Delaware County Medical Society

Welcome!

The Delaware County Medical Society (DCMS) is a professional organization for physician members, medical and osteopathic doctors affiliated with the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the American Medical Association. Learn More

“DOCTORS ON CALL”

September 23, 2008

The public are given the opportunity to call a toll-free number and ask questions of medical society physician members on any medical topic while television cameras periodically scan the KYW television studio during program breaks - promoting the toll-free phone number.

The doctors discuss the patients’ concerns and answer their questions in general terms. Physicians do not offer diagnoses or specific medical advice.

Previous "Doctors on Call" events were huge successes. In just a couple of hours, nearly one thousand residents have called the programs from all over the Delaware Valley. They’ve spoken with physicians about health concerns, ranging from cholesterol and allergies, arthritis, thyroid problems, influenza, depression, and Lyme disease.

This year’s program will be held on a Tuesday afternoon and evening (September 23rd) at the KYW-TV (CBS 3) studio in Philadelphia.

We’ll have two shifts for volunteers: 3:30 pm – 5:15 pm and 4:45 pm – 6:30 pm.

This program is coordinated through the work of the Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia County Medical Societies and the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

Physician volunteers should register by calling the Delaware County Medical Society at (610) 892-7750. Please let us know as soon as possible if you’d like to participate – there are a limited number of positions for each shift.

Regulations Affecting Physicians and Patients

	Practice Guidelines for Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners UPDATED Licensing, scope of practice, and reimbursement rules and guidelines for PAs and CRNPs
	Setting the Record Straight: What You Need to Know About Medical Records UPDATED Ownership rights, copying fees, and more on handling medical records appropriately and legally
	Maintaining Your License to Practice Medicine Important details and rules on how to make sure your medical license is renewed and current
	Physician Reporting to PennDOT Visual standards, as well as epilepsy and other physical standards, for drivers of motor vehicles. Also includes information on provider liability and patient confidentiality.
	Disease Reporting Guidance on what diseases must be reported under the Disease Prevention and Control Act and Pennsylvania regulations and when and how to report them.
	What You Need to Know About Ambulatory Surgical Facility Regulations Facilities that provide specialty or multi-specialty outpatient surgical treatment must comply with the state's ASF regulations. Do you know what you need to know?

Order any of these publications by calling (800) 228-7823 or on the Pennsylvania Medical Society website store, www.pamedsoc.org/store.

Update on Medicare Claims Processing

By statute, Medicare electronic physician claims may not be paid sooner than 14 days after the date of submission, nor can “clean” electronic claims be paid any later than 30 days after the date they are submitted. (Paper claims are paid after the 29th day.)

The Secretary of Health and Human Services announced on June 27 that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had instructed its carriers not to process any physician or non-physician practitioner claims for the first 10 business days of July. According to HHS, this “hold” on claims meant that no payments reflecting the 10.6 percent pay reduction that took effect on July 1 would occur before July 15, at the earliest. [Read Full Update]

MEDICARE IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS AND PROVIDERS ACT, 2008

Background
On July 15, 2008, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was enacted, making changes to the Medicare program. Information about some of the changes is outlined below. Detailed instructions about these changes have been communicated via listserv to CMS providers and other affected parties. CMS will be implementing other provisions of the legislation in the coming months and will announce additional information as it becomes available.

Physician Pay
As a result of the new law, the mid-year 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rate reduction of -10.6 percent is retroactively replaced with the fee schedule rates in effect from January – June, 2008, which reflected a 0.5 percent update from 2007 rates. In addition, MPFS payment rates are being revised to increase the fee schedule amounts for certain mental health services.

Effective immediately, CMS has instructed its contractors to implement the new law. However, it may take up to 10 business days to implement these changes. To minimize physician disruption during this transition, CMS will post the new physician fee schedule as soon as possible and will continue its rolling 10 day hold and release of claims. This means that, until the new fee schedule rates are implemented, some claims may still be paid at the lower rates that were in effect between July 1st and July 15th. To the extent possible, contractors will begin to automatically reprocess any claims paid at the lower rates in a timely manner. CMS will issue guidance about the collection of corrected co-insurance payments in the next few days.

