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The Weekly Dose
Bexar County Medical Society
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Medicaid
primary care adjustment
By
John K. Wisniewski
BCMS
CEO/Executive Director
Beginning this
year and through 2014, Medicaid primary care services are to be
reimbursed at Medicare rates.
CMS and the
state have not quite settled on processes, so the retroactive money
isn't expected until March 2014.
For those
affected, the cumulative impact could be significant, and the
temporary nature of the regulation and inconsistent cash receipts may
create challenges in your group compensation model.
This would be a
good week to determine if the program applies to you, and, if so,
ensure your group is tracking amounts due and considering this
issue's effect on your compensation.
It also would be
a good time to make plans for the retroactive payment when it comes
... perhaps a rare opportunity to put some savings aside,
invest in your practice, or pick out a new car at the BCMS Auto Show
on Oct. 17.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Doctors Company
Founded by doctors for doctors in
1976, The Doctors Company is committed to relentlessly defending,
protecting and rewarding the practice of good medicine. With 73,000
members and $4 billion in assets, The Doctors Company is the nation's
largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer.
What do your
peers think about healthcare reform?
Using findings from its
groundbreaking Future of Health Care survey, The Doctors Company has
created an animated video that provides a clear snapshot into the
physician mindset.
Watch the short
video to see how your opinions compare.
For more information, contact
Kirsten Baze, RPLU
(512) 275-1874
kbaze@thedoctors.com
www.thedoctors.com
This
information is sent on behalf of a valued BCMS Circle of Friends
sponsor at the silver level, but it is not an endorsement. Donations
from Circle of Friends sponsors help keep down the cost of dues and
allow BCMS to continue to provide quality service to its members. The
society continues its pledge to you and only will involve itself in
services and programs that benefit you, the member, and your
patients.
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Dear Colleagues,
Greetings from your Bexar County Medical Society!
I want to thank you for the honor
and privilege to be your president for the coming year. As we go
forth into the new rear, I want to ask for your help. Member
participation is the bedrock to the workings of organized medicine,
and much of what we accomplish as an organization depends on the
active participation of our members. Bexar County Medical Society
provides a platform for all of you to identify issues that affect
your practice and to collaborate with other physicians, business leaders
and legislators to seek reasonable solutions and protect the
doctor-patient relationship.
I ask for your participation in
medical society activities to reinforce our relationships and
strengthen our profession. There are many ways to make your contributions
to the medical society and the community at large. You
will find your involvement in organized medicine very
satisfying and a great learning experience, particularly for the
new physicians, resident physicians and medical students. You know
the impact and importance of all of us speaking with one unified
voice on issues such as payment reform, insurance coverage, public
health and patient safety, just to name a few.
If you are already a member of
one of the committees or the board, I wholeheartedly appreciate
your commitment and thank you for your service; if you are not, I
sincerely request you to consider serving on a committee. By
joining the committee which aligns with your interest, you can
bring your experience, your opinions and your plans to improve and
strengthen the society to solve many of the issues facing us.
Please take a
moment to review the descriptions of the committees by clicking here.
I have no doubt that you will find one that interests you.
I thank you again for your time,
interest and commitment. I hope I can count on your help.
Warm regards,
Ashok
K. Ashok Kumar. MD, FRCS, FAAFP
President-elect,
Bexar County Medical Society
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PLAN NOW TO ATTEND
Click image above to register
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TRENDING TOPICS
Important news items for your practice ...
in case you missed them
By Mary E. Nava, MBA
BCMS Chief Governmental and Community Relations
Officer
At the time of this writing, our
nation is on government shutdown, the Health Insurance Marketplace
has opened for enrollment, and healthcare as we know it is changing
dramatically. These are just some of the mainstream media
stories currently on the radar. Here, on the local front, there are
some important developments for physicians and their practices that
you may already be aware of, but in case you have missed them, the
following are three items (with links for more information) for you
to note and share with your staff:
From the AMA:
Government shutdown won't affect Medicare claims payments;
Medicaid and CHIP funding also will continue. Click here to
read.
From the TMA: ICD-10
one year away. Follow TMA's on-demand webinars, videos and resource
page for complete education and materials to help you make the
transition to the ICD-10 system. Click here to
learn more.
From the Texas
Health and Human Services Commission: CHIP
patients' new IDs with a new nine-digit number for services
provided on or after Oct. 1 with one exception: CHIP perinatal
patients. Click here for
information.
For local discussion on this
and other practice management and advocacy topics, consider joining
the BCMS Legislative and Socioeconomics Committee by contacting
Mary Nava at mary.nava@bcms.org.
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About The Weekly Dose
The Weekly Dose is a service of
the Bexar County Medical Society.
Some of the suggestions conveyed may not be applicable
to your practice today,
but the goal is to offer information over time that returns value
in excess
of the cost of your membership.
If you would like to recommend future topics to share
with your colleagues,
please submit them to the BCMS executive director at john.wisniewski@bcms.org.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Copyright © 2013
Bexar County Medical Society, San Antonio, Texas.
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