MMS NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please take the MMS survey on medical aid-in-dying
Next
month, MMS members will receive an important survey on their opinions
regarding medical aid-in-dying, also referred to as physician-assisted
suicide. Watch your email, or contact research@mms.org
if you prefer a paper copy. Should you choose to complete this 15–20
minute survey, you will receive free access to one MMS
end-of-life-focused online continuing medical education program, which
can be applied toward the two CME credits in end-of-life care required
of Massachusetts physicians in each licensing cycle. These credits may
also be used toward meeting risk management survey requirements. Thank
you in advance for your participation.
Benefits Buzz: Need help to collect claim co-payments?
IC
System is a MMS preferred vendor that helps physician practices with
effective collection management while assuring that client accounts are
safeguarded by strict regulatory compliance and data security. MMS
members receive a discount. Check out the IC System services. Questions?
Please contact Bryan Campbell at (800) 279-3511 or bcampbell@icsystem.com.
Minuteman Health is in receivership: What you need to know
After its cash reserves fell below state minimums, Minuteman Health, Inc. on Wednesday was effectively placed under state control.
MHI’s
latest financial reports show it to be solvent, and the receiver
believes that MHI has adequate funds to pay all insurance claims in the
normal course of business, and disruption is expected to be minimal.
According to a document issued by the Division of Insurance:
- MHI’s
individual insurance policies will remain in effect through December
31, 2017. Individual members will have the opportunity to select a
health insurer for 2018 during the open enrollment period beginning
November 1, 2017 for coverage effective beginning January 1, 2018. Small
employer and large group coverage will be allowed to continue until the
next renewal date.
- Because
health care providers will be paid promptly and without interruption,
they are expected to continue to provide care to MHI members, for which
they will be paid in full. Members will have continued access to
benefits in accordance with their health insurance policies, and
payments by members will continue to count toward plan deductibles and
out‐of‐pocket limits.
- Health
care providers and MHI members should continue to contact MHI as they
have previously to discuss coverage or claim-related issues. Call or email Kevin Beagan (617-521-7347, Kevin.Beagan@state.ma.us).
The DOI has made available a frequently-asked-questions page
on its website. MMS members with questions on this news also may
contact the Physician Practice Resource Center (PPRC) at 781-434-7702.
No more handwritten Medicare claims: What to do instead
From
October 9, 2017, NGS will not accept paper claims from Massachusetts
providers that are submitted with handwriting outside a signature field.
All handwritten claims will be returned to the provider. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet-Only Manual (IOM) Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 26, Section 30, "Printing Standards and Print File Specifications Form CMS-1500" (700
KB) contains the printing specifications for the CMS-1500 claim form.
Please use this CMS IOM reference to ensure you are completing paper
claims correctly. NGS offers two alternatives to handwritten paper
claims that will be of little cost to your practice:
- NGSConnex,
our web-based self-service portal, is free of charge. In addition to
claims submission, NGSConnex has other useful functions, such as
verifying Medicare entitlement, submitting appeals, and viewing and
downloading your remittance advice.
- The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) page
on the NGS website explains how to enroll and what capabilities your
office needs to submit electronic claims. NGS can provide you with
no-cost claim submission software, PC-ACE.
Reminders! New Medicare Card, Women's Leadership Forum, and more
New Medicare Card: What you and your patients need to know
CMS
is removing Social Security Numbers from Medicare cards to help fight
identity theft and safeguard taxpayer dollars. The new Medicare
Beneficiary Identifier number will be randomly generated. CMS is
referring to this as the New Medicare Card (previously, it was known as
the Social Security Number Removal Initiative, or SSNRI). To help you
find information quickly, CMS has a new home page linking you to the latest details, including how to talk to your Medicare patients about the New Medicare Card. Please review and bookmark the New Medicare Card home page and Provider web page, so you have the information you need by April 1, 2018, when the new numbering system goes into effect.
Save the date: 2017 Women’s Leadership Forum
The
Women’s Leadership Forum on Friday, September 15, 2017, will focus on
building communication skills for professional and personal
advancement. The event—Confident Communication Toward Socially Intelligent Leadership—features interactive
sessions, experiential work, discussion of workplace applications,
panels, and networking opportunities. Participants will learn skills for
effective, compassionate, assertive leadership. The Forum is hosted by
MMS and its Committee on Women in Medicine (CWIM). “On behalf of the
CWIM, I strongly encourage you to honor us with your presence,” says
Helen Cajigas, MD, FCAP, Chair of the Committee on Women in Medicine.
