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e-News
April 14, 2019
Application Period Opens for New CalHealthCares Student Loan Repayment Program
More than $220 million in loan debt repayment available for physicians and dentists who treat low-income patients

The application period is April 1-April 26.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- CalHealthCares is now accepting applications for a new statewide loan repayment program that will offer up to $220 million in tobacco tax revenues to pay off educational debt for physicians and dentists who agree to see more Medi-Cal patients.

Individual awardees will be eligible to receive as much as $300,000 to repay educational debt incurred in pursuit of a medical degree. Eligible dentists may apply for either a loan repayment up to $300,000 in exchange for a five-year service obligation, or a practice support grant up to $300,000 in exchange for a ten-year service obligation. All medical and dental specialties are eligible. In this cycle, CalHealthCares expects to award approximately 125 physicians and 20 dentists.

The program—which aims to increase access to care for California’s 13 million Medi-Cal patients—was made possible by  Proposition 56 , the 2016 tobacco tax measure that provided a one-time allocation of $220 million for state loan repayment for providers who treat low-income patients. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has contracted with Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) to administer the program . More...
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CMA seeking nominations for Diversity and Inclusion TAC
The California Medical Association (CMA) has long believed that diversity and inclusion strengthens the health of the medical profession and California’s communities.

CMA is currently seeking nominations of physicians interested in participating in the Diversity and Inclusion TAC, which was launched in 2014 to usher in a new generation of policies and initiatives. We are seeking nominations of diverse physicians from all modes of practice, geographic regions, specialties and perspectives. More...
CMA comments on task force recommendations on pain management best practices
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 required the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a task force to identify gaps or inconsistencies, and propose updates to best practices and recommendations for pain management, including chronic and acute pain.

The 29 member “Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force” recently published its  Draft Report on Pain Management Best Practices: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations . More...
Preliminary 2018 performance feedback data for MIPS now available
The data submission period for the 2018 Medicare   Merit-based Incentive Payment System   (MIPS) closed on April 2, 2019. If you submitted data through the  Quality Payment Program website , you are now able to review your preliminary performance feedback data. More...
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