PCMS Word to the Wise - September: Leadership updates, events, news and more

WORD TO THE WISE

Newsletter: September 2018 - Volume 18, No. 9

In this issue:

President's corner: Join me at the PCMS Annual General Meeting
Update from your CMS BOD rep: New cannabis policy coming soon for vote
Upcoming events: PCMS annual meeting, Heal the Healer wellness symposium, holiday social, and local/state events
News from CMS: Help defend against medicine's adversaries this election season and legislative session, and attend the annual meeting in Vail
Members on the move: We need your news!
In the News: AMA president visits Western Slope
News from AMA: Physicians oppose Medicare E&M collapse proposal
Join our members-only Facebook group!

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

The PCMS Annual General Meeting is coming up on Sept. 26 and I want to see you there!

I encourage every PCMS member to RSVP today for the PCMS Annual General Meeting and to bring a colleague as well. It will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26, 5:30 p.m., at Table 67 On The Riverwalk, 102 S Union Ave, Pueblo, CO 81003. Dinner will be provided and a cash bar will be available.

The Board of Directors will present you with an annual report containing information about the society's performance and strategy, and active members will vote on appointments to the board. All members will have the opportunity to share your concerns for discussion with the larger group. When else can you get this many Pueblo physicians in one room from all types of practice settings and career stages? I hope to see you at this important event! RSVP here.

UPDATE FROM YOUR CMS BOD REP

CMS develops new cannabis policy for consideration by members

The Colorado Medical Society recently convened a group of physicians, including myself, to review our position statement regarding cannabis. This will soon be presented through Central Line for your review and vote. In each period of cannabis legalization there have been significant increases in both emergency department visits and hospitalizations with cannabis-related diagnosis codes. This data is displayed in the figure below.

As many patients are seeking information regarding cannabis, it is important physicians are educated in regard to this widely used substance. Several entities including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE); the World Health Organization (WHO); and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) have provided extensive evidence based reviews of cannabis. A link to their webpages, which are freely available, is included below. I encourage you to review these so that, as physicians, we can better inform patients and the public in regards to this increasingly used substance.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We strongly encourage all members and spouses to consider volunteering on a committee to plan a future PCMS event. Contact Cheryl at cheryl.law@pueblocms.org to volunteer or add your event to our upcoming event calendar.

Pueblo County Medical Society Events

Annual General Meeting - Sept. 26

The PCMS Annual General Meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., at Table 67 On The Riverwalk. At the meeting, the board of directors of the organization will present an annual report containing information for members about the company's performance and strategy. Members with voting rights will vote on appointments to the society's board of directors plus voice any issues needed to be discussed. Dinner will be provided plus cash bar, along with invaluable networking opportunities with your colleagues. RSVP today!

Heal the Healer physician wellness symposium - Oct. 13

Healer, heal thyself from the inside out. Join PCMS for a transformational, interactive experience at the 2018 Heal the Healer wellness symposium. Be equipped with practical tools necessary to go beyond surviving to thriving.

The highly regarded symposium will be held Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., and features keynote speaker Dr. Dan Diamond, MD, along with other inspiring speakers plus free breakfast and lunch, CME and CE, and lots of free giveaways! Register today!

Holiday Social - Nov. 16

Save the date for the Holiday Social, Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at The Clink Lounge, 140 Central Main St #222, Pueblo, CO 81003. Appetizers and drinks will be available! Watch for an invitation next month!

Local Events

Marijuana & The Adolescent Brain presentations - Sept. 13

Reserve your space to attend Marijuana and the Adolescent Brain "No Big Deal...Or is it?" in Pueblo Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Visit the website www.coloradopsychiatric.org/Pueblo to learn more.

There are two presentations:

11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch and Learn (targeted to health professionals)

Cost: $10, lunch included

Where: Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, 101 W. 9th St.

7 - 8:30 p.m. (targeted to community members)

Cost: Free

Where: InfoZone on the 4th Floor of Rawling’s Library, 100 E. Abriendo Ave.

Attendees will learn:

What we do and do not know about the effects of marijuana on developing brains
Youth use of marijuana in Colorado
What commercialized marijuana looks like and methods of intake
How to mitigate risk of harm to adolescents
How risk may vary depending on potency, frequency of use and age of consumer

Sponsored by the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society and Smart Colorado. Questions? info@smartcolorado.org

Southern Colorado Youth Development Ribbon Cutting - Sept. 14

Southern Colorado Youth Development invites you to a ribbon cutting and open house to showcase their new facility and educate those in the community about their youth development programs. The ribbon cutting kicks off at 8:30 a.m. followed by an open house. It will take place at 409 W 3rd St, Pueblo, CO 81003.

