May 2021
Partners in Medicine Lunch and Learn series
[NEW DATE!] HIPAA Compliance webinar - June 9, 12-1:30 p.m.
Register today for the next Partners in Medicine Lunch and Learn event proudly hosted by the Colorado Medical Society. On June 9, 12-1:30 p.m., Abyde will present "HIPAA Compliance in 2021." Find more information and the link to register here.

Registration is also open for a Lunch & Learn with HippoHealth, a telehealth company, on June 23, 12-1 p.m. Register here.
Federal CMS increases Medicare payment for COVID-19 monoclonal antibody infusions in any setting
As part of the ongoing response to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has increased the Medicare payment rate for administering monoclonal antibodies to treat beneficiaries with COVID-19, continuing coverage under the Medicare Part B COVID-19 vaccine benefit. Beneficiaries pay nothing out of pocket, regardless of where the service is furnished – including in a physician’s office, health care facility, or at home.

Effective May 6, the national average payment rate will increase from $310 to $450 for most health care settings. The federal CMS will also establish a higher national payment rate of $750 when monoclonal antibodies are administered in the beneficiary’s home, including the beneficiary’s permanent residence or temporary lodging (e.g., hotel/motel, cruise ship, hostel, or homeless shelter). Read more here.
Questions about monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19?
Download resources from the state in English and Spanish
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has updated their information sheets for monoclonal antibodies as the recommendations for mAbs have evolved due to COVID-19 variants. Bamlanivimab as a monotherapy is no longer under an emergency use authorization; however, it can be used as a combination therapy as can the Regeneron cocktail to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in at risk, non hospitalized individuals.
Prepare now: Changes to the Stark Law’s group practice rules are coming
Most of the new changes to the federal Stark and Anti-Kickback Statutes went into effect in January 2021, but another set of changes to the Stark group practice rules will go into effect Jan. 1, 2022.

Medical groups that rely on the group practice rules must ensure that any profit sharing and productivity bonus methodologies are structured to align with the newest changes to the Stark Special Rule for Productivity Bonuses and Profit shares.

A group practice may only aggregate and distribute profits derived from designated health services (DHS) using one of two options:

  1. The group practice must aggregate the group’s entire profits derived from all DHS before making any distributions to any of its physicians; or
  2. The group practice must aggregate all of the DHS profits within a pod of at least five physicians before making any distributions within the pod.
Become a COVID-19 vaccinator
The Colorado Medical Society has partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) to connect primary care physicians who are willing to be COVID-19 vaccinators directly with vaccine supply. 

Help reach patients who may be unsure of receiving the vaccine or in need of individual counseling by their physician about COVID-19 and each patient's unique health issues. More information here.
AMA analysis shows most physicians work outside of private practice
Share of physicians who work in physician-owned practices has dropped to less than 50%
The majority of patient care physicians worked outside of physician-owned medical practices in 2020, according to a newly released biennial analysis of physician practice arrangements by the American Medical Association. This is the first time the share of physicians in private practices has dropped below 50% since the AMA analysis began in 2012. 

The AMA survey data show 49.1% of patient care physicians worked in physician-owned practices, down from 54% of physicians in the 2018 AMA survey. The drop of nearly five percentage points is the largest two-year change measured since the AMA survey began in 2012. The ongoing shift toward larger practice size also appears to have accelerated between 2018 and 2020. The share of physicians in practices with at least 50 physicians increased from 14.7% in 2018 to 17.2% in 2020, also the largest two-year change measured by the AMA survey since 2012. Read more here.
Medical Nutrition and Chronic Disease Management
May 20, 12:30-2 p.m.
The next event in the NCMS Virtual Education Series is one you do not want to miss. During this event you will hear from a diverse group of panelists giving their insights on medical nutrition as it relates to chronic disease management, hearing perspectives from plant-based diets to carbohydrate restriction and its relation to diabetes management. To learn more about our panelists and register today, please click here. 
AMA: Resource and CME on Information Blocking

Now a month after the Information Blocking Rule went into effect, do you have all the information you need? Check out this American Medical Association resource - Patient Access Playbook: Information Blocking.

Thanks to our Partners in Medicine
CMS Partners in Medicine Lunch and Learn with HippoHealth: June 23 at 12 p.m. More info.
CMS Partners in Medicine Lunch and Learn with Abyde: June 9 at 12 p.m. More info.
Latest bulletins