MSSNY eNews: March 10, 2021 – Taking Toll on Physician Practices


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NYC Kids Who Attended School Did Not Have Higher Infection Rates—But Teachers Did
Students attending New York City public schools last year did not experience a higher prevalence or incidence of Covid-19 infection compared with the general community, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics, although school staff had an elevated risk of infection relative to other NYC adults.


Congress Completes Passage of $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package
Today, the US House of Representatives completed passage of the $1.9 billion stimulus package that had been passed by the US Senate this weekend.  Among the many important health care related provisions of this package include:

  • increasing the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for two years for low- and middle-income Americans, or those making up to 400 % of the federal poverty level. The bill also adjusts subsidies for people who make more than 400% of the poverty level to make sure that nobody pays more than 8.5% of their income for coverage.
  • Providing 100% coverage of a consumer’s COBRA coverage costs through September
  • Extending from 60 days to 1 year Medicaid coverage for a woman after the birth of a child where eligibility was based upon the pregnancy.
  • $12.5 billion in direct aid to the New York State government to help potentially offset steep Budget cuts and program revisions that had been proposed in the January Executive Budget
  • $ 4 billion to support/enhance vaccine delivery and Covid testing in New York State.

Please remain alert for further comprehensive updates regarding this far-reaching legislation.


Guidance for Facilities Receiving Vaccine Been Posted to MSSNY Website


COVID-19 Taking Toll on Physician Practices
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grip the country, America’s physicians remain entrenched on the front lines, fighting to save their patients. After nearly a year of combating the deadly virus, there is a growing evidence of the toll it is taking on physician practices.

The continued negative fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physician practices is undeniable. A recent AMA report analyzed Medicare claims data exclusive to physician services and found spending dropped as much as 57% below expected pre-pandemic levels in April 2020. During the first half of 2020, the cumulative estimated reduction in Medicare physician spending associated with the pandemic was $9.4 billion (19%).

Stop physician Medicare payment cuts NOW!

Recognizing that the challenges associated with the pandemic continue, Congress included provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, signed into law last December, that further postponed the Medicare sequester until March 31, 2021. Yet, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic will extend well beyond the first quarter of this year and, absent additional Congressional intervention, these harmful payment cuts will be re-imposed on April 1, 2021.

Now to make matters worse, as Congress prepares to pass an economic stimulus plan, physician practices confront an even greater threat of Medicare cuts in 2022. According to the Congressional Budget Office, final passage of the American Rescue Plan Act would set in motion PAYGO statute reductions in Medicare spending of 4% next year, totaling $36 billion.

This needs to stop!

Thankfully, H.R. 315 the “Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act” has been recently introduced in Congress. This bipartisan legislation would continue the current Medicare sequester moratorium for the duration of this public health emergency.

Please contact your member of Congress and Senators today and urge them to support the “Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act” today!!

If Congress does not act by March 31, the Medicare payment sequester will take effect, triggering a devastating financial impact on physician practices across the country, many of which are already strained to the breaking point.

America’s physicians need relief!

Attached is the letter the AMA sent to Congressional leaders urging action to stop the re-implementation of the upcoming Medicare sequester cuts.


78% of COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized in the US Overweight or Obese
Among 71,491 U.S. adults who were hospitalized with COVID-19, 27.8 percent were overweight and 50.2 were obese, according to the CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published March 8. 

The analysis included 148,494 patients who received a COVID-19 diagnosis at emergency departments or inpatient visits between April 1 and Dec. 31 across 238 hospitals. Of those, 71,491 were hospitalized.

Those who were overweight or obese were more likely to require invasive mechanical ventilation, findings showed. Obesity was also linked to increased risk for hospitalization and death, especially among those under age 65. As BMI rose, so did the risk, the CDC found.

The risks for hospitalization, ICU admission and death were lowest among those with BMIs under 25. The “healthy weight” BMI range is between 18.5 and 24.9.

The report notes that obesity is a recognized risk factor for severe COVID-19, which is possibly due to chronic inflammation that disrupts the body’s immune response and impairs lung function.