Financial Management 101 free trainings - Sept. 19

Join the Packard Foundation Fund for Pueblo on Wednesday, Sept. 19 for Financial Management 101, the third in a series of free community trainings for local nonprofits.

This training will share practical information to help you answer these questions:

What does financial management mean for board members and staff and what are their respective roles?
What are internal controls and why do you need them?
Accounting terms may seem like a foreign language – which ones are important and what do they mean?
What information should you keep track of in your accounting system and how does it all fit together?
So much information in financial reports – which reports are important, how do you read the information and what do all those number mean?
How should your organization plan for the future?
What are the latest nonprofit accounting rules and laws that you need to be aware of?

The training will be provided two different times on Sept. 19. To register, click on the link for the time that works best for your schedule.

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018 Financial Management 101

9 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Click HERE to register . Continental breakfast provided.

5:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Click HERE to register . Dinner provided.

Location: NeighborWorks Southern Colorado,1241 E. Routt Ave., Pueblo, CO 81004.

The training is open to anyone involved in nonprofits that serve Pueblo County. Deadline to register is Friday, Sept. 14.

The Packard Foundation Fund for Pueblo is administered by the Caring for Colorado Foundation.

Webinar: Sept. 19 - Join the federal CMS to learn more about the new Medicare card

Medicare is mailing new Medicare cards on a rolling basis at no cost to everyone with Medicare. The new Medicare card includes a new number unique to patients, instead of their current Social Security-based number.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Denver Regional Office will host a webinar designed for all stakeholders in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The first session was held Sept. 5. A second session on Sept. 19, 1-2 p.m. MT, will cover the same information, so there is no need to attend the second session if you attended the first.

To connect: https://meetings.cms.gov/orion/joinmeeting.do?MTID=5a722daf1bae34ae506ce4a682d8d098 and dial 1-877-267-1577; Meeting ID: 994 590 545

Topics: overview, steps to prepare, mailing timelines, transition periods, MyMedicare.gov, fraud prevention tips, resources and where to go to get help.

For questions concerning the webinars, please call 303-844-1994 or 303-844-6217.

Learn more about the new card at Medicare.gov/NewCard ; 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

PDPHE Behavioral Health open house – Sept. 25

The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment invites you to attend a behavioral health open house event, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Attendees will vote on the direction of prevention efforts in Pueblo County focused on substance abuse and mental health.

It is crucial to hear from a variety of voices and opinions for the health of Pueblo. PDPHE encourages you to spread the word about this event.

SURE Community Forum – Sept. 27

All community members are invited to take part in the Substance Use Response Ecosystem (SURE) Community Forum, to be held Thursday, Sept. 27, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Pueblo Community College. PCMS is a stakeholder in this important group. The community forum will provide current information about the efforts around substance use in Pueblo from a panel discussion led by SURE members. Information from community organizations will also be available. Speakers include Allison Cherrier on treatment options, Erin Ashby on motivational interview, Kay Hooshmand Parsi on case studies and Scott McFadden on “what it takes.”

NEWS FROM THE COLORADO MEDICAL SOCIETY

Physicians are vulnerable in 2019; shore up our defenses by donating to COMPAC

Your risk of getting sued and the value of that lawsuit are both in serious danger of exploding in this upcoming legislative session. Your best defense against this is to fully fund the CMS political action committees, Colorado Medical Political Action Committee (COMPAC) and the Small Donor Committee (SDC). These PACs support candidates who will defend physicians and fight back against the trial lawyers.

This attack by the trial lawyers will come primarily by electing candidates who will vote to make professional review records public and available for use in lawsuits AND to raise the value of Colorado's non-economic damage cap. This means more lawsuits and higher liability premiums for all Colorado physicians.

COMPAC has identified the candidates that will defend physicians and are cultivating meaningful relationships with them, but that success means nothing if these candidates don't win in the general election.

To succeed, COMPAC is calling on 500 physicians or friends of medicine to donate $50 to the Small Donor Committee -- which gives money EXCLUSIVELY to those who vote with us on liability issues AND 50 physicians or friends of medicine to donate $200 or more to COMPAC, to help elect candidates who will stop the trial lawyers next session. You can donate to both!

