2016 Announcements

Out of Network Legislation - Call to Action
The Medical Society testified in opposition to the Out of Network legislation, which has cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee. We continue to oppose caps of hospital-based out of network payments, even if done through dispute resolution, as those caps will depress all out of network and in network payments for all physicians. Read our testimony. Read press coverage.
 
WE NEED YOUR HELP IN DEFEATING THIS BILL! PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR LEGISLATOR. PLEASE USE THE TEMPLATE AND PORTAL ON OUR WEBSITE.

Please share this with your non-member colleagues and ask them to join the Medical Society of New Jersey & Morris County Medical Society today to preserve your medical practice. We use the collective strength of our physician members to have an impact on legislation, regulations and managed care.

NJ CDS UPDATE: The New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety, Chief of Drug Control (CDS) is late in mailing the CDS renewal forms. The renewal forms should be mailed by the end of September (there will be a grace period but it has not yet been determined by the Department). Renewals will be able to be completed on line. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Society office.

Weekly Charting Tip:
Most of you, over the years, have treated a friend or relative. Sometimes, the treatment consists of a quick look-see and a prescription. Do you have to chart this? YES! There is no "relative or friend" exception to the rule that requires your chart to be an accurate and complete representation of your treatment of your patient. That same friend or relative may sue you when they have medical complications due to your "minimal" treatment! Additionally, your professional license always has to be considered prior to any treatment. Do it right! Make a chart. – Larry Kobak, Esq., Partner, Kern Augustine, P.C., [email protected].

Internship Wanted:
Second year pre-med student seeking summer internship program. Please contact the Society office for resume or contact [email protected] directly.

CMS Makes it Easier to Opt Out of EHR Requirements
The CMS is making it easier for providers to waive out from meaningful use requirements of electronic health records amid a series of proposed changes to the 6-year-old $31.8 billion EHR incentive payment program. In December, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act, which expanded providers’ eligibility for hardship exemptions to Stage 2 of the meaningful-use program.

Basically, the law provides the CMS with the authority to batch process hardship applications by categories instead of the case-by-case method used previously. To comply with the law, the CMS posted a new streamlined hardship application, reducing the amount of information that providers must submit to apply for an exception. Eligible professionals will have until March 15 to apply for an exemption.

If you have any questions, please contact Kern Augustine Conroy & Schoppmann, P.C. at 1-800-445-0954 or via email at [email protected].

CMS Announces Submission Timeframes for 2015 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Data
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the 2015 PQRS data submission timeframes:
  • EHR Direct or Data Submission Vendor (QRDA I or III) - 1/1/16 - 2/29/16
  • Qualified Clinical Data Registries (QCDRs) (QRDA III) - 1/1/16 - 2/29/16
  • Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) Web Interface - 1/18/16 - 3/11/16
  • Qualified Registries (Registry XML) - 1/1/16 - 3/31/16
  • QCDRs (QCDR XML) - 1/1/16 - 3/31/16
Submission ends at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the end date listed. An Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) account with the "Submitter Role" is required for these PQRS data submission methods. Please seen the EIDM System Toolkit for additional information.