2018 Announcements

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that physician practices/groups may now log into the CMS QPP website to check their 2018 eligibility for Medicare’s Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).  After groups log in, they will be able to click into a details screen to see the eligibility status of every clinician in the group ( based on their National Provider Identifier or NPI) to find out whether they need to participate during the 2018 performance year for MIPS.  Unfortunately, CMS will not be sending out letters to advise physicians of their eligibility status this year so checking on the QPP participation status look-up tool is the only way to determine or verify eligibility status.  Eligibility rules in 2018 are different than in 2017 so status this year may be different than last.  Also as is indicated in the look-up tool, exempt individual clinicians still will need to report if their group is eligible and chooses to report as a group.  The look-up tool can be found at: https://qpp.cms.gov/participation-lookup  

 
Public Health Alert: Potential Measles Exposure at Newark Liberty International Airport
Contact A Health Care Provider If You Suspect Exposure
 
On March 12, 2018, an international traveler with a confirmed case of measles—a highly contagious disease—arrived in Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport from Brussels and departed for Memphis from Terminal C. The individual, a young child, was infectious on that day and may have traveled to other areas of the airport.
If you were at the airport between 12:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m, you may have been exposed to measles, and if infected could develop symptoms as late as April 2. If you develop symptoms of measles, the Department of Health recommends that you call a health care provider before going to a medical office or emergency department. Special arrangements can be made for evaluation while also protecting other patients and medical staff from possible infection.

Measles symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. It can cause serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Measles infection in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby. Measles is easily spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes. People can also get sick when they come in contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person.

New Jersey residents identified as potentially exposed on the ill individual’s flights will be notified by their local health department.

If you have been exposed, you are at risk if you have not been vaccinated or have not had measles.

"Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles,” said Dr. Christina Tan, state epidemiologist.  “We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations. Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can’t receive it for medical reasons. If you’re planning an international trip, the World Health Organization recommends that adults or adolescents unsure of their immune status get a dose of measles vaccine before traveling,” Dr. Tan added.

Information on what to do if you’ve been exposed to measles is available on our website: www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/topics/measles/measles_exposure_guidance_public.pdf
For more information about measles, contact your health care provider, or visit the New Jersey Department of Health website at www.state.nj.us/health/cd/topics/measles.shtml
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website has additional information at www.cdc.gov/measles/
Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter @njdeptofhealth, Facebook /njdeptofhealth, Instagram @njdeptofhealth and Snapchat @njdoh.

Take the 2018 AMA Survey 

Sponsored by the American Medical Association (AMA)  Council on Long Range Planning and Development, this survey will help the AMA identify and better understand important issues relevant to health care and the practice of medicine

Take the survey today by clicking the link below:
http://bit.ly/ama2018stakeholder
 
The last day to complete the survey is Aug. 31. You do not need to complete the survey in one sitting. You can stop at any question and return to complete it by using the same device with which you initially began the survey.
 
If you have questions about the survey, contact Susan Close at [email protected] or (312) 464-4836.

Should you encounter any technical issues while taking the survey, contact [email protected] or Andrea Houlihan at (312) 464-2441.
 
Out of Network Update 

Click here to access important out of network information 

**Please use your member credentials to access these documents**

NJ Department of Banking & Insurance: Program for Independent Claims Payment Arbitration (PICPA)


Click this link to access the PICPA application website
 
Out-of-Network" DOBI Bulletin 18-14 Guidelines On Out-of-Network

Click to download the complete DOBI bulletin

Morris County Medical Society Newsletter 

Click here to download our latest newsletter!

New Jersey Earned Sick Leave 

Click here to download the details about the New Jersey earned sick leave law 
 
IMPORTANT Out of Network Guidance 
 
Click here to view the out of network bulletin 

Click here to view the summary of provsions for healthcare professionals 
 
Norris McLaughlin & Marcus's Law Healthcare Blog

Sign up here for Norris McLaughlin & Marcus's Health Care Law Blog 

The website is www.nmmhealthcarelaw.com
 
Important: Postponement of new AmeriHealth New Jersey policy regarding CPT® consultation codes 

Please be advised that AmeriHealth New Jersey will postpone the implementation of Claim Payment Policy #00.01.64: Consultation Codes, which outlines our reimbursement position on Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) consultation codes.

We previously communicated that this Claim Payment Policy would go into effect January 1, 2018, which would have aligned with reimbursement standards on certain CPT consultation codes set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. However, the implementation of this policy will be postponed, and the Notification has been removed from our Medical Policy Portal.

Once the new implementation date is determined, we will post a new Notification on our Medical Policy Portal. We will also communicate this information in a future Partners in Health UpdateSM article.
If you have any questions, email us at [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, contact number, and provider ID number in your email.

CPT Copyright 2016 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.
 
2018 Quality Payment Program Final Rule Highlights 

Click here to download the quality payment program document