YOUR chance to be INVOLVED! - Volunteer to mentor or become a mentee.
On June 24, President Trump issued an executive order on Improving Price and Quality Transparency in American Healthcare to Put Patients First.
NYACP has commenced an advocacy call-to-action in strong support of NY bills aimed at ending non-medical vaccination exemptions, and more than 70 members and 175 messages have been sent to New York legislators urging them to pass the bill, all in just a few short days.
ACP’s Leadership Day was held in Washington, DC on May 14-15, 2019. Leslie Algase, MD, FACP, Rasan Cherala, MD, Douglas Delong, MD, FACP, Linda Efferen, MD, MACP, Brendan Heeb, MD, Susan Lane, MD, FACP, Parag Mehta, MD, FACP Joseph Mizrahi, MD, and Zeel Shah, along with Chapter staff Heather Bennett, JD, PhD, and Loretta Ponesse, CAE represented NYACP at the event.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH), with support from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has established the Data Exchange Incentive Program (DEIP) to increase Health Information Exchange (HIE) adoption across the state for Medicaid providers. Participating organizations are incentivized to contribute a pre-defined set of data elements to the SHIN-NY through a QE. This program is designed to help defray the cost for an organization when connecting to their local QE.
Deprescription or Deprescribing is a relatively new term referring to the “appropriate and safe reduction in number or dosage of medications prescribed to an individual”; the process is intended to withdraw unwanted, ineffective medications.1 Deprescribing is not enforced, rather, is voluntary and carried out following discussions between provider and patient and/or caregiver, including acceptance by the latter. Following deprescribing the patient is followed for unexpected consequences that may warrant re-introduction of the medication.
The Chapter is working hard to address the fast growing measles epidemic in New York State. During a recent conference call between NYACP and CDC representatives, information was shared about their immediate needs in New York to address the alarming number of measles cases - over 700 to date. All agreed that misinformation about vaccinations needs to be replaced with the wide circulation of accurate immunization messaging.
The Resolutions Process is a mechanism for grassroots involvement in the affairs and policy discussions of the College and Chapter. Members who have an interest are encouraged to actively participate by submitting a short synopsis of the challenge to your practice and a proposed solution.
The Convocation of the American College of Physicians is an annual ceremony where the College recognizes and applauds its new Masters, Fellows, and Awards recipients. These individuals have been recognized by their peers for outstanding medical scholarship and professional achievement. The ceremony allows new Fellows to march in full regalia.
On April 9-11, 2019, ACP Chapter leaders from across the country and abroad met in Philadelphia to discuss current issues of importance in healthcare and review governance policies of the ACP. These meetings are a chance for all ACP Chapters to discuss timely issues, concerns, and priorities, and to act on resolutions in addressing such issues.
A one minute cost conversation can have a powerful effect on physician/patient relationships, medication adherence and outcomes. Here are 3 tips that other practices have used to overcome the time barrier and implement cost conversations into their workflow:
NYACP would like to celebrate the impact of volunteer service! The Chapter’s newly-formed Volunteer Committee is seeking examples of members (and their families) who have participated in or led volunteer activities that benefit their community, align with NYACP values and provide personal and professional satisfaction and well-being.
NYACP, along with other national, state and community organizations, is leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), and the week of April 15-22 as National Healthcare Decisions Week.
New York Chapter's Rochester Regional Health/Unity Hospital team won NYACP's Doctor's Dilemma in February and was sent by the Chapter to the National Competition. They won the first round of the National Competition to advance to the semi-finals, but unfortunately did not advance any further.
On April 5-7, NYACP held one of two Weekend Board Review sessions for 2019 at Rochester General Hospital
On Monday March 3, NYACP participated in the second meeting of the Department of Health (DOH) sponsored Digital Health Cyber Security Summit. This workgroup is a joint venture between the State government, various healthcare entities from across the state, and professional associations. The goal of this group is to devise best practices for cybersecurity in healthcare.
ACP's Health and Public Policy Committee (HPPC) and Medical Practice and Quality Committee (MPQC) are working on a series of new policy papers outlining our vision for the future of America's health care system. Important topics include coverage and cost of care, delivery system and payment reforms, and breaking down barriers to accessing care.
The data submission deadline for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is two weeks away for eligible clinicians who participated in Year 2 (2018) of the Quality Payment Program. Data can be submitted and updated any time until 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.
