February 19, 2007

IN THIS ISSUE

Editor's Column: Personal Electronic Health Records On The Web
 We're From The Government...And We're Here To Help
Blues News: Electronic Payment
MSMS Minutes: Sections Will Meet On March 3
Celebrating America's Women Physicians
Support GME Funding; Meet With Lawmakers
MSMS Accepting BOM Nominations
 

Click Here To Contact Us


 

Editor's Column:
Personal Electronic Health Records On The Web

By JOSEPH WEISS, MD
(Editor's note: The technologies discussed in this column are consumer products with which patients maintain their own medical information. The column does not reference electronic medical records used by physicians as an alternative or supplement to traditional paper files.)

Personal electronic health records will not become the repositories of medical information that the Web designers envision they are creating. The problem is that these records are tedious to complete, just as tedious to maintain, untested as to their utility, and likely do not represent what a physician needs when he or she sees a patient. Furthermore, if an adult must complete a record for one or more children, the tediousness compounds.

Almost all Web sites dealing with the health of individuals, such as BCBS and for-profit ventures such as RevolutionHealth.com, contain Web pages devoted to personal electronic health records. The fields in these personal electronic health records include medications, hospitalizations, immunizations, illnesses, medical conditions, allergies, family illnesses and causes of death. They also require the identification of your health insurance(s) with the appropriate number and letter designation. You also need to fill in addresses of all your doctors and the names addresses, phone numbers, cell phones, and e-mails of emergency contacts.

What usually proves most useful to physicians is a list of the patient’s present medications; this is best obtained by having the patient bring in all of his or her medications. Printed or hand written lists are often unreliable as patients frequently neither include new medications nor delete those medications recently dropped.

The personal electronic medical record will become a practical tool when computer makers and software specialists combine to bring out a computer with a built-in bar code reader. Then the patient could pass the medication’s bar code ID in front of the computer and the appropriate software would update a written list of medications stored in the personal electronic health record.

 Back to top

We're From The Government...And We're Here To Help

By PAUL NATINSKY
The federal government's efforts at panning for treasure by requiring proof of citizenship for access to Medicaid services has yielded fools' gold. The so-called proof-of-citizenship law that went into effect last July has created a $10 million cost hiccup in Arizona and will set back the Illinois treasury an estimated $16 million to $19 million next year, according to a report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, reported by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Washington state will hire 19 new employees for a two-year stint to get its Medicaid administration up to speed with the new law. What's really puzzling about this is that funding for and expansion of Federally Qualified Health Centers has been a point of emphasis for the Bush Administration. In many parts of the country, these centers have been primary health care resources for those who fall outside the parameters of the Medicaid program -- including non-citizen migrant workers. Go figure.

Despite the federal government's stellar efforts to cut health care costs, the past year has shown an increase in the cost of doing business for both physicians and hospitals. The Producer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that wholesale prices rose 1.3 percent in January compared to 0.2 percent for the same period last year. For the year ending at the end of January 2007 doctors' office prices rose 2.4 percent. Hospitals absorbed a 3.7 percent increase for the year. Still, further Medicare payment cuts are planned and the feds continue stout resistance to a fair reworking of the Medicare reimbursement formula.

In defensive action, Physician Hospitals of America, a trade association for physician-owned hospitals, felt compelled to respond to a letter from congressional leaders to CMS about the death of a patient who had been transferred to another facility after having had spinal surgery at a physician-owned hospital in Abilene, Texas. The association asserted that physician-owned hospitals provide a high level of care and measurably lower complication and mortality rates. PHA backed up its claims by citing reports from CMS, HHS and the Justice Department indicating that specialty hospitals deliver high-quality health care. California Congressman Pete Stark (D) and Sens. Chuck Grassley (R) of Iowa and Max Baucus (D) of Montana issued a six-page press release following an earlier letter to CMS questioning whether Medicare dollars were received by the hospital during an 18-month congressionally imposed moratorium on such payments. For more on this maelstrom, visit http://www.physicianhospitals.org/newsdetail.php?next=1&news_category_id=1

On the bright side, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), perhaps empowered by recent election results, announced plans at the American Medical Association’s recent National Advocacy Conference  to reintroduce legislation that would seek alternatives to the way Medicare pays physicians, and to reward them for investing in health information technology

Stabenow has criticized the Bush Administration's budget proposal for 2008 that would cut Medicaid and Medicare funding and snip physician payments 10 percent. Her bill would create an all-physician Medicare payment commission that would come up with an alternative to repeal the sustainable growth-rate formula (SGR), which ties payments to the health of the economy using consumer prices as a benchmark without considering the much higher medical inflation rate.

