Pulse is our electronic publication emailed to keep physicians' practices up to date with time sensitive information.

February 3, 2020

Dear Doctors, Staff and Partners, This last Friday at our Installation Dinner, we installed our 2020 Board of Directors and Officers, honored our 2019 Outstanding Physician and said farewell to KCMS' Executive Director, Fonda Winslow.

Your 2020 KCMS Board of Directors and Officers are: Chang R. Na, MD, President Steven Y. Wang, MD, President-Elect Raymond C. Tsai, MD, Treasurer/Secretary Eric A. Peck, MD, Immediate Past President Nirav N. Desai, MD, Director Franco A. Felizarta, MD, Director Claudia O. Jonah, MD, Director Dr. Na was presented with her gavel by Dr. Peter Bretan, CMA President and installed as your 2020 KCMS President. All 2020 Officers and Directors present were also recognized and installed. Congratulations to Dr. Na and all of the Officers and Board of Directors!

Your 2019 Outstanding Physician is: Steven Y. Wang, MD Dr. Wang received the Outstanding Physician award in recognition of his commitment to KCMS, his patients and the community. Senator Melissa Hurtado presented Dr. Wang with his award and a certificate from the California State Senate. He also received a certificate from the California State Assembly, Assemblymember Rudy Salas' office. Congratulations Dr. Wang!

Fonda's Farewell: Fonda is a great person and a good friend to me and so many others at KCMS. She navigated some tough issues at a very vulnerable time for KCMS and brought the organization to a much better place. As your incoming Executive Director, I am grateful for the work she did, ensuring that she handed off a very stable organization with nothing but potential. KCMS would like to extend a special thank you to: Senator Melissa Hurtado for attending and presenting the Outstanding Physician Award as well as for providing a certificate to Dr. Wang. Dr. Peter Bretan, CMA President for attending and presenting the gavel. Assemblymember Rudy Salas for providing certificates for the award and installations. Kaiser Permanente for sponsoring the event. LeBeau Thelen for sponsoring the event. Cooperative of American Physicians for sponsoring the event. Thank you all. The event would not have been a success without you! Also, I now have my own contact information for KCMS, please see below. If you have any questions, needs or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with all of you in 2020! Chrisy Muchow Executive Director O: 661-325-9025 C: 209-769-0934 E: cmuchow@kms.org

Physicians for a Healthy California The 2020 application cycle for the CalHealthCares loan repayment program is approaching its February 7 deadline !

2020 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars Announced - To Include our Own KCMS Officer, Raymond C. Tsai, MD

January 27, 2020 – The Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program announced the 60 Scholars who will form the program’s sixth annual class. PLS serves as a catalyst for a diverse network of established leaders brought together to collaborate and make a difference in the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. More... Congratulations Dr. Tsai!

FREE WEBINAR: CMS Medicare Updates for 2020 Wednesday, February 12, 2020 This webinar will provide an overview of the key Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates for 2020. This will include an update on the recently published Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, with a focus on both the Quality Payment Program and evaluation and management (E/M) documentation changes for the new calendar year. We will also briefly review key aspects of the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System Final Rule and new changes in Medicare Advantage for 2020. More...

Nominations Solicitation: California Delegation to the AMA CMA is seeking applications/nominations for interested physician members to serve on the California Delegation to the American Medical Association (AMA). Members of the AMA House of Delegates serve as an important communications, policy and membership link between the AMA and grassroots physicians. Applicants/nominees must be members of both the CMA and the AMA. More...

Request Your Free Copy of The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits

An adverse patient outcome can happen to any physician at any time, no matter how diligent or skilled. All physicians should have a plan for handling unexpected patient outcomes to help reduce the chances that more serious allegations can occur.   With the support and expertise of its risk management, claims, and legal teams, the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc., (CAP) created The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits to help physicians understand how to reduce the likelihood of legal action following an adverse event and know what to expect should a claim or lawsuit occur.   The Incident will help physicians: Recognize when an adverse event occurs Mitigate a negative situation before a malpractice claim is made Understand how to handle a claim Know what to expect if a claim turns into a lawsuit Cope with the stress associated with a claim or lawsuit   You are not alone if and when you experience an unexpected patient outcome.   Learn more about how CAP can support your practice by requesting your free copy of The Incident: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating Adverse Outcomes, Claims, and Lawsuits.

The MIPS 2019 data submission period is now open The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has opened the data submission period for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who participated in the 2019 performance period of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Data can be submitted and updated until 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on March 31, 2020. (The deadline for ACOs and group reporting via the CMS Web Interface is also March 31, 2020) . More...

Coding Corner: Apply official ICD-10 guidance for vaping encounters Thousands of cases of  e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI)  have been reported from across the U.S. to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physicians and medical coders can now turn to an official document for guidance on  coding encounters related to e-cigarette use , covering EVALI, toxicity, dependence and symptoms. You also can look forward to potential new ICD-10 codes related to vaping. More...

Alberto L Acevedo, MD Paula D Ardron, MD Augusto C V Bertiz, MD David M Fang, MD Giridhar R Gorla, MD Ela Grigorian, MD Leon M Hebertson, MD Sung S Jung, MD Devaprakash N Krishnan, MD Ronald L Morton, MD, FACS Chang R Na, MD Eric A Peck, MD Else Rich, MD Alcira R Sahami, MD Shannon K Smith, MD Fehma Tufail, MD Thu Yein, MD

FEATURED SPONSOR

Cooperative of American Physicians CAP was established in 1975 by a group of California physicians concerned about the spiraling cost of medical malpractice coverage and who were galvanized to do something about it. The result was a unique medical malpractice liability cooperative whose core product—the Mutual Protection Trust (MPT)—provides medical professional liability protection to over 12,000 of California’s finest physicians. Learn more...

Learn more about KCMS at our website! www.kms.org