Tag: MSSNY eNews: August 2

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Arthur Fougner, MD MSSNY PresidentMSSNY eNews August 2, 2019 Vol. 22  Number 29

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Colleagues:

The Impossible Dream
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go.

Yesterday, I had the good fortune, thanks to Queens County’s own Dr. Allen Small, to attend a presentation on Cultural Competence – “When East Meets West” – presented under the auspices of the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care. Familiarity with other backgrounds and perspectives is often the difference between success or failure of a doctor-patient relationship. That is one reason why one of our Past Presidents, Dr. Charles Rothberg, made diversity one of MSSNY’s pillars.

The thought occurred to me during a break that cultural perspectives often define future career choices. Such was the story of Carl Allamby of Cleveland. Carl’s family was of modest means and Carl got a job while in high school selling auto parts. He soon was working on cars after school and found he was really skilled at auto repair. Carl related that no one had ever spoken to him about college. The conversations were always about factory work or the military.

Carl kept at it and soon had his own garage, then another, while also selling used cars. His customers raved about him. Still something was missing, and Carl finally began taking college courses to get a business degree. He kept putting off one class – Biology. However, he finally relented when told it was mandatory for his degree. The class was pretty basic, taught by Dr. Micah Watts, resident in interventional radiology at Cleveland Clinic. The first class was a Eureka moment. Carl knew from that moment on that his true calling was medicine. He’d never really thought about it that much as a child – he had no role models. But now he did, as he befriended two African-American physicians at the gym. They told him to aim high, that he could do it.

Jaime Escalante, who taught advanced placement calculus in East Los Angeles, advised his students not to let anyone tell them what they would be. They alone determined their future. We should remember this when we interact with patients and their families. We should strive to be that role model.

Today, meet Carl Allamby, MD, Emergency Medicine Resident. As Paul Harvey would have put it, now you know the rest of the story.

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” Jim Valvano

Arthur Fougner, MD
MSSNY President 

Comments? comments@mssny.org; @mssnytweet; @sonodoc99

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MSSNY’s Statement re Creation of Maternal Mortality Review Board
“The Medical Society of the State of New York thanks Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature for passing and signing into law the creation of a Maternal Mortality Review Board. The creation of a maternal mortality review board will assist the state in developing and creating new strategies to improve maternal health and lessen the impact of maternal mortality and morbidity. Under this law, the review board would allow multidisciplinary experts to conduct a review process of causes of maternal death, factors leading to death, preventability and opportunities for intervention.

It requires the board to report aggregate findings and recommendations in order to share best practices on the prevention of maternal deaths.  The law embraces national best practices on maternal health and ensures accountability and sustainability of a maternal review board.  It ensures that the board is diverse, multi-disciplinary and includes experts who serve and are representative of the diversity of women in medically underserved areas of the state. It also ensures confidentiality protections regarding the board’s proceeding and requires the board to report on its aggregate findings and recommendations,” stated Dr. Arthur Fougner, MSSNY President.

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NY Physicians Still Have a Chance to Impact Surprise Billing Legislation
With federal legislators now on recess until the second week of September, it is prime time to contact them and set up meetings to discuss the surprise billing legislation that is making its way through Congress. If you are familiar with a member of Congress in your area, it is incumbent upon you to discuss this issue with them. And even if you’re not, as a constituent and a fellow New Yorker you have the right and duty to let them know how disastrous the policy in its current incarnation would be for doctors and their patients. To find your representative, click here. Please speak with their staffs and if possible, request a meeting to discuss the issue in more detail.

As stated in a highly informative article published recently, “Congress is About to Give Health Insurance Companies the Nuclear Weapon” as elected officials at the federal level continue to move legislation that would control surprise billing mediation for any patient in an ERISA-regulated health plan.

This bill is clearly slanted toward favoring insurance companies as it would utilize a benchmark of the “Median In-Network Price” to determine reimbursement for “surprise bills”. The reasons for which this would be disastrous to the physician community are outlined quite clearly in the above referenced article and it is estimated that this could cut physician compensation by greater than 60%.

There is hope however, that physician advocacy could move the needle as negotiations continue to occur. In addition to calling and meeting with them, please also take a moment to send a letter to your members of Congress by going to http://tiny.cc/SurpriseBIlling. The letter is pre-populated and allows you to get the message to the right individuals in just a few short minutes.

Be Sure to Listen to MSSNY’s Latest Podcast: Mental Health & Women in Military
MSSNY proudly announces our latest podcast entitled The Mental Health Needs of Women in the Military. Dr. Frank Dowling, MSSNY Secretary, discusses the history and challenges faced by women in the military with Dr. Malene Ingram, Colonel, US Army Reserves and Marcelle Leis, CMS (Ret.) USAF/ANG and Lance Allen Want, Lt. Col. (Ret.) USA.  Listen here.

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Webinar for Measles and Repeal of Non-Medical Exemptions
New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, invites physicians to attend a webinar on the recent measles outbreak and information pertaining to the new law regarding non-medical exemptions for vaccinations and existing requirements for authorizing medical exemption.

During this presentation, New York State Department of Health staff will review the current status of New York’s measles outbreak, discuss current reporting requirements, the importance of case investigations and monitoring of exposed individuals and control strategies in healthcare facilities. This webinar is an opportunity to partner with the provider community to prepare for the upcoming school season and discuss activities underway to implement the new legislation.

Date: Tuesday, August 13^th 3-4PM 

When we have more information, we will let you know.