Anyone over 18 can contribute to COMPAC and SDC -- health care providers, significant others, friends, next door neighbors -- anyone who cares about protecting patient access to high quality, cost-effective health care. Please share this with anyone you know who may help and have them visit http://igfn.us/form/pRYzYQ to support COMPAC’s advocacy efforts. You can also give your support from your mobile phone and stay in touch with the progress of this campaign by texting UNITE to 91999.

It's not too late to join the Colorado Medical Society for the 2018 Annual Meeting

This weekend, Sept. 14-15, Colorado physicians will come together as a community in Vail for the 2018 CMS Annual Meeting to engage the experts, state and national, on the most pressing subjects of immediate relevance and concern to our medical community – the opioid epidemic, physician wellness, health care reform and more. Attendees can earn up to 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 2 COPIC Points.

Don't delay; go to cms.org/events/annual-meeting for more information and to register.

MEMBERS ON THE MOVE - Looking for submissions!

This section of the PCMS newsletter highlights members who are making a difference in our community or medical field. We encourage all members to send us a note about your professional or personal achievements, philanthropy, or those of a colleague that you think should be featured. Email cheryl.law@pueblocms.org .

IN THE NEWS

AMA president, CMS leaders visit Grand Junction and Montrose

American Medical Association President Barbara McAneny, MD, made two stops in Colorado in September to hear directly from physicians on the Western Slope on unique issues they are facing and to discuss areas of focus currently being addressed by the AMA: confronting the increasing chronic disease burden, attacking dysfunction in health care that interferes with patient care and reimaging medical education. McAneny listened carefully to each physician and reassured them by stating, “We [AMA] are listening. We support our colleagues in the care of their patients and listen to the concerns that affect their communities.”

Accompanied by Colorado Medical Society leaders – President Robert Yakely, MD; President-elect Deb Parsons, MD; past president and CEJA Chair Lynn Parry, MD; and past president Dave Downs, MD – McAneny met with the Mesa County Medical Society membership at their monthly meeting on Sept. 4 and then traveled to Montrose for a Curecanti Medical Society meeting on Sept. 5.

As a practicing oncologist/hematologist who created the first free-standing cancer center – New Mexico Cancer Center in New Mexico – McAneny’s career has centered on serving minority and underserved populations including rural, Native American and Hispanic patients. Over the course of her medical practice she has recognized the need for systemwide change in health care. Following her installment as AMA president in June, she has pledged to work to address patient access to care, the high cost of care and regulatory burdens on physicians.

In this short time she has already overseen the creation of the Coalition to Reform Prior Authorization following an AMA survey that revealed 91 percent of physicians believe prior authorization delays care, causes patients to abandon treatment and negatively affects outcomes. The coalition aims to eliminate and streamline federal rules and regulations for prior authorization and improve usability and interoperability across electronic health records (EHRs).

She also addressed Medicaid expansion, acknowledging that while it is a state-by-state issue, the AMA believes that the program is an important safety net for patients – particularly for women, children and low-income elderly. She and others at the AMA recognize that Medicaid seldom pays for the cost of providing care and she assured the audience that they are working to address this.

“None of us can do what we do without a lot of other people doing what they do,” McAneny said. “That is why we are stronger when we work together.”

NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Physicians oppose Medicare E&M payment collapse proposal

Physicians and other health professionals welcome and strongly support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ “Patients Over Paperwork” initiative, and say three of its components need to be enacted immediately to reduce “note bloat” redundancy. But they oppose a proposal to collapse payment rates for physician office visit services over concern about unintended consequences.

Those were the key messages included in a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma from the AMA, Colorado Medical Society and 168 other organizations representing physicians, health professionals, and health care stakeholders commenting on the proposed 2019 Medicare physician fee schedule and Quality Payment Program (QPP) rule.

“The proposals included in the 2019 Medicare physician payment rule demonstrate that you listened to our members’ concerns about the significant administrative burdens due to the documentation requirements associated with evaluation and management (E/M) services,” the letter states. “We are grateful for your efforts to simplify these requirements and reduce their associated red tape.”

However, the federal CMS proposal to “collapse” payment rates for eight E&M office visit services into two has the potential to create unintended negative consequences for patients.

“We oppose the implementation of this proposal because it could hurt physicians and other health care professionals in specialties that treat the sickest patients, as well as those who provide comprehensive primary care, ultimately jeopardizing patients’ access to care,” the letter states.

The AMA and the other organizations joining the letter also oppose a proposed policy that would cut payments for multiple services delivered in the same day.

The organizations note their willingness to work with CMS to resolve issues connected with calculating the appropriate coding, payment and documentation requirements for different levels of E&M services.