In late February and early March, NYACP worked with Weill Cornell Medicine and Stony Brook Medicine on developing events through the Society of General Internal Medicine’s (SGIM) #ProudtoBeGIM program. The results were two unique events that brought together internal medicine residents and medical students with faculty members to share experiences in medicine and a chance to network with like-minded physicians.
DFS has decided to delay implementation of the recently updated WC Medical Fee Schedule until October 1, 2020 for the Auto No-Fault Program. Therefore, you will need to keep the WC fee schedule that was effective on June 1, 2012 for billing claims for the treatment of persons injured as the result of auto accidents.
In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, with over 130 Americans dying every day from opioid-related drug overdoses. Last month, Google saw that search queries for “medication disposal near me” reached an all-time high on Google.
In late February, NYACP held its Leadership event at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY. This two-day event featured keynotes from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity specialists, debates on resolutions, membership benefits, Chapter structure and networking sessions.
The New York State Department of Health has announced that Doctors Across New York (DANY) will begin accepting applications under Cycle VI starting March 7.
ACP has prepared an Action tool kit that Chapter Members can use to help advance legislation at the state level to reduce firearms-related injuries and deaths. The items in the tool kit below have been developed to help Members urge action in the state legislatures in support of enactment of ACP-supported laws.
On January 18, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Open Payments dataset to reflect changes to the data that took place since the last publication in June 2018. The updated dataset is now available for viewing here.
Are you confused about the complexities of Alternative Payment Models? Do you know how to determine which APM is a “good” one and will be effective in not only achieving savings but also improving quality?
According to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform’s paper: “The Problems with Medicare’s Alternative Payment Models and How to Fix them”, an APM must correct the current problems with fee for service while preserving its strengths. The paper outlines eight criteria to determine if an APM will be successful.
CMS' Open Payments search tool has been updated with many features.
Doctor burnout affects about half of American practicing physicians and appears to be on the rise. Systemic interventions have been shown to decrease rates of physician burnout and must be the first line of defense against the burnout scourge. But now research is showing how individual physicians can find some doctor burnout relief by picking up a book.
Hypertension is a major public health challenge, given the high prevalence of more than 30% in US adults and the increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and end – stage renal disease with subsequent death. In New York City, little progress has been made in the control of blood pressure in adults with hypertension or the prevention of high blood pressure in recent years. Additionally, minority populations and very poor neighborhoods have a higher prevalence of hypertension and less well - controlled hypertension when treated.
2018 has come and gone, and it was a productive year for New York Chapter ACP. The infographic on the right goes into more detail on NYACP's accomplishments on your behalf. Read more about the Chapter's accomplishments below
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the John Tooker Evergreen Awards Program, the Evergreen All-Star Award recognizes Chapter programs that have contributed to the strength and breadth of ACP and its chapters, and demonstrated sustainability through successive leadership terms. NYACP received this distinct honor for its Medical Student/Resident Advocacy Program, which has been active since 2007.
The American College of Cardiology's 2018 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Tobacco Cessation Treatment recommends that physicians and practices establish a team-based system of care that recognizes cigarette smoking as a chronic relapsing substance use disorder caused by addiction to nicotine.
The final performance period for the Value Modifier and Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) programs was 2016 and the final payment adjustment year is 2018, and these reports will no longer be available after the end of 2018. All Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) and Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Feedback Reports provided under these programs will remain available for download until December 31, 2018.
On June 29, 2018 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published Program Year 2017 Open Payments data along with updated and newly submitted data from previous program years (2013-2016). Program Year 2017 data and newly submitted payment records are actively available for review and dispute through December 31, 2018. You can learn more about reviewing and disputing public data here.
Are cost conversations still uncomfortable and awkward? Starting with a familiar topic is a practical way to make these conversations comfortable for physicians, staff and patients.
The recently signed SUPPORT Act is a wide-reaching federal law addressing many issues intrinsic to tackling opioid use disorder—including treatment, research, funding and reporting. This alert highlights changes that impact health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, laboratories and pharmacies.
With the increasing emphasis on total cost of care and BH Integration being included in many reform initiatives (DSRIP, NYSPCMH, MIPS/MACRA), physicians are looking for ways to address BH issues in their practices. Historically, the reimbursement for BH Integration has been lacking, making sustainability difficult, but recent changes at the state and federal level provide additional reimbursement for primary care practices providing evidence-based integrated care.
