DME products and services, and strengthen your partnership with DME suppliers to meet your patients' equipment needs. Click here for registration information.
QUALITY CORNER
Beyond bonuses: Physician perspectives on performance measures and P4P
Financial incentives are undoubtedly important for driving physician participation in Pay For Performance (P4P) programs nationwide; however, there are many other reasons physicians are choosing to participate in programs that measure individual performance.Frost & Sullivan spoke with three physician thought leaders—Susan Nedza, MD, MBA, FACEP, formerly with the Special Program Office, Value Based Purchasing at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Ralph Brindis, MD, the chief medical officer and chairman of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry and past chair of the American College of Cardiology Quality Strategic Oversight Committee; and Bruce Bagley, MD, medical director for quality improvement of the American Academy of Family Physicians—to learn their perspectives on performance measures.
Two case-studies of family physicians—Rob Lamberts, MD, and Christopher Crow, MD, who have profitably adopted performance measures in their practices—were also presented.
To read the white paper, click here.
FAQ
Question:Can one utilize the status of three chronic conditions when using the 95’ Documentation Guidelines?
Answer:
Yes, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Although this information is physically present in the 97’ Documentation Guidelines it is also implied in the 95’ Documentation Guidelines.
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.
© Wisconsin Medical Society - All rights reserved - 2008
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