Issue 03 | January 17, 2020
NJAOPS Attends General Assembly Ceremony
NJAOPS was proud to be a part of the 219th Organization of New Jersey's General Assembly on Tuesday, January 14. We wish everyone success in their upcoming terms and we look forward to working with all of the newly sworn in  assemblyman  and  assemblywomen  on behalf of all  osteopathic physicians  in New Jersey! 
Welcome to the New Legislation
The Legislature finalized the work of the 218 th Legislative Session on Monday, January 13. The 219 th Session began at noon on January 14. 

However, it will still take several days for all the bills from the previous session to be resolved by the Governor. Among the bills that did NOT reach the Governor’s desk were the APN Independent Practice Bill and the Physical Therapists’ Dry Needling Bill.
Stay tuned for a full session wrap up report after next week.
 
 
Here are some highlights:


GOVERNOR MURPHY’S STATE OF THE STATE MESSAGE


In the State of the State Address on Tuesday, Governor Murphy highlighted one important action which has never before taken place. Citing the need for more oversight and transparency in the health insurance and PBM industry, he created an Office of Health Care Accountability and Transparency in the Governor’s Office “ to work across state agencies and lead critical efforts to reduce consumer health care costs, make insurance more affordable and improve price transparency”. This action taken together with the bills featured below and others recently signed are a tremendous step in the right direction. We need to work with the Governor’s Office to provide key information to make this policy imitative a success.


GOVERNOR MURPHY SIGNS LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE PROTECTING THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IN NEW JERSEY

On Thursday, the Governor signed a package of bills, which will codify into state law the basic protections for health care consumers that are part of the Affordable Care Act, include protections for no-cost preventative care and contraception, prohibit exclusions for pre-existing conditions, allow children to stay on their parents' plan until age 26, and incorporate mental health and maternity care as part of essential benefits, among others.

In specific, the following bills were signed into law:

  • 2018: A-5500 (Greenwald, Lopez, Lampitt/Pou, Lagana) - Expands rate review process in DOBI for certain individual and small employer health benefits plans.

  • 2018: A-5501 (McKeon, Vainieri Huttle, Speight/Pou, Weinberg) - Requires continuation of health benefits dependent coverage until child turns 26 years of age.

  • 2018: A-5503 (Reynolds-Jackson, Swain/Vitale, Cryan) - Establishes open enrollment period under Individual Health Coverage Program.

  • 2018: A-5504 (Benson, Schaer/Cryan, Diegnan) - Applies 85 percent loss ratio requirement to certain large group health benefits carriers.

  • 2018: A-5506 (Tully, Danielsen/Singleton, Diegnan) - Repeals statute authorizing offering of "Basic and Essential" health benefits plans under individual health benefits plans and other statutes concerning basic health plans; makes conforming amendments.

  • 2018: -5507 (McKeon, Conaway, Mukherji/Pou, Ruiz) - Requires health benefits coverage for certain preventive services.

  • 2018: A-5508 (Zwicker, Murphy, Sumter/Ruiz, Pou) - Revises law requiring health benefits coverage for certain contraceptives.

  • 2018: A-5248 (Conaway, Mukherji, McKeon/Gill, Singleton) - Preserves certain requirements that health insurance plans cover essential health benefits.

  • 2018: S-626 (Vitale, Diegnan/Vainieri Huttle, Chiaravalloti, Downey, Danielsen) - Clarifies prohibition on preexisting condition exclusions in health insurance policies.
Membership Has Its Privileges

Executive Director, Tajma Kotoric, met with Dr. Mark Reiner, who has been an NJAOPS member for over 30 years, yesterday at his Cherry Hill Orthopedic office to discuss payment reimbursement and insurance-related issues his practice is currently experiencing.  

We look forward to working with his in office billing department and the insurance carrier in solving the current issues.

At NJAOPS, we take pride in providing both large scale solutions for our population of DOs throughout the date, as well as addressing individual issues where we can be off assistance to our members, As the saying goes, "membership has its privileges", and this is a great example of the type of work that NJAOPS can do on your behalf.

Should any of our members be experiencing such issues with insurance reimbursements and credentialing please email: Tajama at tkotoric@ njosteo.com
Ambassadors Wanted:
Help Support Your Association

As a practicing physician, you encounter many opportunities, throughout the business week, to contribute to the advancement of NJAOPS and to help support AROC 2020.

Following up on last year's successful campaign "Support My Association", once again we are encouraging NJAOPS Members to provide business vendors, pharmaceutical reps and strategic partners of any kind with a convenient handout that explains our mission, and promotes sponsorship opportunities available at this year's conference.

If these individuals are interested in doing business with you, they should be very interested in the opportunity to get in front of several hundred of your colleagues that have similar needs and interests... Additionally, your personal endorsement and encouragement goes further than any marketing message we could craft on our behalf. We know that our members are our most valuable ambassadors, and we want to tap into that resource.

To download and print this promotional flyer, please click here, or on the image above. To learn more information on exhibitor and sponsorship information, please contact  Skip Heymann, Sales Director at: 917-608-7653 or sheymann@njosteo.com . You can also direct any potential supporters to www.aroc.org for information.
Second child dies from flu complications in New Jersey this season

New Jersey has announced the 2nd death of a child from flu complications this season.

The young child was from South Jersey and died at the end of December.

The first child was an infant from North Jersey, who died in late October.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control says 32 children have died of the flu - the most this early in the season in 15 years.

