|
January 19, 2011
MAFP E-BULLETIN,
January 2011, VOL.5, NO.1
In this issue:
CMS Expands
Healthcare Provider Directory, Launches First Phase of Physician
Compare Website
Launch of New Online
Member Communities
Family Practice
Clinical Sites Needed
100% Coverage for
Smoking Cessation
Environmental Scan and News You Can Use
CMS
Expands Healthcare Provider Directory, Launches First Phase of
Physician Compare Website
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) enhanced the
Physician Directory tool at
www.medicare.gov with new information about physicians and
other healthcare workers in their communities and the services
those professionals provide. The new feature, called Physician
Compare, expands and updates CMS’ Healthcare Provider Directory,
which has helped millions of beneficiaries find
Medicare-participating doctors online for over a decade. The new
tool expands the doctor-specific information into the suite of
informational tools for Medicare beneficiaries and other
consumers.
The new site, at
www.medicare.gov/find-a-doctor which was required by the
Affordable Care Act of 2010, contains information about
physicians enrolled in the Medicare program, which include
Doctors of Medicine, Osteopathy, Optometry, Podiatric Medicine,
and Chiropractic. The site also contains information about other
types of health professionals who routinely care for Medicare
beneficiaries, including nurse practitioners, clinical
psychologists, registered dietitians, physical therapists,
physician assistants, and occupational therapists.
Later in 2011, CMS plans a second phase of the Web site which
will indicate whether professionals chose to participate in a
voluntary effort with the Agency to encourage doctors to
prescribe medicines electronically, rather than through
traditional paper-based prescription methods. In future years,
the Physician Compare Web site will be expanded with information
about the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive from
physicians and the other healthcare professionals profiled on
the site. The expansion will include information on quality of
care and patient experience that can help consumers learn more
about the care provided by Medicare-participating physicians.
CMS is required by the Affordable Care Act to develop a plan to
implement this expansion by 2013.
NOTE: since the above was received, we understand that a few
AAFP members have experienced difficulty with the site (eg.
outdated practice data, zip code issues, etc.). Kevin Burke,
AAFP Director, Division of Government Relations offers the
following:
“CMS' current response on how to fix inaccurate information on
the physician compare website is to call the QNET help desk.
I've personally found QNET to be helpful in the past, but their
phone numbers can also be swamped with incoming calls right
after announcements such as new PQRI/PQRS info on feedback
reports or incentives earned. Also, the QNET help desk may just
instruct the provider to 'fix' the information themselves via
the provider enrollment process via IACS (which is not always
that helpful).”
QualityNet Help Desk – 8:00am – 8:00pm EST, Qnetsupport@sdps.org
, 1-866-288-8912
General CMS Physician Quality Reporting System and eRx Incentive
Program information
RETURN TO TOP
Launch of New Online Member
Communities
The AAFP has introduced
AAFP Connection, a social media platform that will host two
new online member communities, Clinical Procedures and Rural
Medicine. These communities, which are a new member benefit, are
an enhancement to AAFP’s current social media efforts and will
only be open to current members. In the first half of 2011, an
additional online community, Emergency Medicine, will be
introduced.
Members are encouraged to participate. The communities will
allow members to:
-
Connect with peers who share common interests through
discussion forums.
-
Read
and contribute to relevant, topic-specific blogs.
-
Share
files and create Wikis.
RETURN TO TOP
Family Practice Clinical
Sites Needed
The
Towson-CCBC Essex Physician Assistant Program needs your help!!
Our program is in need of Family Practice clinical sites. We are
looking for Family Practice Physicians that enjoy teaching and
are able to host physician assistant students for 6 week
internships during the upcoming clinical year. Our students are
enthusiastic, intelligent, professional and eager to learn. They
have their own personal malpractice insurance and background
checks are provided through the program. We are able to offer
category 2 CME credits and a great way to screen for potential
employees or just give back to your profession. If you would
like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact the
Program Clinical Coordinator, Melecia Helwig at
mhelwig@ccbcmd.edu or 443-840-1885.
RETURN TO TOP
100% Coverage for Smoking Cessation
Beginning this month, all federal health insurance plans now
offer 100% coverage to help tobacco users quit. There are no
co-pays or deductibles. All FDA-approved cessation medications
and counseling are covered. This benefit is extended to "all
federal employees and retirees (as well as their spouses and
dependents)" who will now "have full access to evidence-based
tobacco cessation treatments."
Here is a link to a concise yet comprehensive description of
FEHB smoking cessation coverage from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/QuitSmoking/
According to the CDC, FEHB plans were previously encouraged, but
not required, to provide comprehensive smoking cessation
coverage, but benefits varied across plans. While all national
FEHB health plans provided some cessation coverage, none
provided comprehensive coverage. In this new benefit, all FEHB
health plans are required to cover all seven FDA-approved
cessation medications and individual, group, and telephone
counseling—the treatments identified as effective in the U.S.
Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline Treating
Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. The health plans are
required to offer this coverage with no copayments, coinsurance,
deductibles, or annual/lifetime dollar limits.
RETURN TO TOP
Environmental Scan and News
You Can Use
-
The
2011 Family Medicine Congressional Conference will take
place May 9-10 in Washington, DC. Register Today. Influence
Tomorrow. Family medicine has the attention of Washington.
What now?
-
Learn how to practice real-world advocacy.
-
Understand family medicine’s legislative issues.
-
Discuss family medicine with Congressional offices.
Registration for the meeting is now open at
http://aafp.org/fmcc
-
This winter, the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO), a research arm of Congress, is
conducting a national survey of Medicare providers regarding
their vaccination practices. The survey will be mailed to a
random sample of physicians, including family physicians. If
you receive the survey in the mail, we encourage you to
respond as the results will be included in a report to
Congress."
-
Social Media Intro for
Physicians: Monitoring Your Online Reputation. Sunday,
January 30, 2011 -- Baltimore, MD; Visit
PRNHealth.com to
register or call 800.776.9906. Learn:
-
What is Social
Media.
-
Why Physicians need to
know about it.
-
How Physicians are using
it.
-
How to monitor your
online reputation and protect it!
-
The 7 things you must be
checking up on as a physician.
-
Lend a Helping Hand: Share Your
Talents With Those Less Fortunate
A medical mission trip is forming to St. Paul’s Clinic in El
Rosario, Honduras. The cost is about $1200 which include
airfare, food, hotel, and ground transportation. Spanish is
a plus, but not a necessity as they will have translators.
Dates: February 18-25, 2011
Needed: Doctors, RNs, Respiratory Therapists, CNAs, Medical
Assts, Interpreters
Sponsored by St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Damascus, MD
Call Sherrie Wade at 301-253-2027, ext. 105 for an
application and further details.
RETURN TO TOP
RETURN TO TOP
MAFP or MAFP Foundation
5710 Executive Drive, Suite 104
Baltimore, MD 21228
Phone:
(410) 747-1980 - Fax: (410) 744-6059
E-Mail:
info@mdafp.org
|