More information on physician pay issues is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PhysicianFeeSched/

Therapy Caps
The law also reinstated the therapy caps exceptions process as of July 1st. Therefore, medically necessary therapy services, in excess of the therapy caps, will continue to be paid by Medicare in accordance with the exceptions process. Claims submitted with the therapy cap exception modifier will be processed as soon as the payment rates have been activated. Claims submitted without the modifier, and rejected or denied, can be resubmitted with the modifier for reimbursement. To the extent possible, claims under the therapy cap limit, which were paid at the lower rate, will be reprocessed automatically. More information on therapy caps is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/TherapyServices/

DME
The Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program, which affects only Medicare beneficiaries in traditional fee-for-service in 10 competitive bidding areas, has been delayed. Medicare beneficiaries may use any Medicare-approved supplier for Durable Medical Equipment. If a beneficiary changed suppliers when this new program started (July 1, 2008), they can either continue to use the new supplier or choose another supplier. The original DME payment rates in effect prior to July 1 are reinstated retroactively. All Medicare households in the 10 competitive bidding areas will be notified of this change directly in a letter from CMS within two weeks.

The DME Competitive Bidding areas are: (1) Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC, (2) Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN, (3) Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH, (4) Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, (5) Kansas City, MO-KS, (6) Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL, (7) Orlando-Kissimmee, FL, (8) Pittsburgh, PA, (9) Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, and (10) San Juan, PR. Information on payment rates and claims processing will be communicated to DME suppliers in the coming days.

More information on DME is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/

See the AMA's Special Edition, ADVOCACY UPDATE:
July 21, 2008 - Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act

www.chipcoverspakids.com
1-800-986-KIDS

What is CHIP? CHIP is short for the Children’s Health Insurance Program – Pennsylvania’s program to provide health insurance to all uninsured children and teens that are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance.

There are lots of reasons why kids might not have health insurance – maybe their parents lost a job, maybe their job does not offer health benefits, or maybe it just costs too much. Whatever the reason, CHIP may be able to help .

Parents may think they can’t get CHIP because they make too much money – Not true! CHIP has expanded to cover all uninsured kids. Now no family makes too much money for CHIP because there is no income limit! For many families, CHIP is free. Families with higher incomes will pay low monthly premiums and co-pays for some services.

You can apply for CHIP online at www.chipcoverspakids.com or by phone at 1-800-986-KIDS. Apply today!

View this notice in PDF

The Bureau of Workers' Compensation is offering its Provider Training program again this Fall. This program is essential for any office manager or billing person whose physician(s) treat workers' compensation injuries.

They specifically speak to the Fee Review process, which works to get the physician the fees s/he is due.

For More Info and To Register, visit the Bureau's website:
http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=138&q=246151

Once on the web page, scroll down for the registration form, print it out, follow all instructions, and reserve a training time.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Catherine Wilson
Director, Health Policy
Pennsylvania Medical Society
800-228-7823 ext 2648

DON’T WAIT ● ● ● VACCINATE NOW
Children IN ALL GRADES in 2009/2010
need the following:

• 4 doses of tetanus*
(1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
• 4 doses of diphtheria*
(1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
• 3 doses of polio
• 2 doses of measles**
• 2 doses of mumps**
• 1 dose of rubella (German measles)**
• 3 doses of hepatitis B
• 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or history of disease (phased in by 2010/2011)

*Usually given as DTP or DtaP or DT or Td
**Usually given as MMR

Children ENTERING 7th grade in 2009/2010 need the following:

1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, accellular pertussis (Tdap) (if 5 years has elapsed since last tetanus immunization)
1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

These requirements allow for medical reasons and religious beliefs.
If your child is exempt from immunizations, he/she may be removed from school during an outbreak.

Pennsylvania’s school immunization requirements can be found in 28 PA.CODE CH.23 (School Immunization)

Contact your health care provider or 1-877 PA HEALTH for more information.

View this notice in PDF

2008 Is a Medical License Renewal Year
The Pennsylvania Medical Society can help you meet
your Pennsylvania CME requirements.

We have all the patient safety CME
and risk management CME you need.

And you can organize and track your CME using CME Tracker.

Learn and Earn CME
Online CME through the Pennsylvania Medical Society is simple, convenient, and meets Pennsylvania CME requirements.

Subscribe to e-mail notifications of new online CME at http://www.pamedsoc.org/newsletters.

* Studies in Patient Safety: Online CME Cases
Studies in Patient Safety: Online CME Cases is based on events and incidents reported to Pennsylvania’s Patient Safety Authority. www.pamedsoc.org/studies

* Consult
Consult is written by the risk management experts at PMSLIC to help you reduce your liability risk. www.pamedsoc.org/consult

* intouch
Intouch helps physicians communicate better and improve relationships with patients. www.pamedsoc.org/intouch

* Converge NEW
Learn how to better handle conflict and improve communications. www.pamedsoc.org/converge

* Domestic Violence: Screen to End Abuse
Build an atmosphere of trust so patients will talk to you about an abusive relationship. www.pamedsoc.org/dvcme

Counter Details
Counter Details offers CME that covers the latest treatments for common disease processes and diagnoses. www.pamedsoc.org/counterdetails.