Most of those who died were unvaccinated, but had other health conditions.
Decline in cancer mortality due in part to investment in research

The cancer death rate declined by 29 percent from 1991 to 2017, including a 2.2 percent drop from 2016 to 2017 — the largest single-year drop in cancer mortality ever reported, according to  Cancer Statistics, 2020 , the latest edition of the American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer rates and trends.

Data from the report reveals that overall cancer death rates dropped by an average of 1.5 percent per year during the most recent decade of data (2008-2017), continuing a trend that began in the early 1990s, and resulting in the 29 percent drop in cancer mortality in that time.

The drop translates to approximately 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths than would have occurred had mortality rates remained at their peak.

Lung cancer death rates have dropped by 51 percent (since 1990) in men and by 26 percent (since 2002) in women, with the most rapid progress in recent years. For example, reductions in mortality accelerated from 3 percent per year during 2008-2013 to 5 percent per year during 2013-2017 in men, and from 2 percent to almost 4 percent in women.

However, lung cancer still accounts for almost one-quarter of all cancer deaths, more than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined.
EARLY BIRD PRICING EXTENDED
TO JANUARY 31st!
Member pricing is $545,
Nonmember registration cost is $820
PLUS — A special offer for DO’s who have not been members since 2017:
take advantage of a special discounted price of $870 for AROC registration AND Full NJAOPS membership!
 
Registrations can be faxed to 732-940-8899; emailed to Pat McNamara at pmcnamara@njosteo.com or mailed to 666 Plainsboro Rd Suite 356 Plainsboro, NJ 08536
Back to the Boardwalk for 2020!
We are excited to be hosting our convention at the fabulous and exciting Hard Rock in Atlantic City ! Save the date for April 22-25 for the most relevant education and resources for the successful clinician. Our physicians will be able to earn over 32 AOA Category 1-A CME Credit, 29 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ and AAFP Prescribed CME Credit. A new addition for this year - we will feature hands-on workshops on topics including interventional radiology, thyroid ultrasounds, Utilizing OMM in your busy practice and orthopedics.
Get In On Incredible Hotel Deals:
Included in Your Hotel Room Is:
  • High speed WiFi Internet Access
  • Twenty-Four Hour access to the Body Rock Fitness Center
  • Unlimited entry and exit in parking areas after initial feel has been paid
  • Chair and Towel services at the indoor pool or seasonal beach area

GROUP CODE: GOPS420
Or you can call the hotel directly at 609.449.1000 and use the same group code! 
Some of the Hot Topics in Medicine Covered at AROC 2020:  
  • The Measles Outbreak and What We Learned From the Epidemic 
  • Endocrinology Symposium to include topics on PCOS, Management of Type 2 Diabetes, Autoimmune Diseases and How to Manage Them, Current Devices on the Market for Type 2 Diabetes and How YOU Can Get Paid to Download and Manage Patients' Data 
  • VAPING: The Current Public Health Crisis 
  • Women's Health: Migraines, Menopausal Lipidology and LDL Risk Reduction in Women CME 

State Mandates for:
  • Pennsylvania: 14 Hours of Patient Safety and Risk Management Which Needs to be Fulfilled by October 31st, 2020 
  • Florida: 7 Hours of Continuing Medical Education Credits on Topics Including Human Sex Trafficking, Preventing Medical Errors and Florida Rules and Regulations 
  • HIPPA Compliancy 
  • End-of-Life: 2-Hour CME Lecture 
  • Alternatives to Opioids: NJ, PA and NY State Mandate
INVEST IN YOURSELF!
This year's AROC is the perfect opportunity to support your professional advancement, while also supporting NJAOPS! 

Your attendance at AROC 2020 is a win/win for everyone! Not only will you recieve great educational topics, extensive credit opportunities and business opportunities - but your attendance also helps to support and promote your association. We like to think of it as an investment opportunity for our members. When we prosper - so do you, and no one can serve your professional needs better in the State of New Jersey than NJAOPS!

Learn more about this year's program by clicking on the image to the right, or visiting www.aroc.org.  
Year-end opioid statistics show decrease in lives lost for 2019

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday preliminary 2019 year-end opioid statistics for New Jersey.

The data suggests a 3 percent decrease in the number of individuals lost compared to 2018. Additionally, Murphy announced that 2019 data suggests a 6 percent decline in the number of opioids prescribed statewide.

Murphy reaffirmed his commitment to ending the opioid epidemic through a comprehensive, multi-pronged collaboration across several state departments and agencies. The comprehensive approach includes increasing access to evidence-based prevention and treatment programs in the communities, supporting individuals on their path to and maintenance of recovery, supporting data-driven work and strengthening system-wide infrastructure, and using robust law enforcement to stem the supply of illicit drugs.

Along with Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Department of Health Acting Commissioner Judith Persichilli, Department of Corrections Acting Commissioner Marcus Hicks, and other Administration leadership, Murphy announced that the preliminary 2019 year-end data shows the loss of 3,021 New Jerseyans to suspected overdose deaths.

“The opioid epidemic has devastated too many families and communities across New Jersey,” said Murphy.

“To end this scourge, my Administration is guided by a collaborative, comprehensive, and multi-pronged approach across several departments and agencies. We have invested $100 million in each of our first two budgets in order to increase availability of medication-assisted treatment, provide greater access to Naloxone, enhance education and outreach efforts, and strengthen social supports for housing and employment. Today’s data gives us confidence that the targeted, evidence-based, and data-driven whole-of-government approach we are taking is making progress in our fight to end the opioid crisis in New Jersey,” said Murphy.

Following the governor’s announcement, the Attorney General and Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Corrections, and other Administration leadership outlined their department’s work to advance the statewide response to the opioid crisis.