Stabenow and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) plan to reintroduce legislation that would provide a tax break for physicians who invest in information technology such as electronic medical records, which, by some estimates, could save $80 billion to $100 billion per year (although, these savings estimates are viewed by some as tremendously optimistic and not inclusive of complications in implementing and integrating such systems). For more on Sen. Stabenow's plans, visit her Web site at http://stabenow.senate.gov/
 

Stabenow is not alone in her quest to get the ball rolling on health care reform. A roster of 10 U.S. Senators (Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Robert Bennett (R-UT), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Trent Lott (R-MS), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Herb Kohl (D-WI) and John Thune (R-SD) signed a Feb. 13 letter to President George Bush outlining their priorities for health care reform and urging immediate action. The text of that letter appears below:

As U.S. Senators of both political parties we would like to work with you and your Administration to fix the American health care system.

Each of us believes our current health system needs to be fixed now. Further delay is unacceptable as costs continue to skyrocket, our population ages, and chronic illness increases. In addition, our businesses are at a severe disadvantage when their competitors in the global market get health care for “free.”

We would like to work with you and your Administration to pass legislation in this Congress that would:

1) Ensure that all Americans would have affordable, quality, private health coverage, while protecting current government programs. We believe the health care system cannot be fixed without providing solutions for everyone. Otherwise, the costs of those without insurance will continue to be shifted to those who do have coverage.

2) Modernize Federal tax rules for health coverage. Democratic and Republican economists have convinced us that the current rules disproportionately favor the most affluent, while promoting inefficiency.

3) Create more opportunities and incentives for states to design health solutions for their citizens. Many state officials are working in their state legislatures to develop fresh, creative strategies for improving health care, and we believe any legislation passed in this Congress should not stymie that innovation.

4) Take steps to create a culture of wellness through prevention strategies, rather than perpetuating our current emphasis on sick care. For example, Medicare Part A pays thousands of dollars in hospital expenses, while Medicare Part B provides no incentives for seniors to reduce blood pressure or cholesterol. Employers, families, and all our constituents want emphasis on prevention and wellness.

5) Encourage more cost-effective chronic and compassionate end-of-life care. Studies show that an increase in health care spending does not always mean an increase in quality of outcomes. All Americans should be empowered to make decisions about their end of life care, not be forced into hospice care without other options. We hope to work with you on policies that address these issues.

6) Improve access to information on price and quality of health services. Today, consumers have better access to information about the price and quality of washing machines than on the price and quality of health services.

We disagree with those who say the Senate is too divided and too polarized to pass comprehensive health care legislation. We disagree with those who believe that this issue should not come up until after the next presidential election. We disagree with those who want to wait when the American people are saying, loud and clear, “We want to fix health care now.”

We look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner in the days ahead.

 Back to top

Blues News

Blue Cross Electronic Funds Transfer & Online Vouchers

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is preparing to offer electronic payments and online vouchers soon to Michigan physicians and other health care providers, including billers of routine vision and hearing services. Once implemented, physicians can enroll online to participate in the free program.

The advantages of this program include:

-Elimination of problems associated with multiple BCBSM mailings with checks and paper payment vouchers
-No more worries about lost checks
-Online vouchers are searchable and printable
-Access to up to 36 months of voucher history
-Notice of rejected services will be available online

Watch future issues of The Record, web-DENIS broadcast messages and www.bcbsm.com  for more details.

Other key details:

-It takes approximately 15 calendar days for your banking information to be verified after signing up. After the 15-day verification period, physicians will receive a letter in the mail confirming that the electronic funds transfer registration is complete.
-All claims submitted for group members other than GM or Delphi will be deposited on Wednesdays. Payments for GM and Delphi group members will be deposited on the following Monday.
Vouchers will be available online every Monday through the BCBSM provider portal.
-Users will receive one electronic payment for each paper check they currently receive from BCBSM, excluding payments for FEP and Medicare Advantage members. Paper vouchers no longer will be available by mail or upon request for providers who have signed up for the EFT program. The vouchers only will be available online.
-Dental and facility providers, and FEP and Medicare Advantage member groups are not included in this new program at this time.

For more information, contact your BCBSM provider consultant.

For more information about reimbursement issues, contact Stacie Saylor, CPC, at MSMS at (517) 336-5722 or ssaylor@msms.org.

Get additional news and information from MSMS publications, such as Medigram, Michigan Medicine and the Monthly Top 10, online at www.msms.org.
 

Blues gets approval for health care bank

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association said it received approval from federal regulators for the Blue Healthcare Bank, which would provide health care-related banking services in all 50 states.

The bank, located in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, will permit consumers to manage and direct their health care spending by paying for qualified medical expenses with a debit card linked to personal accounts such as health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements.

Participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies will be able to aggregate members’ claims and personal health savings information into a single report, officials said. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies in Arkansas, Idaho, Michigan and South Carolina are already working with the bank and another 12 to 15 companies will come online later this year, officials said.

Back to top

MSMS Minutes

MSMS Sections Will Meet on March 3

MSMS membership sections will gather for the annual Joint Section Meeting on Saturday, March 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at MSMS headquarters in East Lansing. The event brings together the International Medical Graduate, Medical Student, Organized Medical Staff, Resident & Fellow Physician, and Young Physician Sections to promote mentoring among physician groups, discuss resolutions for the upcoming House of Delegates meeting ( www.msms.org/hod ), and hear from key leaders. For a complete agenda, visit www.msms.org/jsm.  Or contact Rebecca Blake at (517) 336-5729 or rblake@msms.org.

Back to top

Celebrating America's Women Physicians

Changing the Face of Medicine
Celebrating America's Women Physicians
Exhibit at the Main Library, 5201 Woodward Ave. Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday, Noon-8 p.m. and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.. To schedule tours, please contact: Mary Kordyban, Assistant Manager, Business, Science & Technology Department (313) 833-1450 or (313) 833-1420. The activities listed below are open to the public and free of charge. Pre-registration is required for the March 24 event.

Book Talk: Letters to My Sisters: Plain Truths and Straightforward Advice from a Gynecologist
Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, NOON
Skillman Branch Library
121 Gratiot at Library

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 6 P.M.
Hubbard Branch Library
12929 W. McNichols

A Fireside Chat with Local Women Physicians

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 6-8 P.M.
Main Library - Old Browsing
Hear local women doctors discuss their careers and how women have changed the face of medicine.

Girl Talk Luncheon: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Medical School and Being a Physician
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 11 A.M.-2:30 P.M.
Main Library - Explorers Room
 

Back to top

Support GME Funding; Meet With Lawmakers

Now that the state legislature has begun its new session, it is time to get to know new legislators and ramp up our efforts to drive the 2007 MSMS Legislative Agenda ( www.msms.org/legagenda ). Here are three opportunities to do so:

--Graduate Medical Education (GME) Advocacy Day: Wednesday, February 21, beginning at 8:30 a.m., at the MHA Capitol Advocacy Center in downtown Lansing The Partnership for Michigan's Health--MSMS, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA), and the Michigan Osteopathic Association--will sponsor this event, which is designed to urge lawmakers preserve access to care by protecting GME funding in the state's health care budget. For more information or to register, visit www.msms.org/advocacy. Or contact Rebecca Blake at MSMS (517) 336-5729 or rblake@msms.org.

--New Lawmaker Reception: Wednesday, February 28, 5-7 p.m., at MSMS headquarters in East Lansing MSMS and nearly 20 specialty societies invite physicians, their spouses, and medical group managers to this event to build early relationships with members of the Michigan Legislature and to make MSMS available as a resource to new lawmakers as they begin their first legislative session. For more information about the reception, visit www.msms.org. To RSVP, contact Anne Lavender at (517) 336-5736 or alavender@msms.org.

--"Doctor of the Day" program: can be scheduled on any legislative session day (Tuesday-Thursday) MSMS and the Michigan Doctors' Political Action Committee encourage physicians, their spouses, medical students, and medical group managers to sign up for a "Doctor of the Day" visit, which fosters direct advocacy and relationship building with their own lawmakers. For more information, visit www.msms.org/advocacy. To schedule a convenient date, contact Joshua Richmond at (517) 336-5788 or jrichmond@msms.org.

Back to top

MSMS Accepting BOM Nominations

The MSMS Committee on Licensure & Discipline has begun the process of soliciting candidates who wish to receive the recommendation of MSMS for appointment to the Michigan Board of Medicine. On Dec. 31, 2007, the terms of five Board of Medicine members will expire. Of those five, four are eligible to be reappointed to a second four-year term. One position will be vacant and require an appointment by the governor. The Committee considers many key factors (peer review experience, board certification, and involvement in organized medicine) when selecting a candidate it believes to be qualified to serve in this capacity. The Committee will begin accepting candidates this month and will continue to do so through the end of April so that the recommendations may be brought to the July MSMS Board of Directors meeting for final approval.

For more information or to obtain a nomination application, visit www.msms.org/advocacy. Or contact Colin Ford at MSMS at (517) 336-5737 or cford@msms.org.

Back to top

This publication brought to you by Natinsky Publishing Network.

Problems seeing this email? You may view it online at http://www.wcmssm.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter contact info@wcmssm.org