Weekly Roundup: In Case You Missed It

January 6, 2023

Medi-Cal Managed Care Transition: What You Need to Know



Starting in January 2023, patients with both Medicare and Medi-Cal who are not already enrolled in a Medi-Cal managed care plan will need to enroll in a Medi-Cal plan. CMA is hosting a webinar on January 12 at 12:15 pm that will cover FAQs about this transition, particularly among Medicare providers. DHCS will highlight key points, including the fact that Medicare providers do not need to be enrolled in a Medi-Cal plan to continue seeing their dually eligible patients and continue receiving reimbursement. Most dually eligible patients statewide are already enrolled in Medi-Cal plans. This enrollment change is primarily occurring for patients in counties in the Central Valley and Bay Area. 

Informational Webinar on CalHealthCares Loan Repayment Program



The next application cycle of the CalHealthCares Loan Repayment Program opens January 18. CalHealthCares provides loan repayment on educational debt for California physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients. Eligible physicians can apply for a loan repayment award of up to $300,000 in exchange for a five-year service obligation. Attend the informational webinar next Friday, January 13 at noon to get your questions answered before the application opens. 

Navigating Covered California in 2023



CMA published a guide to help you navigate Covered California changes going into the new year. The guide reviews plan and product changes, understanding participation status in the plans offered in your area and knowing which provider network is tied to those products, the primary care physician agreement, and more.

Low Volume Prescribers Can Now Request E-Prescribing Exemption


Under AB 852, physicians are exempt from the e-prescribing mandate if they meet one of the following criteria: issue 100 prescriptions or less in a year; are practicing in an area affected by natural disaster, officially declared disaster or emergency zone; or are granted a waiver based on other extraordinary circumstances. You must register with the California Board of Pharmacy to claim this exemption.

Quality Payment Program Exceptions: MIPS EUC Deadline Extended



CMS has extended the deadline to file a 2022 MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) hardship extension until March 3, 2023. The original deadline was Jan 3, 2023. If physicians feel they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 they may file a MIPS hardship exemption with CMS to avoid a 2024 MIPS penalty. 

Deadline to Sign Data Sharing Agreement is Approaching

 

CalHHS has opened its new online portal to allow practices to sign California’s Data Sharing Agreement (as part of the state’s new Data Exchange Framework). Under state law, physician practices and medical groups are required to sign a template Data Sharing Agreement by January 31. Signing the agreement is the first step in complying with the new framework. Click here to access a fact sheet and an on demand webinar on the Data Exchange Framework. 

Physicians Must Notify Patients of the Open Payments Database


AB 1278 that took effect January 1 and requires California physicians to provide patients with a written or electronic notice about the availability of the federal Open Payments database. It also requires physicians to post in their offices and on their websites a notice informing visitors about the Open Payments database, which can be used to search payments made by drug and medical device companies to physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses and teaching hospitals.

Download a sample notice for distribution
Download a sample notice to post in your office

Free Virtual Narcan Training 


Drug Safe Solano is hosting a free, virtual Narcan training this month. The class runs about 45 minutes and every participant will receive a unit of Narcan. Register to attend on January 25 at 6 pm and please feel free to share this information with your networks and greater communities. 

WEBINARS & EVENTS

AMA Federation Health Equity Exchange 

Thursday, January 5 | 12:00 pm 

Free | Hosted by the American Medical Association 

 

Participants will learn how the Medical Association of the State of Alabama has long been a champion for greater health care access for disadvantaged and underserved communities. Hear how MASA has partnered with other associations and agencies in the Cover Alabama Coalition, a group specifically formed to promote expansion of Medicaid in Alabama and has championed legislative actions to provide incentives for physicians who open and maintain clinics in underserved areas. The Medical Association has encouraged diversity and inclusion within its membership and the medical community as a whole by awarding minority medical school scholarships and they will share that information as well. 

 

Register here

Virtual Grand Rounds: Updates on RSV and COVID-19

Tuesday, January 10 | 12:00 to 1:00 pm 

Free | Hosted by CMA 

 

Receive an epidemiology update regarding respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 from Erica Pan, MD, MPH, California State Epidemiologist and Deputy Director, CDPH Center of Infectious Diseases, and Michael Vollmer, MD, Regional Hospital Epidemiologist and Co-chair of Infection Prevention Committee for Kaiser Permanente, Northern California. 

 

Register here

2023 Health Care Transitions for Patients with Medicare and Medi-Cal

Thursday, January 12 | 12:15 to 1:15 pm 

Free for all | Hosted by CMA 

 

According to DHCS, the transition to Medi-Cal managed care will increase the level of care coordination and support offered to dual eligibles, while maintaining beneficiary choice for Medicare providers and plans. The transition will only impact dual eligible beneficiaries – individuals with both Medicare and Medi-Cal – not already enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care. Learn more in this webinar, where DHCS staff will provide an overview and answer questions about the dual eligible beneficiaries transition to Medi-Cal managed care. 

 

Register here

The Future of Telehealth 

Tuesday, January 17 | 12:15 to 1:15 pm 

Free for members | Hosted by CMA 

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many practices implemented telehealth for the first time. Now, physicians and their patients are starting to think about what happens to telehealth if and when the public health emergency comes to an end. Recent developments at the state and federal level are bringing the future into focus. Join David Ford, CMA Vice President of Health Information Technology, to hear more about the future of telehealth. David is a nationally recognized health information technology expert. He develops CMA's thought leadership in all aspects of health IT, including electronic health records, health information exchange and telehealth. 

 

Register here

CPT® Capstone Webinar: Understanding the CPT Code Set and its Place in Medicine 

Wednesday, January 18 | 10:00 am to 12:00 pm 

Hosted by the American Medical Association | Free 

 

One of the keys to success for an evolving healthcare system is ensuring that the experience and voice of the physician remain at the center of the codes used to characterize and describe their work: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®). This webinar will help you understand how these codes respond to changes in the healthcare landscape, spark and spur innovation, and serve to advance health equity efforts. Specifically, you’ll learn how the CPT process works, from the CPT Editorial Panel through the participation of specialty societies and workgroups; and how you and your society can get involved to strengthen the collective voice of the CPT code set and its development process, now and in the future. 

  

Register here.

NSMS's On-Demand Library


To access all on-demand programs, go to https://www.pathlms.com/medical-society/courses 

 

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS?

Please contact NSMS at grogers@napasolanodocs.org or (707) 255-3622with any questions or concerns you have.