2013

NYS Budget Update: All budget negotiations have concluded and all budget bills have been introduced. A vote on the budget is expected to be completed by the end of this week in advance of the April 1 deadline. MSSNY has prepared a summary of budget actions on issues of interest. As a result of the efforts of MSSNY physician leadership, your grassroots efforts and your lobby team, many of these outcomes are far more positive than what had originally been proposed.

Honorees: Congratulations to Executive Director Nancy Adams and physician members Patricia Bomba, MD; Richard Gangemi, MD; Ronald Kirshner, MD; Raymond Mayewski, MD; Roger Oskvig, MD; and James Wood, MD - all recipients of the Rochester Business Journal's 2013 Health Care Achievement Awards. More

New Easier CPR: Watch physician researchers Gordon A. Ewy, MD, and Karl Kern, MD, demonstrate the easy, life-saving method that they developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Please watch and share - it may save a life!

2013 Ask the Carrier: More than 400 attendees participated in this year's successful event. MCMS expresses its gratitude to the following sponsors: Rochester RHIO; Medscribe; North Forest Office; Key Bank; and Canandaigua National Bank. We also thank Cancer Services Program of Monroe County and EPIC for their participation in the event.

Colorectal Cancer: The Monroe County Medical Society is joining Cancer Mission 2020 and the Monroe County Department of Public Health in promoting colon cancer screening. There are very good screening tests that can catch this disease before symptoms are apparent, and save lives. More

The I-STOP bill requires the creation of a “real time” prescription tracking system to provide enhanced information to prescribers and pharmacists concerning prescriptions obtained by patients for controlled substances. To access the database, all physicians will need a Health Commerce Account. Read a summary of the bill. Apply for a Health Commerce System (HCS) account.Download application instructions.

NYS Public Health Emergency: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Cuomo has declared a ”Disaster Emergency” for New York State in response to this year’s increasingly severe flu season. The NYSDOH encourages providers, who currently have continued need for additional doses of influenza vaccine, to use the IVATS tool to identify vaccine availability. Sanofi Pasteur is taking orders for 0.5 mL single dose vials of Fluzone.CDC has explored possible options to make excess Vaccines for Children (VFC) influenza vaccine in provider offices available for use with privately insured pediatric patients. Read advisory on VFC flu vaccine transfer.Influenza vaccine redistribution among parties who currently have an ample or adequate vaccine supply should also be considered. Read redistribution of flu vaccine advisory. (January 17, 2013)

Increased Medicaid Payment for Primary Care Physicians: CMS has released a final rule that will increase Medicaid payments for certain primary care physicians to Medicare rates over the next two years beginning Jan. 1, 2013. Read a summary of the final rule as reported in MSSNY's The Daily.

NYS Public Health Emergency:Gov. Andrew Cuomo Cuomo has declared a ”Disaster Emergency” for New York State in response to this year’s increasingly severe flu season. The emergency declaration allowed the Governor to issue an Executive Order which allows pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations to patients between six months and 18 years of age. As a response to the high leveles of flu in the state, the NYS Health Commissioner has issued an update to New York State Public Health Law Section 2112 Law Restricting Use of Thimerosal-Containing Influenza Vaccines." (January 13, 2013)

SGR and Sequestration Cuts Averted: A nearly 30% cut in Medicare physician payments was averted on Jan .1 when the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8 the American Taxpayer Relief Act, also known as the Middle Class Tax Relief Act. Previously the Senate approved the package . The following health provisions were included in the package: • Extends current Medicare physician payment rates through Dec., 31, 2013 (avoids 26% SGR cut) • Extends Geographic Work Adjustment (1.0 floor) through Dec 31, 2013 • Defers sequestration cuts for two months (2% cut in Medicare payments and larger program cuts for other health programs ---research/public health/health professions training) • Includes provisions to create path to improve the provision of relevant and timely data to physicians needed in new delivery and payment models (provisions which the AMA helped frame in bipartisan negotiations with Senate Finance Committee staff) • Allows physician participation in clinical registries to meet Medicare quality reporting requirements (provision which AMA also helped frame in bipartisan discussions with Senate Finance staff) • Provides one year reauthorization of funding for National Quality Forum

The AMA has compiled a summary of the health provisions in the package.

The $25 billion cost just for the SGR patch and additional expenses for other Medicare extender provisions were offset with an array of provisions. On a positive note, proposals to eliminate the increase in Medicaid payments for primary care services and remaining funds for prevention (ACA provisions) were not adopted (as advocated by the AMA). Unfortunately, payments for advanced imaging services will be reduced based on a change in assumptions regarding the utilization of equipment. Other offsets included extending the statute of limitations from 3 to 5 years for recoupment of overpayments and elimination of unobligated funds for health insurance co-ops authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Existing obligations to health insurance co-ops will be honored.

2012

Implementation I-STOP: The Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing, or I-STOP, was signed into law Aug. 27, 2012. Read how the legislation will impact your practice

Philip Schuh, CPA, has been named the Executive Vice President of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY). After serving as Interim Executive Vice President since March of 2012, Mr. Schuh’s appointment was unanimously approved. Previously, he served as the Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer. More

Asthma Guidelines: The Monroe County Medical Society was a partner in the update of Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of Adults and Children with Asthma (Updated August 2012), a collaborative effort for Asthma care led by the New York State Department of Health.

Session Wrap Up:To see a summary of the New York State Legislative Session wrap up, click here. (July 2012)

MVP Prior Authorization Policies: On behalf of its physician membership, the MCMS wrote a letter to David Oliker, CEO, MVP Health Care, to ask MVP to reconsider its prior authorization policies for radiology services (March 8, 2012).

I-STOP: The Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing, or I-STOP was signed into law Aug. 27, 2012. MSSNY has prepared a summary of the bill (August 2012).

I-STOP: The Medical Society of the State of New York, along with 10 specialty societies, has issued a statement noting that any solution to the abuse of prescription drug problem must be multipronged.

2011

A school loan forgiveness program designed to attract new primary care physicians to Rochester area has been created by area hospitals, an employer group and a health plan . Starting in 2012, $600,000 per year for the next four years will be available for loan relief to primary care doctors in return for a minimum of four years of service in Monroe and contiguous counties More

Drug Shortage Emergency: The Medical Society of the State of New York has declared a state of emergency regarding the national shortage of life-saving and life-sustaining medicines that have impacted patients in New York. More

MSSNY Signs On to SGR Repeal Letter

Emergency Codes: Rochester health care systems will adopt “plain language” codes to communicate emergency situations in the their hospitals. These new codes will replace the traditional color codes that were used previously. More.