May 22, 2020
Friday's Information for Mississippi Family Physicians
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS : Tonight at 7 pm Central, AAFP will host an online town hall meeting, ' What Family Physicians Need to Know About Testing. ' This event explores the topic of testing. There is conflicting information about who should get tested and when, how sensitive the tests are, and how the tests should be utilized. Dr. Nina Ahmad and family physician Dr. Kim Yu of California will host. Join the meeting via Facebook , Youtube or Twitter .

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OF MEDICAID : Division of Medicaid announced Thursday it had extended its coverage of enhanced telehealth services through June 30 of this year. DOM has updated two codes with rate increases: $40.71 for CPT code 86328 and $37.92 for CPT code 86769. The DOM's guidance on billing for COVID-19 diagnostic tests with beginning effective dates can be found here .

The Division of Medicaid's staff, including DOM medical director Dr. Carlos Latorre, MAFP vice president, will host a telemedicine town hall meeting on Thursday, June 4 from 3-4 pm. Division of Medicaid staff will discuss Telehealth coding and billing questions.

Submit questions  - about billing and coding only - in advance and we will forward them to the Division of Medicaid. How to access the call on June 4:


ACADEMY TELEHEALTH WEBINAR SERIES : Register now for next week's 'Sustaining Telehealth in Family Medicine: Today and Tomorrow,' webinar sponsored by MAFP and 13 other academy chapters in connection with Aledade. Almost 200 people are already registered and there is no charge.

This is the first in a series of 3 webinars. The other two will take place June 11 and June 25. This Thursday's webinar details:
  • Thursday, May 28 at 7 pm Central
  • Speakers are two family physicians - Dr. Chuck Thornbury of Glasgow, KY, and Dr. Jen Brull of Plainville, KS
  • Physicians will learn how front-line practices have quickly harnessed telehealth services; will hear practical telehealth strategies including patient communication and documentation, workflow and payment processing; and will understand how to permanently incorporate telehealth into their practice
  • Register now for free

CENTERS FOR MEDICAID AND MEDICARE SERVICES : CMS has announced today final changes and a fact sheet on the Year 2021 Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D to provide better coverage and increase access for Medicare beneficiaries. The new rule expands access to MA for patients with End Stage Renal Disease and provides support for more MA options for beneficiaries who live in rural areas. "The changes we are making will help make telehealth more widely available in Medicare Advantage and are part of larger efforts to advance telehealth," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

This week, CMS also announced new guidance for the reopening of nursing homes to visitors . The recommendations allow states to make sure nursing homes are continuing to take the necessary steps to ensure resident safety. To accompany these recommendations CMS also issued Nursing Home Reopening FAQs .

CMS has taken action to help increase testing for COVID-19, including developing two codes laboratories can use to bill for certain COVID-19 lab tests, including serology tests. CMS has updated its guidance to include payment details for additional CPT codes created by the American Medical Association. There is no cost-sharing for Medicare patients.

CMS has been hosting recurring calls to share information with stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic, intended to give physicians and other providers updates and allow them to share best practices. Past recordings of calls can be found online . Calls for the coming week include:
  • Office Hours Call for Physicians & Hospitals - Tuesday, May 26, 4 pm Central. Dial-in 1-833-614-0820, access code 8977438. Web Link
  • Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 - Friday, May 29, 11:30 am Central. Dial-in 1-877-251-0301, access code 6350189. Web Link

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT : MAFP is collecting resources for PPE to share with membership and is posting them on our Coronavirus Page under the heading "Personal Protective Equipment."
 
MAFP staff has also made contact with Julie McNeese at the Mississippi Hospital Association, who is coordinating bulk purchases of PPE and other supplies for small hospitals and independent practices. To discuss a bulk order, please contact Julie at 601-368-3311.
 
We encourage member family physicians to reach out to your local churches and other community groups to ask them to sew cloth masks for your clinic staff and patients.
Mississippi's Coronavirus Hotline is now being staffed from 7 am to 11 pm. Call 1-877-978-6453. The CDC hotline specifically for health care workers is 770-488-7100 .

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HEALTH ALERTS : If you would like to receive MS State Department of Health update calls and notices, sign up for the MS Health Alert Network .

PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP FOR MAFP MEMBERS : To discuss issues with fellow MAFP members, please join our members-only Facebook group.

OUR WEBSITE : Please continue to check the MAFP Coronavirus page for updated information and links to important resources.

NEWS ROUNDUP : To be added to the list to receive our almost-daily News Roundup, e-mail Kristen Kern .

MAFP will continue to send updates and resources as we receive them and we will add them to our page above.

MAFP
755 Avignon Drive
Ridgeland MS 39157
(601) 853-3302