Welcome Guest, if you have an account you may login

Medigram - September 18, 2008


NEWS BRIEFS

Flu vaccine now recommended for all children

Children aged 6 months to 18 years should receive the flu vaccine annually, according to a new recommendation issued by the 2008 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Also new is the recommendation that either trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) or live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) be used when vaccinating healthy people aged 2 through 49.

The 2008-2009 ACIP recommendations, which can be viewed here, include a listing of the groups recommended to be immunized this year, along with new and updated information. This summary of the recommendations was recently made available by the Division of Public Health. According to the summary, vaccine-related delays or shortages are not expected this year. In fact, the number of flu doses available is expected to increase by 15 percent to approximately 130 million doses. Nevertheless, scheduling flu clinics is not recommended until after the vaccine arrives.

For more information, visit the Wisconsin Immunization Web site.


PAI program enables physicians to file BCBS compliance complaints

Physicians who believe that any of the settling Blue Cross Blue Shield plans violated the settlement agreement may now file complaints at no charge through the Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI) Compliance Dispute Program. The settlement resulted from a class action lawsuit by several state and county medical societies, alleging the Blues Plans conspired to use unfair payment practices to defraud physicians out of legitimate payments owed for patient care.

Deborah J. Winegard has been appointed Class Compliance Dispute Facilitator. Physicians who believe they have a compliance dispute against a Blues Plan (or against Anthem/Wellpoint, HealthNet or Humana) should go to www.hmosettlements.com for more information, including a list of start dates for the settlement’s provisions and forms necessary to file a dispute. For step-by-step instructions for filing a dispute, click here.

In previous settlements, physicians have received millions of dollars and other benefits as a result of the compliance process. PAI was established to help enforce the managed care settlements and to create programs designed to level the playing field between physicians and health insurers. Its Board is comprised of the CEOs of several of the state medical associations instrumental in bringing and resolving the lawsuits against the nation’s largest for-profit health insurance companies.

For more information, click here. To read the PAI news release regarding this issue, click here.


Southwest/Southcentral Regional Health Literacy Conference rescheduled for October 28

The Institute of Medicine defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions.” Studies show that people with low health literacy skills:
  • Tend to forego preventive measures like flu shots
  • Have a higher rate of chronic health conditions and are less likely to have the skills to control them well
  • Are more likely to use services to treat complications of disease than services that help prevent complications
The Southwest/Southcentral Regional Health Literacy Conference will be held Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at a location to be determined. Attendees will explore some of the issues surrounding health literacy and the programs, both statewide and nationwide, making an impact on improving patient outcomes. Recommendations set forth by The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) will also be discussed. Following the presentations, participants will discuss ways to bring the ideas from this conference back to their own facilities and communities to improve patient outcomes and work toward implementing the JCAHO standards.

Speakers will include Brenda Gonzalez, Deputy Director of New Routes to Community Health, a national program of the Benton Foundation funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Marsha Connet and Margarete Cook, both Regional Literacy Consultants with Wisconsin Literacy; and Christina L. Cordero, PhD, MPH, Project Manager in the Division of Standards and Survey Methods at The Joint Commission.

For more information or to pre-register for the event, call Wisconsin Literacy at 608.257.1655 or e-mail events@wisconsinliteracy.org.


Language and cultural barriers in health care focus of Friday Webinar

Amy Wilson-Stronks, Principal Investigator for The Joint Commission’s “Hospitals, Language, and Culture” study will join Ed Martinez, former VP with the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, and Jamie Silva-Steele, Administrator of Ambulatory Services at the University of New Mexico Hospitals for a Webinar called Language & Cultural Barriers in Health Care—A Growing Crisis on Friday, September 19 at 11 a.m.

Sponsored by Polyglot Systems, the Webinar will address language and cultural barriers in health care and is the first in a series of panel discussions on challenges related to limited English proficient patient care. For additional information, or to register for the event, click here. Registration is limited.

QUALITY & EFFICIENCY

Rattray, McGlynn featured at Efficiency Symposium

Mark Rattray, MD, and Elizabeth McGlynn, PhD, addressed nearly 100 attendees during Tuesday’s “Efficiency Symposium: Methods, Measures and Policy Impact,” which was jointly sponsored by the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Wisconsin Collaborate for Healthcare Quality.

Doctor Rattray, president and executive consultant of CareVariance LLC, offered insights into physician practice measurement and examined the following key considerations for effective measurement:
  1. Measurement and improvement drivers
  2. Current measurement and improvement environment
  3. Improving measurement
  4. Improving ‘improvement”
Click here to read an overview of Dr Rattray’s presentation. A summary of Dr McGlynn’s presentation will be in next week’s Medigram.

F.Y.I. FOR YOUR INSURANCE

Telemedicine—from a risk management standpoint

Telemedicine is medicine on a different level, and that level can bring more risks. Before incorporating telemedicine into your practice, be sure to consider how diagnosing and prescribing over the phone may change more than just the phone bill. For more information about risk management for telemedicine, click here to read advice from PIC Wisconsin's Risk Management Consultant, Kyle Fromm BSN, JD.

QUALITY CORNER

Interim study available from CMS examines alternative payment locality structures

Medicare is required by law to adjust payments for physician fee schedule services to account for differences in costs due to geographic location. There are currently 89 different localities that have not been revised since 1997. A preliminary study of several options for revising the payment localities is now available. Titled “Review of Alternative GPCI Payment Locality Structures,” the report was produced by Acumen, LLC under contract to CMS. Click here to download the study.

Electronic comments on the interim study may be submitted to CMS MPFS@cms.hhs.gov until October 20, 2008. Comments will be considered in the development of possible future notice and comment rulemaking.

FAQ

Question:
What is an annuity?

Answer:
An annuity is a distribution of money earned on an investment on a set schedule such as quarterly, biannually or annually. Typically an annuity is used as part of a retirement plan, to ensure a fixed and stable income once the recipient stops working, and an annuity may be designed to provide income for two individuals. The purchaser can either invest in installments, or purchase an annuity with a lump sum. Unlike life insurance, an annuity does not require a physical exam and is used to fund the individual during his or her lifetime, rather than taking care of surviving children or partners in the event of the individual’s death. When an annuity is established, the individual signs a contract that outlines the annuity’s exact terms, including its duration.

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.