“These findings highlight the clinical and public health implications of higher BMIs, including the need for intensive COVID-19 illness management as obesity severity increases, promotion of COVID-19 prevention strategies including continued vaccine prioritization and masking, and policies to ensure community access to nutrition and physical activities that promote and support a healthy BMI,” the agency said.

To view the full report, click here.


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CDC Reports Drop in HIV Testing During Pandemic
HIV screenings and prescriptions for preexposure prophylaxis have declined during the pandemic, according to CDC research presented at the 2021 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

The agency is slated to present nearly 30 abstracts at the virtual conference March 6-10.

In one study, researchers found a large commercial lab reported nearly 700,000 fewer HIV screening tests and nearly 5,000 fewer diagnoses between March 13 and Sept. 13, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.

A separate study analyzed data on PrEP prescriptions from January 2017 through September 2020. Researchers found a 21 percent drop in prescriptions from March 15 to Sept. 30, 2020, compared to modeling estimates of prescription volumes if the pandemic had not occurred. They also identified a 28 percent decrease in new PrEP users over the same period.

“Strategies that deliver HIV testing and care in innovative, community-tailored ways will be critical to reversing these declines, including the use or expansion of telemedicine and telehealth, rapid HIV self-tests, mail-in self-tests and the deployment of higher numbers of community health workers,” the CDC said in a news release.


REMINDER: The MIPS 2020 Data Submission Period is Open
MIPS Eligible Clinicians Can Submit Data for 2020 through March 31

The data submission period for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who participated in the 2020 performance year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP) ends at 8:00 p.m. EDT on March 31, 2021.

How to Submit Your 2020 MIPS Data

Clinicians will follow the steps outlined below to submit their data:

  1. Go to the Quality Payment Program webpage.
  2. Sign in using your QPP access credentials (see below for directions).
  3. Submit your MIPS data for the 2020 performance year or review the data reported on your behalf by a third party. 

How to Sign into the Quality Payment Program Data Submission System

To sign in and submit data, clinicians will need to register in the HCQIS Authorization Roles and Profile (HARP) system. For clinicians who need help enrolling with HARP, please refer to the QPP Access User Guide.

Note: Clinicians who are not sure if they are eligible to participate in the Quality Payment Program can check their final eligibility status using the QPP Participation Status Tool. Clinicians and groups that are opt-in eligible will need to make an election before they can submit data. (No election is required for those who do not want to participate in MIPS.)

Small, Underserved, and Rural Practice Support

Clinicians in small practices (including those in rural locations), health professional shortage areas, and medically underserved areas may request technical assistance from organizations that can provide no-cost support. To learn more about this support, or to connect with your local technical assistance organization, we encourage you to visit our Small, Underserved, and Rural Practices page on the Quality Payment Program website.

For More Information

To learn more about how to submit data, please review the resources available in the QPP Resource Library, including the 2020 MIPS Data Submission FAQs and the 2020 QPP Data Submission User Guide. Watch our series of data submission demo videos:

Questions?

Contact the Quality Payment Program at 1-866-288-8292 or by e-mail at: QPP@cms.hhs.gov. To receive assistance more quickly, consider calling during non-peak hours—before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. ET. We also encourage you to contact us earlier in the year, as response times often increase with heavier demand as the March 31 data submission deadline approaches.


 

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How to Sign into the Quality Payment Program Data Submission System
To sign in and submit data, clinicians will need to register in the HCQIS Authorization Roles and Profile (HARP) system. For clinicians who need help enrolling with HARP, please refer to the QPP Access User Guide.

Note: Clinicians who are not sure if they are eligible to participate in the Quality Payment Program can check their final eligibility status using the QPP Participation Status Tool. Clinicians and groups that are opt-in eligible will need to make an election before they can submit data. (No election is required for those who do not want to participate in MIPS.)

