A bill strongly supported by CMS that would streamline the overall process of prior authorization was voted out of Senate committee April 11, and now heads to the full Senate for approval. House Bill 19-1211 would promote safe, timely and affordable access to evidence-based care for patients; enhance efficiency; increase transparency; and reduce the variations among payers and utilization management organizations. A special thank you to the practice executives who testified in support of the bill: Brenda Hulbert, MBA, RNBC, AACC, FACMPE, CEO of South Denver Cardiology Associates; Eric Spear, MBAHA, FACMPE, chief administrative officer of Centeno-Schultz Clinic; and Wendy Spirek, chief strategy officer for Children’s Eye Physicians.

Join Colorado MGMA and Pikes Peak PAHCOM for 2019 Colorado Payer Day, May 15, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Hear what's new from the insurance carriers and have your questions answered. Get the inside track to the latest information vital to your practice including details about value-based health care, new market plans, preauthorization tools, etc. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with your peers and meet insurance representatives face-to-face. Special keynote speakers will provide key points in partnering with the payers and invaluable information to assist medical managers in managing today’s ever-changing practice. Find more information and register here.

If your practice has a demonstrated referral pattern with a Meaningful Use eligible organization, you can now participate in the Expanded Colorado Care Connections Program that expands health information exchange in Colorado. Return your contract for PatientCare360 by May 1, 2019 and get implementation and the first six months of fees waived for up to five providers. Find out more through this informational flyer.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to remove excess prescription drugs. The next Take Back Day will be held Saturday, April 27, 2019, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Encourage your patients to turn in their unused prescription medication to a local location. Many Colorado communities have permanent take-back drop boxes for prescription medications. Find more information and drop box locations here.

Join DXC Technology (DXC) for upcoming training sessions on CMS 1500 Professional Billing (May 9, 9-11:30 a.m.) and UB-04 Institutional Billing (May 23, 9-11:30 a.m.). These training sessions are intended to help new providers with a high-level overview of claim submissions, prior authorizations, using the website and more. For a preview of the training materials used in these sessions, refer to the CMS 1500 Beginning Billing Workshop and the UB-04 Beginning Billing Workshop, available on the Provider Training webpage under the “Billing Training and Workshops” drop-down section. Providers may choose to attend any training session via live webinar or in person at the DXC office in Denver. 

In this third episode of the Speaking Out on the Quality Payment Program podcast, Michelle Brunsen and Kelly Smith provide updates on qualifying Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians and how they can prepare for 2019 MIPS reporting. Click here.

Registration is officially open for the (federal) CMS National Provider Compliance Conference in Denver on Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Register here. This inaugural conference will be held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. It will feature expert presentations on Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) claims. Don’t miss out on this unique learning and networking opportunity for anyone who processes Medicare Part A and Part B, Home Health and Hospice, and Durable Medical Equipment (DME) claims. Read more on CMS.org.