New Maryland Insurance Administration Bulletin Affects Credentialing and Practitioner Directory Updates | | |
On July 24, the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) provisionally designated DataSpring, formerly known as the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH), as Maryland’s uniform online credentialing application and multi-carrier common online practitioner directory system for State-regulated carriers.
DataSpring remains a central platform for submitting credentialing information and updating practitioner directory data across multiple carriers. Accurate profiles help support network participation, patient access, referrals, claims processing, and compliance with payer requirements.
Beginning September 1, 2026, carriers must accept new and updated network directory information submitted through DataSpring or directly to the carrier.
Practices should:
- Review each physician’s DataSpring profile for accuracy and completeness.
- Confirm locations, specialties, contact information, accepting-new-patients status, and payer authorizations.
- Check licenses, certifications, malpractice coverage, and attestations for expiration dates.
- Determine whether any carriers still require direct submission.
For more information, please refer to Bulletin 26-20.
Gene M. Ransom III
CEO
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
| | Member Resources & Opportunities | | |
Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Offers Rural Health Regional Meetings
The Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MDAAP) is inviting all pediatric healthcare practitioners to three upcoming meetings in rural regions. These meetings, which have a mental health focus, are venue for connection, sharing resources, networking and assisting MDAAP in understanding how to better support rural practitioners. The meetings are being held on August 8th (Southern Maryland), August 15th (Eastern Shore), and August 29th (Western Maryland) and are open to all, not just MDAAP members.
For more information and to register, visit MDAAPs rural health page.
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Best Practices and Guidelines to Treat the Most Common Types of Skin Cancer
The Maryland Dermatologic Society invites you to a CME on September 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. to improve learners’ knowledge, confidence, and competence on using immune checkpoint inhibitors for basal cell and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. This session is intended for dermatologists, oncologists, and advanced practitioners to enhance treatment competence and patient outcomes. For more information and to register, click here.
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Upcoming American Cancer Society National Prostate Cancer Roundtable Learning Opportunities
The American Cancer Society National Prostate Cancer Roundtable has shared two upcoming professional education events with Medchi members.
On August 13th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (ET), they are hosting the webinar: Genomic Biomarker Testing in Advanced Prostate Cancer: a Primer for Clinicians. This program will discuss recent developments and clinical evidence that have brought genomic biomarker testing to bear in advanced prostate cancer, and the implementation of these tests in this setting. This session will also review the different genomic and biomarker tests available for advanced prostate cancer, what they test for, and how to help patients decide whether to pursue these tests. To register, click here.
Beginning on August 18th, at 3:00 p.m. (ET), they are offering a cohort on Localized Prostate Cancer Treatment. This peer-to-peer learning community for oncology professionals spans six monthly sessions from August 2026 to July 2027, and will discuss best practices for managing low-grade and/or localized prostate cancers including evidence-based care in the contexts of harm reduction, survivorship, treatment selection, shared decision-making, and patient support. For more information and to register, click here.
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Urge Congress to Support the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693
The recently introduced Patients First Act, H.R. 9693, would reform the Medicare physician payment system by providing greater stability, expanding opportunities for participation in payment models, and better aligning payment updates with the actual costs of care and inflation. Led by Representatives Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC), John Joyce, MD (R-PA), and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), this bipartisan bill would help create a more stable and predictable Medicare payment system so physicians can keep caring for patients in their communities. il Congress
Payment cuts and instability have forced physicians to make critical decisions — such as consolidation or limiting the number of beneficiaries they can serve — for financial rather than patient care reasons. These cuts particularly impact small, rural, and independent practices. Despite rising practice costs, Medicare physician payment has fallen by approximately 33 percent since 2001, when adjusted for inflation.
These cuts combined with patchwork solutions have created instability for physicians and limited patient access to high-quality, value-based care. H.R. 9693 would remedy these shortcomings by:
- Providing a permanent annual payment update tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) to better reflect increases in practice costs
- Modernizing budget neutrality policies, including provisions from H.R. 8163
- Creating a physician-led process for developing simplified, clinically relevant quality measures
- Expanding opportunities for physicians to participate in alternative payment models
Contact your member of Congress today and urge them to cosponsor the Patients First Act, H.R. 9693.
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CMS Releases Proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rules for the 2027 Medicare physician fee schedule. The proposal also addresses MIPS reporting, maternity care coding, Medicare Shared Savings Program changes, Advanced APM determinations, and the CPT coding system. MedChi will share the AMA’s detailed summary once available.
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Daily Record Unveils Its Inaugural MD500 List
The Daily Record unveiled its inaugural MD500 list, a collection of the most powerful leaders in Maryland. The MD500 is The Daily Record’s first-ever list of Maryland's most influential and impactful people in business, law, nonprofits, higher education, and other fields. They represent innovators, influencers, ceiling-crashers, standard-slayers and difference-makers. MedChi congratulates its MedChi members included in the list:
- David Maine, M.D., President & CEO of Mercy Health Services
- Patsy McNeil, M.D., Executive Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer for Adventist HealthCare
- Mohan Suntharalingam, M.D., President & CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System
- Harsh Trivedi, M.D., President & CEO of Sheppard Pratt
Congratulations also to our own President & CEO, Gene Ransom, and our many healthcare colleagues and partners who are included.
Click here to view the full list.
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MedChi President Warns of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Risk in Chesapeake Bay
MedChi President, Eric Wargotz, M.D., was featured on Fox45News explaining why Vibrio vulnificus cases are increasing, describing how warm Chesapeake Bay waters can raise bacterial concentrations, and emphasizing how quickly infections can become dangerous if untreated. Dr. Wargotz offers practical warning signs for the public to watch for, shares a real patient example to underscore the seriousness of delayed care, and reassures the public that the infection is highly treatable with antibiotics when medical attention is sought promptly. Click here to read more.
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Top Officials Leave HSCRC Amid AHEAD Model Transition
Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) Chair Joshua Sharfstein, M.D. and Executive Director Jon Kromm announced their departure just as Maryland moves to the new AHEAD hospital rate-setting framework. MedChi's CEO, Gene Ransom, frames the timing as a logical step, noting that the commission has completed years of negotiation and is now entering the implementation phase, when turnover can be expected. While the leadership change is significant, Mr. Ransom expressed confidence that experienced senior staff remain in place and that the transition should be manageable as Maryland works toward AHEAD’s goals of controlling health care costs and strengthening primary care.
Click here to read more.
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MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
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