Small, Underserved, and Rural Practice Support

Clinicians in small practices (including those in rural locations), health professional shortage areas, and medically underserved areas may request technical assistance from organizations that can provide no-cost support. To learn more about this support, or to connect with your local technical assistance organization, we encourage you to visit our Small, Underserved, and Rural Practices page on the Quality Payment Program website.

For More Information

To learn more about how to submit data, please review the resources available in the QPP Resource Library, including the 2020 MIPS Data Submission FAQs and the 2020 QPP Data Submission User Guide. Watch our series of data submission demo videos:

Questions?

Contact the Quality Payment Program at 1-866-288-8292 or by e-mail at: QPP@cms.hhs.gov. To receive assistance more quickly, consider calling during non-peak hours—before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. ET. We also encourage you to contact us earlier in the year, as response times often increase with heavier demand as the March 31 data submission deadline approaches.


Brits Watching US Meghan/Harry Interview Shocked by Number of Pharma Ads
Many U.K. residents took to social media this week to express shock at the pharmaceutical ads that ran during Oprah Winfrey’s March 7 interview with Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Rather than waiting a day for the British broadcast of the interview, some British viewers tuned in early on March 8 to catch the American broadcast by using VPN connections and other tech workarounds. This gave U.K. viewers a glimpse into the content of and frequency of pharmaceutical ads than run during U.S. television broadcasts.

In the U.K. and other European countries, pharma companies are banned from advertising directly to consumers on the basis that physicians should be making independent decisions about what drugs to prescribe patients instead of managing requests based on ads patients have seen on TV and are eager to try, according to the report.

Dartmouth College researchers found that pharma companies nearly doubled the amount they spend on marketing between 1997 and 2016, and sales of prescription drugs almost tripled during that same time period, according to the report. In the U.K., the socialized National Health Service and government regulations has helped to keep most prescriptions at around a $12 cost for patients, the Post reports. (Becker’s Hospital Review, March 9)


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Classified Ads Available for:

Physicians’ search services • allied medical placements • locum tenens • practice valuation • practice brokerage • practice consulting • real estate

For help, information or to place your ad, call Christina Southard 516-488-6100 x355 • fax 516-488-2188


Medical Office and Medical Practice (Upper East Side)
79th St near Lexington / Park. 750 sq Ft beautiful, street entrance, medical office for sale with a 25 + yr internal medical practice for sale.
Office is in move in condition. Physician retiring.
Waiting room
Secretarial area for 3
1 Consult room
2 exam Rooms
2 Toilets
Please contact: 917-770-8700 / email drklein@att.net


For Rent Medical Office 800 2nd Ave, 806
FOR RENT 800 2nd Avenue, 806 – Fully built out Medical office ready for use – reception area; 2 office/ consultation rooms; 4 examination rooms with plumbing; 1 sterilization room or pantry; 1 file/ nurse room, Total 8 rooms. All examination rooms are set up with plumbing and cabinetry.  24/7 doorman/ Elevators. Central location, Grand Central Station, buses Subways. Rent: $65 per Rentable Sq Ft; Sq Ft: 1,482 Rentable; Gross Lease. Showings or video contact Maya – Broker – maya@mallannyhomes.com or mobile 646-258-4460 listing information http://www.mallannyhomes.com/properties/detail/800-second-avenue-806/

800 2nd Ave Lobby800 2nd Ave Hallway


Allergy Practice For Sale, Forest Hills, NY
Founded in 1988, this well-established Single Practitioner Allergy Practice has over 3500 active patients, with very positive patient reviews. The office is only one of a few in the area, but patients are seen from throughout the NYC Metropolitan Area, as well as Long Island. Potential for growth. Centrally located next to major public transportation.  Retirement planned. Lease is assignable. Well-trained, extremely personable staff of three, including a Registered Nurse. Payer mix85% private, 10% Medicare 5% other. Email any questions to: allergydoctorbn@gmail.com

Two (2) Prime Commercial Spaces
Two (2) affordable office spaces available for immediate occupancy.  Located in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn,  surrounded by multiple co-ops and private homes.  Space can be viewed at your convenience. Price negotiable. Call: Avi 212-736-3680 ext. 15