The Physician and Practice Timeline is an online tool to help physicians stay on top of important dates and track deadlines for a variety of regulatory, payment, educational, and delivery system changes, requirements and opportunities. Recent updates include:
You can earn up to 103 CME AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for completing all of the 5 MKSAP 17 Part B sections (Endocrinology and Metabolism, General Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine) by December 31, 2018. If you are registered for Maintenance of Certification with the American Board of Internal Medicine, you can use MKSAP 17 to apply for 103 MOC points.
Daniel Pomerantz, MD, FACP has been elected by the members of the Hudson Valley Region to serve as NYACP Hudson Valley Governor in 2020.
The Chapter will be honoring the memory of Steven Walerstein, MD, MACP, former Governor and leader of NYACP who passed earlier this month by changing the very popular and educational Advocacy Internship to the “Steven Walerstein, MD, MACP, Advocacy Internship.”
For the first time in a decade and just the second time in more than 50 years, Democrats will control the New York State Senate as of January 1 with 40 of the 63 seats and a clear majority. While the Republicans have led the New York State Senate for decades, with a brief two year stint by Democrats in 2009-10, the balance of power will now shift to interesting and challenging times as the Governor, the Senate and the Assembly each offer their plans, priorities, and issues.
If you need to obtain additional MOC points before the end of the year, we encourage you to visit ACP’s Online Learning Center.
On Thursday, November 8, CMS released a letter to physicians outlining how the agency is reducing burden through reform of documentation and coding requirements.
DEA is aware that registrants are receiving telephone calls and emails by criminals identifying themselves as DEA employees or other law enforcement personnel. The criminals have masked their telephone number on caller id by showing the DEA Registration Support 800 number. Please be aware that a DEA employee would not contact a registrant and demand money or threaten to suspend a registrant’s DEA registration.
Two new white papers have been released by New York Chapter American College of Physicians (NYACP) Committees, one from the Geriatrics Task Force and one from the Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Details on the white papers can be read below.
This online tool can help your practice enhance patient care and office efficiency. The Opioid Risk Management module (ACP Practice Advisor log-in required) has resources to help mitigate risk and improve outcomes for patients and medical practices. It includes tools to address the major components of the Blueprint for Prescriber Education for Extended Release and Long-Acting Opioid (ER/LA) Analgesics.
The National Governmental Resources Contractor Advisory Committee (NGS CAC) recently released a helpful information sheet for this year's influenza season. It covers Medicare reimbursement rates and coding guidelines, as well as educational products for all health care providers. It also contains helpful links immunization-related websites, like the Food and Drug Administration, National Vaccine Program, Immunization Action Coalition, and more!
The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) is gathering information from stakeholders who use advance care planning documents and/or have advance care planning and end-of-life care conversations with patients and their families.
The New York eHealth Collaborative's Medicaid Eligible Professional Program (EP2) provides free assistance and a hands-on approach to help your practice successfully achieve Promoting Interoperability (formerly Meaningful Use) objectives.
As fall season is in full swing, that marks the beginning of flu season. To assist physicians and their patients this flu season, ACP has made available easy-to-read tips that explain how patients can protect themselves.
On October 19, the NYACP Council/Board met in Queens to discuss and vote on resolutions and priorities for the upcoming year. The Council/Board discussed and approved several important topics. The 2019 Legislative Priorities which includes championing Access to Care, advocating for Quality of Care and Patient Safety, and a focus on Public Health were approved. Eight committees, including Education, Geriatrics, Early Career Physicians, and others, reported on their activities since the last meeting.
Out-Pocket-Costs. Everybody is thinking about them, but we are not talking about them. Why? According to NYACP’s June 2018 survey, the main barrier to cost conversations between patients and physicians is not knowing where to find cost information. In response, your Chapter has tools and resources to help you with more effective conversations about the cost of care.
The Chapter has recently been asked by the NYS Health Foundation to participate in a Connecting Consumers to Information initiative to help physicians connect their patients to the quality and price information they seek. In the coming months we will be providing you with a listing of free tools, informative webinars and newsletter articles to help you and your patients navigate the quest for high quality, affordable care options.
On April 1, 2018 the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), in collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) launched an innovative model for primary care transformation known as the New York State Patient Centered Medical Home (NYS PCMH). This statewide, innovative advanced primary care approach is characterized by a systemic focus on high quality care, population health and integrated behavioral health.
The SAFE Act quickly passed in the first week of legislative session.Restrictions of firearms and ammunition and duty to warn to be imposed on physicians, on March 16, 2013 are under close scrutiny and may be subject to amendment.
Hospital-acquired conditions decline by 17 percent over a three-year period
A report released by HHS on December 2 shows an estimated 50,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and approximately $12 billion in health care costs were saved as a result of a reduction in hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013.