This program welcomes individuals from all genders and backgrounds,
and includes an awards luncheon with a keynote address. It will take
place at MMS Headquarters in Waltham. For more information, contact Erin
Tally at etally@mms.org or (781) 434-7413.
Join our AMA delegation: The MMS Committee on Nominations is seeking candidates
The
MMS Committee on Nominations is currently considering candidates for
nomination as AMA Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Massachusetts
AMA Delegation. The deadline for submission of nomination applications
is Thursday, August 17, 4:00 p.m. Visit www.massmed.org/amanoms
to learn more about the qualifications and submit your application.
Interviews with the Committee on Nominations will be held at MMS
Headquarters, Waltham, on Thursday, September 14, 2017, 4:30 p.m.–7:30
p.m. Applicants should plan to be available on this date. Questions?
Please contact Linda Healy (800) 322-2303, ext. 7008 or lhealy@mms.org, or Karen Harrison at ext. 7463 or kharrison@mms.org.
MMS grants for International Health Study; apply this summer
Medical
students and resident physician members of the MMS are eligible to
apply for grants of up to $2,000 to defray the costs of studying abroad.
The primary goal of these International Health Studies (IHS) grants,
provided by the Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable
Foundation, is to encourage international education, particularly
focusing on under-served populations. Preference will be given to
projects providing health care-related work and/or training of staff,
and to applicants planning careers serving underprivileged populations.
Research projects that do not involve direct clinical care or teaching
will not be considered. Programs must last at least three weeks to
receive consideration. Applications are due by September 15, 2017; more information about the grants and application expectations.
Educational programs and events
Unless otherwise noted, all events are held at the MMS Headquarters, 860 Winter St., Waltham, MA. View our full calendar of upcoming live CME activities.
Norfolk County Safe Prescribing and Dispensing Conferences
Thursday, September 14, 2017, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Randolph, MA
Open to all Norfolk County registered prescribers and pharmacists
The above activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Featured new online CME activities – Risk Management credit
Comprehensive Cannabis Curriculum
The above activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
See our full listing of risk management online CME activities.
This week in health care
Sign up for daily roundups of health news affecting Massachusetts.
Opioid epidemic is affecting these Massachusetts ZIP codes the most
There were 1,411 people from East Brockton's 02301 ZIP code
discharged from a Massachusetts hospital (both inpatient and the
emergency department) because of an opioid-related emergency in 2015,
the most recent year that data is available.
These five people will help oversee MA recreational marijuana industry
The board will
eventually have 25 members, and has been tasked with studying and
making recommendations on regulation marijuana within the state. Gov.
Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey will also appoint five
members a piece. The remaining members will be ex officio appointees
with specific expertise and knowledge.
Baker will agree to new health care fees
Gov. Charlie Baker will sign into law $200
million in new fees and fines on Massachusetts employers to help pay
for MassHealth without sought-after reforms to the program, putting his
faith in the Legislature to follow through on pledges to work with him
this fall to control growth in Medicaid and health care spending.
Warren compares Trump to child, says he should 'get in line' on health care
Days
after a bid to push through a "skinny repeal," or partial Obamacare
repeal, failed on the Senate floor, Warren was in East Boston as part of
her statewide tour of
Massachusetts community health centers. "Let's be clear. America does
not want millions of people to lose health care coverage."
Brigham and Wome's eyes further cuts
The staff reduction
efforts come after the Brigham announced in late April that it would
offer voluntary retirement to 1,200 of its 18,000 employees. Only those
over the age of 60 who had been with the hospital for more than two
years were eligible. Days from the Aug. 4 deadline for the retirement
offer, the hospital says that 45 percent of those eligible had applied.
New breast health center opens at Cooley Dickinson
A new feature of the breast center
includes the implementation of the Radiology department's new C-View
low dose 3D mammography technology. The technology provides greater
accuracy while providing improved comfort and reduced X-ray exposure to
the patient, according to the hospital.
Fallon pushing for more UMass Medical School geriatric training
Worcester-based Fallon Health announced it is sponsoring a geriatric medicine training
program to train resident physicians at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School to address a projected shortage in specialists who can
treat senior citizens.
Aging population fueling interest in home care regulation
As the state's aging population rises, home care
is becoming even more vital to the state's future, Cullinane said.
According to the Home Care Association of America, 70 percent of adults
over 65 in the U.S. will require care at some point, and nine out of 10
adults say they want to stay in their homes for as long as possible.