Activities marked with * can help you meet the patient safety and risk management requirements for continued licensure.

Click Here for More Details

Delaware County Resource Guide
Take advantage of all that Delaware County has to offer.
View our comprehensive Resource Guide.

Topics include: Abuse, Advocacy, Child Day Care, Mental Health, Psychiatry, Crisis, Substance Abuse, Developmental Disabilities, Detox, Referrals, Treatment, Eating Disorders, Emergency Assistance, Family and Parenting, HIV/AIDS, Medical/Low Cost Health Care, Special Needs, Older Adults, Support Groups, Suicide, Grief & Loss, Youth, Women's Issues and more.

A quarterly regional publication for healthcare professionals.
Spring 2008.

Read Publication

Featured Links

Delaware County Library System's Health Links
Not only can you find a good read at the library nowadays, but you can access entire databases of useful health info online from your home computer!
Check out the new Delco Library "A Power +" resource and library databases. Just enter your name and barcode from your library card--and voila!--Health information at the click of a button! The site also contains many other useful resources for life and good health in Delaware County.

For Volunteers During Disasters or Emergencies

ServPA is Pennsylvania’s online System for registration of volunteers interested in responding to or assisting with a disaster or other emergency.

ServPA collects basic information concerning a volunteer’s skills and areas of expertise in advance of an emergency response situation.

Pennsylvania uses its volunteers in accordance with local, regional, and State emergency operations plans primarily through recognized service groups. Service groups include local, regional, and statewide organizations recognized by the Commonwealth, as well as special emergency response teams. Recruiting members of a recognized community service group is key; however, anyone interested in assisting in a disaster is welcome to register through ServPA.

ServPA is designed to support three functions:

• Registration - key information on an individual interested
in serving during an emergency

                 • Emergency Credentialing - to identify, monitor, and better
                    utilize volunteers in emergencies and disasters; and to
                    validate the identity, credentials, and licenses

• Activation & Deployment - to ensure appropriate and
available workforce resources

ServPA allows for Pennsylvania to: Be prepared, Be diligent, and Volunteer.

ServPA establishes a standardized, volunteer registry that includes readily available, verifiable information regarding the volunteer’s identity, licensing, credentialing, accreditation, and service group affiliations.

The registry helps assure a more timely and effective utilization of volunteers in emergency situations.

ServPA is committed to recruiting individuals and partnering with local, regional, and statewide organizations and special emergency response teams.

For more information, privacy policy, and online registration, visit: www.serv.pa.gov

Membership
Membership in the Delaware County and the Pennsylvania Medical Society is a statement of your commitment to the medical profession and to the patient-physician relationship.

Plus, when you join or renew your membership you gain access to valuable benefits and you support lobbyists, regulatory experts, and economics advocates working on your behalf.

Join Us Today
Thank you for considering joining the Pennsylvania Medical Society and your county medical society.

Apply for membership online using our Membership Application and Dues Calculator. or Download Printable Membership Application

If you're in one of the following groups, you'll receive a discount on your dues:

• Medical students
• Residents
• Physicians in their first three years of practice after residency or fellowship
• Retired physicians
Visit our Member Resource Center for a complete listing of our many benefits and services.

Medical Students, Residents and Young Physicians
The Pennsylvania Medical Society needs residents, medical students, and young physicians to be involved in shaping the future of medicine.
Practice Managers
We recognize the challenges facing today’s practice managers. We encourage them to join our special Administrative membership category and take advantage of our many benefits that help practice managers better serve patients and doctors.

Members' Spouses
Join the Pennsylvania Medical Society Alliance.

Top 5 Reasons to Join the Delaware County Medical Society
Professionalism, reform and the bottom line. | Learn More |

History
Founded in 1850, and later incorporated as a non-profit organization, the DCMS is an active grassroots organization for physicians.
| Learn More |

Pennsylvania Medical Society | www.pamedsoc.org
The Pennsylvania Medical Society is 20,000 physicians and medical students working together to: Represent physicians in public venues including the government, insurance companies, and the media; Provide Members with timely information, expert services and professional support on medical practice issues; Advance public health, public policy, medical science, education, and ethics; Advocate for patients.

American Medical Association | www.ama-assn.org
The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues.