CMG Residency Application Coaching/Clinic Program - 07.31.10
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Upcoming Event Location: Lutheran Medical Center ...More Details
Letter from Out-Going ACAP President
Dear colleagues and friends,It has been my privilege and honor to work with you during the past 2 years as the president of. It was also my great pleasure to work with Drs. Lisa Eng (In-coming President), Calvin Pan (Vice President) and my fellow board members. I appreciate the guidance, wisdom and support from ACAP Advisory Board (the past presidents of ACAP), especially, Dr. Bing Lu (2002-2004), Dr. Huachen Wei (2004-2006) and Dr. Henry Chen (2006-2008).
With the tireless efforts of the executive committee and all of the board members, ACAP has made great progress in the past year. I also welcome you to the 2010 ACAP Annual conference and hope you enjoy the gala dinner and performance... Read More (pdf)
The End of the 2010 Regular Legislative Session Not Yet in Sight - However MSSNY Achieves Several Legislative Priorities
While we have not yet reached the end of one of the most difficult and contentious regular legislative sessions in memory, MSSNY has already achieved many high priority legislative victories. Among the most important of these victories is the enactment last month of legislation to re-institute the requirement that the State Insurance Department review and approve the health insurance premium rates charged by health insurance companies. Importantly, the bill would also increase to 82% the minimum medical loss ratio that health insurance companies must meet in the small group and individual market health insurance policies they offer. Read More (pdf)
Red Flags Rule: The FTC Cries Wolf Again
On the last business day before they were to begin enforcing the Red Flags Rule, the Federal Trade Commission again extended the deadline – this time until December 31, 2010. The Red Flags Rule was promulgated by the FTC to address the risk of identity theft. In announcing the latest delay, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz blamed Congress for the uncertainty concerning the Rule. According to Leibowitz:
“Congress needs to fix the unintended consequences of the legislation establishing the Red Flags Rule – and to fix this problem quickly. . . . As an agency we’re charged with enforcing the law, and endless extensions delay enforcement.” Read More (pdf)
Drug Information, Side Effects & Interactions
Summary of Healthcare Reform Act
Free Workshop on Accounts Receivables
Medicare Consultation Policy 2010
Vote on Modified Health System Reform Legislation Expected on Christmas Eve
Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200
American Cancer Society - Eastern Division News
New Roadmap on the Management of Hepatitis B
The management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is rapidly evolving as more treatment options are available. However, clinical debate still exists regarding every aspect of therapy: who to treat, when to treat, what to treat and when to stop. more
Click Here for Greetings from the Medical Society
of the State of New York (MSSNY)
Save Woman's Lives in New York
Right now, the state is slashing funding that is critical to saving women's lives in New York.
The Cancer Services Program provides breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening to under and uninsured patients. But, under the current state budget funding for this vital program will be cut by over $8 million. That's why we need your help.
July 31, 2010 at Lutheran Medical Center
Click for Details
Fixes coming for NY's medical malpractice crisis
Docs' insurance-financing reforms to include state surcharge on homeowner and auto policies. Tort reform not part of mix, however.
New York will soon get a look at a long-awaited proposal for reforming medical malpractice insurance. With a two-year state moratorium on rate hikes for medical malpractice insurance due to expire July 1, a new package of proposals is floating in Albany's executive branch.
Tort reform is not currently included in the package, but a $362 million surcharge on homeowners' insurance and auto insurance is part of the deal. And although doctors will likely see lower increases than they had feared, they will not get a hoped-for $87 million state subsidy that would have reduced premiums.
Gov. David Paterson has not discussed the malpractice insurance package publicly, but his office arranged a background interview with a lawyer who is involved in drafting a bill that would include the reforms. “We think we've included something for everyone,” the source said, “and we're hopeful there's nothing in it that hurts anyone.”
A spokeswoman for the administration denied reports that the reform package that's now under consideration includes a proposal to increase the percentage of a judgment a plaintiff's lawyer can get.
The plan does include setting up what's called a “rating service organization,” an expert panel that would annually review medical malpractice claims data to help guide the setting of premiums. It would send those numbers as recommendations to the state Superintendent of Insurance, who now has sole responsibility for setting rates.
Likely to be more controversial is a proposal to bill property and casualty insurance carriers as a way to wipe out deficits incurred by the state's Medical Malpractice Insurance Pool, or MMIP. Due to the moratorium on medical malpractice rate hikes, the fund does not currently have enough in reserve for the $362 million it is likely to need to cover doctors insured by the MMIP, the source said.
