PULSE is our electronic publication emailed weekly to keep physicians' practices up to date with time sensitive information.
August 24, 2020
URGENT: Take action now! NP scope bill moves to the Senate floor!
The California Senate is set to vote on a bill that would grant full practice authority to nurse practitioners (NPs). This bill (AB 890, Wood) would remove critical patient protections by allowing NPs to practice without physician supervision. The bill will be heard on the Senate Floor as soon as Monday.


The Central Valley Medical Societies have partnered to bring you:
REINVENTING YOUR PRACTICE IN THE MIDST OF COVID
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
5PM-6PM
LIVE WEBINAR

Debra Phairas, President Practice & Liability Consultants

There will be many operational, HR and telemedicine/technology changes needing to be implemented to re-invent the "New Normal." New staffing and practice operations changes are necessary and "thinking outside the box" is imperative.

Learning Objectives: Participants will learn strategies to:

  • Keep patients safe, secure and still coming to the practice
  • Project revenue/expense/net income for financial viability
  • Revamp operations, staffing and business development

Topics Include:

  • Communicating with your patients - Mail Chimp, Constant Contact etc. Updating patient email list and relational data base.
  • Following CDC guidelines and California Department of Public Health guidelines,
  • How to gain marketing benefits from requiring patient safety gloves/masks, etc.
  • Patient contact lists with staff that interacted with each other in case of exposure.
  • Senior hours?
  • Evaluating staffing needs carefully and why cross training is critical.
  • How to have patients text, call into the office, use restaurant beepers before entering.
  • Informed Consent and patient education RE: at home care
  • Assigning a COVID Director from the practice staff e.g., OSHA no touch waste disposal, disinfection, janitorial, office and equipment, PPE for staff.
  • Reduction/cost savings: staffing, benefits, rent, accounting, travel, meals/entertainment.
  • Review office schedule – Any half days not utilized, consider sublease.
  • Get rid of storage units with old equipment costing you money.
  • Implement Lean Six Sigma for operations.
  • Merging or expense sharing with other physicians.
  • Staff issues with scrubs and uniforms in public.
  • Re-evaluate contract rates – Renegotiate PPO contracts, holding biller/service accountable.
  • Home Equity Loans and lines of credit to fund the practice.

Advanced registration is required. Space is limited.
FREE for Physician and/or 1 Staff Member
Debra Phairas is President of Practice & Liability Consultants, LLC a nationally recognized firm specializing in practice management and malpractice prevention. Her background includes medical clinic administration and loss prevention management for NORCAL Mutual, a physician malpractice insurance carrier in Northern California. Her BS is from Michigan State University and her graduate work at Golden Gate University San Francisco MBA Health Services Administration program. Her consulting experience includes over 2,000 practices of all sizes and specialties. She has presented seminars and lectures nationwide for state and local medical/dental associations, management organizations and specialty societies.
CMA joins provider coalition to halt Medicare payment cuts
The California Medical Association (CMA) and a broad provider coalition are urging Congress to stop the proposed 2021 Medicare payment cuts to non-primary care providers. More...
Repayment deadlines loom for Medicare advance payment loans
In March, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded eligibility for the Advanced and Accelerated Payments Program, which provides physician practices with emergency cash advances based on a their historical Medicare payments in order to provide necessary funds when there is a disruption in claim submission or processing. More...
Department of Consumer Affairs extends waiver relaxing health care workforce rules
The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) has extended a waiver that temporarily removes the ratios for physicians supervising nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Physicians can continue to supervise the number of NPs or PAs they can competently and confidently supervise without a statutory ratio in place. More...
UnitedHealthcare updates its medical policy documentation requirements
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) recently updated its Medical and Drug Policies and Coverage Determination Guidelines for UnitedHealthcare Commercial Plans to include updated documentation requirements and clinical coverage criteria effective for dates of service on or after August 1, 2020. Per the FAQ, UHC will now require the submission of images as part of the prior authorization process for the following services. More...
Upcoming FREE CMA Webinars
Regulating the Stress Response for Kids: Practical Tips for Primary Care Providers

August 26, 2020 | 12:00PM - 1:00PM


Telehealth Series for Small and Medium Sized Practices: (Pt. 2) Getting Started

August 27, 2020 | 12:15PM - 1:15PM


Virtual Grand Rounds: Transmission, Testing and Masks: Creating a Culture to Curb COVID-19 *CME Available

September 8, 2020 | 12:00PM - 1:30PM

FREE CME Webinars-KCMS has been invited by the Bay Area Medical Societies to participate!
Understanding and Dismantling Implicit Bias in Patient Care *CME Available

September 3, 2020 | 6:30PM - 9:00PM


Eradicating Gender Bias in Medicine *CME Available

September 10, 2020 | 6:30PM - 9:00PM


Heath Equity, Resilience and Leadership in Time of Crisis *CME Available

September 24, 2020 | 6:30PM - 9:00PM

Learn more about KCMS at our website!