ASAP e-newsletter: Jan 13, 2021
Physician Town-Hall THIS EVENING!
Distribution of COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know...
Sharing info in real time – So you don’t miss a thing.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 6:00pm-7:30pm

Topics:
Statewide distribution changes
Local health strategies
Plans for patient population vaccinations

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
The AMA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have completed a major overhaul of evaluation and management (E/M) office visit documentation and coding. These landmark changes to E/M office visit coding went into effect on January 1, 2021. Here’s what you need to know.
Policy Pulse is your home for advocacy updates straight from Colorado's Capitol Hill.
Colorado legislators convened in Denver today for the 2021 Legislative Session but will only work for three days before taking an estimated month-long recess. The cause is concern over COVID-19 surges following the holidays. 
 
Legislators have prioritized critical business such as swearing in newly elected lawmakers and finalizing committee appointments, and will work on at least six time-sensitive bills published Monday for public review.
Look for future Policy Pulse newsletters from the Colorado Medical Society.
Some critical committees, including the Joint Budget Committee, will continue to meet during the recess. However, the bulk of work will be delayed until the legislature reconvenes, when bills can be introduced and begin working their way through the legislative process. It remains to be seen whether the session will last a full 120 days or adjourn earlier.
 
Legislators are among those slated to receive vaccinations this week.
The Colorado Medical Society along with specialty societies of Colorado developed the nation's first comprehensive, multispecialty medical guidelines to address and resolve the opioid epidemic in Colorado. Read about the release of these new guidelines here. 
Healthy Doctors Give Better Care.

CPHP continues to provide confidential peer-assistance to physicians through January 31, 2021
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Confronting Vaccine Hesitancy
with Science
A diverse coalition of leading healthcare organizations and medical institutions share information around COVID-19 vaccine development and safety with their fellow physicians and nurses. Check it out!

Don't forget to share a photo of yourself receiving the vaccine - #cmswhatsyourwhy
In other news...
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Federal Legislation Addresses Surprise Billing, COVID Relief, and E/M Codes

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, imposes new restrictions on surprise medical billing, provides a new round of COVID relief and economic stimulus, and addresses a number of other issues relevant to physicians. An AMA summary of select provisions in the bill can be found here. 
 
  • A section-by-section analysis of the “No Surprises Act,” which covers most types of insurance plans (including ERISA plans) and goes into effect in 2022, is available here.
  • The legislation improves E/M office visit payment and coding rules. Details here.
  • Provisions include additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund and continuation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), distribution of an additional 1,000 Medicare funded GME slots, and the creation of an evidence-based national vaccine awareness campaign to combat misinformation.
Vaccine Coding Changes

CPT Codes have been updated by the AMA to include immunization and administration of COVID-19 vaccine under development by AstraZeneca and University of Oxford.

Pfizer and Moderna also have unique CPT codes to clinically distinguish each vaccine for better reporting and analysis. 
Prescription Drug Costs - CMS President's Address

CMS President, Sami Diab, MD addressed the Colorado Health Policy Summit on January 12, 2021, discussing the impacts of prescription drug prices. In case you missed it, the presentation will be archived here.
Authority of VA Professionals to Practice Health Care

Colorado Medical Society signed onto a letter opposing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Interim Final Rule, entitled “Authority of VA Professionals to Practice Health Care,” which permits virtually all VHA-employed non-physician providers (NPPs) to practice without the clinical supervision of physicians and without regard to state scope of practice law.
Upcoming events for physicians
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Upcoming CMS committee meetings
All Colorado Medical Society committee meetings are open to all CMS members. Find the latest list of events on the CMS events webpage, cms.org/events. Upcoming meetings for January are listed below with registration links and agendas, if available. If not yet available, use the "request the agenda" link to be notified by a CMS staff person when the agenda has been published.


Registration is required; non-members or those unable to be identified at the time of the meeting will be removed from the meeting. Unsure if you are a CMS member? Email [email protected].
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Special thanks to our sponsors...
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View a flyer on how to prepare for the "twindemic" of flu and COVID-19.
Mary Jo Heins is a former medical practice manager. As an independent Medicare insurance agent, she now helps people with all facets of Medicare – objectively and fee free.

  • Enrollment in Medicare Parts A & B
  • Supplement v Medicare Advantage
  • Rx plans - mapping medication regiments to the best formulary
  • Dental/Hearing/Vision plans
  • Patient education sessions at your practice

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COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Emergency Preparedness Staffing Services: Favorite Healthcare staffing is prepared to assist facilities facing increased patient census due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Favorite is proactively communicating with health care professionals and other staff to mobilize a workforce for our clients enacting an emergency staffing plan. We are screening staff who have worked emergency and disaster relief projects with Favorite in the past and are assessing their availability for rapid response. For more information, contact Derek Reid, Executive Director, at 913-481-3963 or [email protected]. www.FavoriteStaffing.com
2021 CMS Election: Call for nominations
The nomination period for the 2021 Colorado Medical Society Election is open through Jan. 31, 2021. The Colorado Medical Society encourages all members to consider nominating a colleague or self-nominating for one of the open leadership positions: president-elect (one position) or AMA delegation (eight positions).

Here are the current nominees:

President-Elect:
Patrick Pevoto, MD R.Ph, MBA

AMA Delegation:
David Downs, MD, FACP
Jan Kief, MD
Tamaan Osbourne-Roberts, MD
Lynn Parry MSc, MD
Carolynn Francavilla, MD
Rachelle Klammer, MD
Brigitta Robinson, MD, FACS
Michael Volz, MD

The election manual, which contains all of the information a potential candidate needs about the duties, eligibility, requirements and election process, is available on the CMS website. Read more here.
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