That insurance pool, to which commercial insurance companies are required to contribute, guarantees doctors malpractice coverage when they cannot buy it on the open market, usually because they have been sued too often.
To some who have followed the debate on what to do about rising premiums, this arrangement is flawed. “It doesn't weed out the bad doctors like a true market system would,” said Eric Poe, a lawyer and vice president of marketing and business development for NJ PURE medical malpractice insurance.
As a result, Mr. Poe, said, most insurers don't want to come into the state and write coverage for New York doctors. “It means a commercial carrier can refuse to cover a physician who's had a lot of lawsuits and then have to pay for him anyway through MMIP. They've got to be asking themselves, ‘How'd we get this doc back?'.”
At the New York chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Executive Director Donna Montalto gave the proposals mixed reviews. “They tell us rate increases will be around 6%, and that's pretty good,” she said, noting the double-digit hikes her group had anticipated before the moratoriums were enacted.
The doctors' group had lobbied for direct premium relief, a measure the state told ACOG it simply couldn't afford, something Ms. Montalto said she understands given the state's financial difficulties.
But she and other critics said the true solution lies in tort reform to reduce the number of malpractice cases, the size of jury awards, or both.
Among the measures that have been suggested, but successfully opposed by the New York Association of Trial Lawyers, have been removing cases involving severe neurological impairment of newborns from the trial courts, and covering often-sizable awards for damages through a no-fault insurance fund. Another idea is having cases reviewed by special expert administrative courts. Another is discouraging suits by requiring plaintiffs to prove that a doctor is at least 50% at fault in a mishap. In New York, suits can proceed if a doctor's share of the blame for an injury is only 1%.
Article can be found here
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Aetna is best health plan, UnitedHealthcare is worst, hospital execs say
April 6, 2010 — 3:30pm ET | By Caralyn Davis
WellPoint/Anthem is difficult to deal with, "incredibly bureaucratic" and pays poor rates. But UnitedHealthcare gets top honors as the worst healthcare payer for the fourth year in a row, according to the annual "National Payor Survey," which asked 225 hospital and healthcare executives to rank seven national healthcare payers.
Sixty-five percent of respondents rated UnitedHealthcare negatively for how it deals with hospitals and said the company has a negative image and reputation.
"It's clear that hospital executives are frustrated," says Nathan Kaufman, managing director for Kaufman Strategic Advisors. "They see WellPoint/Anthem and other payers increasing their premiums upwards of 20 percent each year, yet reimbursement rates being offered to providers have stayed in the range of 3 to 5 percent. Health providers, and consumers, want to know where those extra dollars are going if not to pay for care."
Aetna was ranked the top health plan for the third consecutive year. Sixty-eight percent of hospital and health system executives gave it high marks in payer image and reputation. Narrowly missing the top spot was Cigna, which received a 65 percent positive rating.
The survey targeted hospital leaders in the industry who negotiate managed care contracts with national health insurance companies and represented 24 percent of U.S. hospitals. It gathered data on hospital executives' opinions about seven key insurers: UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Aetna, Coventry, Humana, WellPoint/Anthem, and the local state or regional independent nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield plan.
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Advanced Certificate Program V: Bridging Cultural Differences to Improve HBV Treatment in Asian and Other Diverse Communities:
This yearlong curriculum program is offered as a series of 17 robust and clinically engaging online CME/CE courses. Get clarity and guidance on key issues such as methodology for screening and diagnosis, optimal management strategies, and cultural differences in patient communication.
Activities in the Advanced Certificate Program IV are still available.
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Medical Society of the State of New York
Conference to Outline Major Funding Available for NYC Primary Care Physicians
Primary care physicians in the five boroughs of New York City who want to take advantage of the significant funding available for installing electronic health records are urged to register for a special one-day program slated for Thursday, May 13 at the Brooklyn Marriott.
"The conference," according to NYC Assistant Health Commissioner Amanda Parsons, MD, "is the most direct way for NYC primary care physicians and their office managers to determine if they qualify for up to $63,750 in funds for bringing their practices up to 'meaningful use' standards through use of electronic medical records. Attendees will be briefed on what they have to do to qualify and the array of services that NYC REACH, the federally designated 'Extension Center' for technical assistance is able to provide to help them get the funds.
In addition, they will be able to meet the companies which provide the electronic health records they will need." There is no admission charge and continental breakfast and lunch are included. For further information and to register go to nyacp.org/EHRForm.
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