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RFK Files Second Suit Challenging “Medical Exemptions Only” Vaccine Law
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other opponents of a law ending New York’s religious vaccination exemption have filed their second lawsuit challenging the repeal. The challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of several unnamed children, contends that the legislation should be overturned because it violates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (Politico July 29)

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MSSNY Past President Dr. Robt. Goldberg Appointed to AMA Guides Editorial Panel
MSSNY is proud to report that Dr. Robert Goldberg has been selected by the American Medical Association (AMA) to serve on the AMA Guides Editorial Panel. Dr. Goldberg was nominated by MSSNY for the position, and was selected by the AMA from a large pool of candidates who submitted their resumes for the position.

Dr. Goldberg will work to modernize the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.  The panel ‘s goal is to deliver the most current evidence-based medicine to the community in ways that address the most common challenges experienced by physicians, workers’ compensation organizations and the broad stakeholder community.

The Editorial Panel—which is comprised of physician experts in the field of impairment and disability and impairment experts from the legal and workers’ compensation community—will work based on published guidelines and acceptance criteria, and will utilize a stakeholder comment process similar to that used in CPT.

Dr. Goldberg has a strong background in the area of physician impairment and workers compensation policy. He currently serves as a consultant to the Workers’ Compensation Board of the State of New York. In addition to his private practice work in the area of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Dr. Goldberg provides Rehabilitation Services at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City.

United: “Average Price for Treating Primary Care Conditions in ED? $2,032”
Each time a patient enters the emergency department with a condition that can be treated in a primary care setting, it comes at an average cost of $2,032 to the healthcare system, according to an analysis published by UnitedHealth Group.

UnitedHealth said the average cost is 12 times higher than visiting a physician office, which costs an average of $167. It also said the $2,032 price tag is 10 times higher than an urgent care visit, which costs an average of $193. “In other words, visiting either a physician’s office or an urgent care facility instead of a hospital would save an average of more than $1,800 per visit — creating a $32 billion annual savings opportunity system wide,” according to UnitedHealth.

UnitedHealth said the 10 most common conditions treated in the ED that could be treated in a primary care setting are bronchitis, cough, dizziness, f­lu, headache, low back pain, nausea, sore throat, strep throat and upper respiratory infection. UnitedHealth projects 18 million of the 27 million ED visits made by privately insured Americans each year are avoidable.

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Garfunkel Wild: PRE-SYMPOSIUM WEBINAR on Resolving Payer Obstacles

Date:         Thursday, August 8, 2019
Time:         12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT

Overview: Providers are finding it increasingly difficult to administer and maximize the reimbursement available through their payer contracts. This webinar will discuss practical tools and strategies that providers can adopt to best overcome these obstacles.

Speakers: Garfunkel Wild Partner-Directors

Debra A. Silverman and Roy W. Breitenbach,  Grassi Healthcare Advisors, and LLC Senior Manager Alicia Shickle

Registration: Click Here To Register

Limited space available additional information please visit our website at nymetroasc.com on November 1,2019 in Manhattan or call 516-393-2294

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AAP Issues Policy Statement on Racism in Child and Adolescent Health
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement on the role of racism in developmental and health outcomes among children and adolescents.

Here are some of the many recommendations for clinicians, published in Pediatrics:

• Establish a “culturally safe medical home” for patients in which “providers acknowledge and are sensitive to the racism that children and families experience.” This should include screening patients for perceived and experienced racism.
• Evaluate patients reporting racism for mental health sequelae, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and grief. Make referrals for mental health care as appropriate.
• Educate clinicians and office staff about providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care (see second link below for Health and Human Services guidance).

The AAP’s policy statement, linked below, offers numerous resources for clinicians.

Separately in Pediatrics, researchers report evidence that infants of color generally receive worse neonatal intensive care — in particular, neonatal mortality rates are higher at minority-serving hospitals.

LINK(S):
AAP policy statement in Pediatrics; HHS guidance on providing culturally appropriate healthcare; Pediatrics article on racial/ethnic disparities in the NICU

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HHS Unveils Drug-Importation Plan
The Trump Administration announced yesterday that it will “create a way for Americans to legally and safely import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada for the first time, reversing years of refusals by health authorities amid a public outcry over high prices for life-sustaining medications.”

In addition, HHS “also said it would allow drugmakers to bring drugs that they sell more cheaply in foreign countries into the United States for sale here.” The New York Times (7/31) reports, “The proposed rule would not apply to high-priced drugs like insulin or other biologic drugs…because of exceptions included in earlier legislation.” Moreover, “the separate F.D.A. guidance would permit importation of drugs, including insulin, only if the drug makers agreed to take part in the plan.”

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CMS’ 2020 Proposed Rule Released that Will Reduce Paperwork
On July 29, CMS proposed major policy changes to ensure clinicians spend more time providing high-value care for patients instead of filing cumbersome paperwork. As part of CMS’s annual changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program, the agency’s proposals are aimed at reducing burden, recognizing clinicians for the time they spend with patients, removing unnecessary measures and making it easier for them to be on the path towards value-based care. This proposed rule builds on the Trump Administration’s efforts to establish a patient-driven healthcare system that focuses on better health outcomes, and is projected to save 2.3 million hours per year in burden reduction.

For the full press release describing this announcement, please visit here.

For a fact sheet on the CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, please visit here.

To view the CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program proposed rule, please visit here.

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MSSNYPAC’s Day at the Saratoga RacesDr. Tom Madejski and Sandra Madejski; Paul and Patricia Hartigan; Don Young and Grace Young; Dr. Greg Pinto; Natalie Adler; Dominique Oliveria Adamec Michael Adamec; and MSSNY’s Alliance Co-Chair Barbara Ellman

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