This progress toward a safer health care system occurred during a period of concerted attention by hospitals throughout the country to reduce adverse events.
The efforts were duein part to provisions of the Affordable Care Act, such as Medicare payment incentives to improve the quality of care and the HHS Partnership for Patients initiative. Preliminary estimates show that in total, hospital patients experienced 1.3 million fewer hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013. This translates to a 17 percent decline in hospital-acquired conditions over the three-year period.
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is December 7-13. This national health observance was established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination through the holiday season and beyond.
CMS reopened the submission period for hardship exception applications for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals to avoid the 2015 Medicare payment adjustments for not demonstrating meaningful use of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT). The deadline is 11:59 PM EST November 30, 2014.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) developed this guideline to present the evidence and provide clinical recommendations on the comparative effectiveness and safety of preventive dietary and pharmacologic management of recurrent nephrolithiasis in adults
In a recent article published by the ACP Internist, Charlotte Huff investigates the impact of virtual consultations on the medical field.
On October 15, 2014, CMS announced the availability of a new initiative for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program.
CMS has recently released the 2013 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and 2013 Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program feedback reports. These reports are now available for eligible professionals who submitted quality data on Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Part B services between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.
Recently, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) published its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that details new recommendationson treatment for adults against pneumonia.
On Monday, July 14th, Chapter Leaders met with New York State Acting Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, MD, JD in his Manhattan offices.
Mandatory Electronic Prescribing Effective March 27, 2015 Amendments to Title 10 NYCRR Part 80 Rules and Regulations on Controlled Substances have been adopted and became effective as final regulations on March 27, 2013. The amendments authorize a practitioner to issue an electronic prescription for controlled substances in Schedules II through V and allow a pharmacist to accept, annotate, dispense and electronically archive such prescriptions.
The Board proposes amendment to 12 NYCRR 324.2 to add a Non-Acute Pain volume to the Medical Treatment Guidelines (Guidelines) and update the existing Guidelines to reflect current medical practice and to ensure consistency with the Non-Acute Pain Guidelines.
There are over 10,000 people living with HIV in New York State that are unaware of their HIV status. In 2010, Article 27-F was amended to require that HIV testing be offered to all persons between the ages of 13 and 64 receiving hospital or primary care services with limited exceptions, and included a requirement for written, informed consent except in the case of rapid testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine HIV screening in healthcare settings.
As summarized in a prior client alert (see related link below), New York’s Emergency Services and Surprise Bills law (the “Surprise Medical Bill Law”), set to go into effect on March 31, 2015, is largely intended to provide consumer protections from medical bills received from out-of-network physicians for services rendered in a hospital emergency room.
The purpose of the Near Miss Registry is to identify, classify and study near miss events. A near miss is a patient safety event that did not reach the patient. The Registry is the official patient safety work product of ACP's Patient Safety Organization (PSO). NYACP manages the day to day operations of the Registry.
The Chapter recemtly participated in a roundtable with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) designed to educate State Assembly representatives on issues relating to controlled substance abuse, as well as the uptick in heroin availability and use.
Seventeen Chapter members from across New York State came to meet with the Chair of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees and with staff from the Govenor's office and Department of Health, with discussions centering on our Chapter's three main policy objectives: Access to Care, Quality of Care and Patient Safety and Public Health.
NYACP was invited to speak at a recent roundtable discussion on Wednesday, April 30, in Albany in an effort by the Coalition to learn more about the physician perspective on step therapy.
New OCR Security Risk Assessment Tool offers help for small practices to comply with HIPAA Security Rule
Read more about this tool here
Or contact Laurie Cohen, our Chapter’s attorney at Nixon Peabody for details
March 2-8, 2014 is Patient Safety Awareness Week. This is an annual campaign sponsored by the National Patient Safety Foundation dedicated to educating healthcare professionals and patients about health care safety.
NYACP held a series of meetings at the State Capital last week along with representatives from several state healthcare organizations as part of the Physician Workforce Advisory Group (WAG). Meetings focused on the need for continued support and expansion of funding of DANY (Doctors Across New York).
With just a little more than 7 months before medical practices have to switch to the vastly more complex ICD-10 coding system, only about 9% of medical practices have made "significant progress" toward that end.
Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his $142.1 billion Executive Budget late last week, and the Chapter has been reviewing the multiple proposals which impact our member practices.
Following several years of participation in a statewide collaboration, the first MOLST (Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) Executive Committee Meeting was hosted by NYACP on January 22, 2014. A variety of stakeholders participated in the strategic planning session led by Patricia Bomba, MD, FACP.
With the 2013 year closing and 2014 right around the corner, the Chapter would like to take this opportunity to thankour valuable members for all your support and dedication throughout the year to make our educational endeavors so successful.
Following our Chapter Leadership conference earlier this year, many activities have centered on the plight of small practice survival and growth.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a new online tool that will help you determine if you will incur a future eHealth program payment adjustment. The eHealth Payment Adjustment Tool shows what payment adjustments to expect based on your past, current, and expected future participation in eHealth programs.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has instituted a new online form in order to expedite the process of receiving a Health Commerce System account.
The new ISTOP Law went into effect this week. In order to comply practitioners prescribing controlled substances (Schedules II-IV)must have an active HCS Account.
For practitioners who are experiencing a slight delay in processing HCS accounts, the NYS Department of Health has issued the following statement:
Patients frequently look to their physicians for guidance in managing aspects of eye health; for example, in a recent focus group by the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) for people with diabetes, most participants reported that their primary care physician was their most trusted source for health information.
Few adults are getting recommended vaccines, and patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma/COPD are at higher risk of complications from vaccine-preventable diseases.
If you are a Board Certified Specialist or Subspecialist of General Internal Medicine; or have a 60 percent paid claims history of both E&M codes and vaccine administration codes, you may be eligible to receive increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services furnished in calendar years 2013 and 2014.
New York has received approval from CMS to implement the Primary Care Rate Increase (PCRI) for Medicaid. In order to receive the PCRI, qualified providers must attest that they meet the requirements of the regulation.
The New York State Department of Health Rural Health Council is seeking physicians who will Be an active listener and an informed health representative of his or her community and advise on the rural health agenda for the state, among other attributes
Now awaiting the Governor’s signature, a bill sponsored by Senator Hannon and Assemblyman Zebrowski will require office-based primary care practices, diagnostic and treatment centers and hospitals to offer a Hepatitis C test to patients born between 1945-1965
In two months, on August 27, 2013, most prescribers will be required to consult the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) registry when writing prescriptions for Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances.
ACP has launched the Physician & Practice Timeline: Professional Requirements & Opportunities, a valuable online tool to help physicians stay on top of important dates and track deadlines for a variety of regulatory, payment, educational, and delivery system changes, requirements, and opportunities.
Effective August 27, 2013 New York State Public Health Law requires most prescribers of controlled substances to consult* New York’s online Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Registry through the Health Commerce System( HCS). The HCS is also used to order official NYS prescriptions and for important public health updates, pandemic and epidemic notifications and for patient informational resources.
Each year, the NYS legislature hosts joint public hearings to discuss the proposed Executive budget. New this year was a joint hearing on workforce-related issues, to which NYACP took part.
We are pleased to report that over 330 internists, residents, medical students and allied health professionals attended the Chapter’s Annual Scientific Meeting in conjunction with this year’s first IM Board Review Course cosponsored by the NY Methodist Hospital.
As part of our active monitoring and advocacy efforts, your Chapter has identified several issues in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2013-2014 proposed Budget, that will impact internal medicine practices across New York State.
NYACP is kicking off National Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 3-9, 2013 with an “Anatomy of Medical Errors” Webinar, presented by Ethan Fried, MD, MACP on Monday, March 4, 2013 from 10am-11am.
On January 29, 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State will lead the nation by becoming the first state to require all hospitals to adopt best practices for the early identification and treatment of sepsis.
On January 12th, the Governor declared a Public Health Emergency for all of New York State in response to the increasingly severe flu season. The Order allows NYS certified pharmacists to administer flu vaccinations to patients between six months and 18 years of age.
With the start of the new 2013-2014 legislative session, we have already begun to monitor and act on legislative, regulatory and public policy developments in the area of health care delivery. We plan to focus efforts on issues that impact the provision of high quality and cost effective care to patients, Internal Medicine practice, public health and medical education.
The Chapter and New York Methodist Hospital are pleased to present a two-day course on February 23 - 24, 2013. For the first time, the course is being held in conjunction with this year’s Annual Chapter Scientific Meeting on Friday, Feburary 22, 2013.
In the December 20th issue of Your Chapter in Action, we reported that the Chapter’s Quality Committee completed an extensive literature review and identified over 30 resources that impact members and their practices in the areas of quality, patient safety, process improvement, transitions in care and handoffs.