MSSNY eNews: July 9, 2021 – Membership Doesn’t Cost, It PAYS
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Membership Doesn’t Cost, It PAYS
Colleagues:
My membership in MSSNY began when I was a young physician, and my involvement with—and devotion to—the organization has grown exponentially over the years. Since many of my colleagues are aware of my dedication to MSSNY, I am often asked “What has MSSNY done for me lately?”
My initial answer is very simple: “MSSNY membership doesn’t cost, it PAYS.”
Here are but a few of the many ways your membership in MSSNY pays for itself:
- Saved you from a 25% to 47% increase in malpractice premiums by defeating the wrongful death expansion proposal in the just-completed legislative session.
- Saved you from a 2% across the board Medicare cut. For a practice with $500,000 in anticipated Medicare revenue for this year, MSSNY prevented a $10,000 cut.
- Saved you from an across the board 1% Medicaid cut. Your savings are based on the amount of Medicaid revenue you take in each year.
- Saved physicians enrolled in the Excess program from paying for half the cost of an Excess Insurance policy, saving up to $40,000 for some physicians.
- Saves you money daily through significant discounts from our medical supplies group purchasing organization, telemedicine platform, disability and other insurance plans, legal assistance, and more.
- Saves you money and time through our Physician Payment and Practice program that assists physicians with payment and other care approval hassles from commercial and public insurers.
Joseph Sellers, MD, FAAP, FACP
MSSNY President.
Burnout Hits Female Physicians Harder Than Men
Female physicians experience burnout more frequently than men, report spending more time doing administrative duties and spend more time working off the clock, according to a June 15 report by EHR vendor Athenahealth.
The study collected data from 799 physicians who use a variety of EHR vendors. Data was collected between Oct. 13 and Dec. 23.
Six study findings:
- Twenty-eight percent of physicians reported feeling burned out at least once per week, and physicians spend an average of 13.5 hours per week on tasks other than patient care.
- More than a quarter of physicians (29 percent) agreed or strongly agreed that their practice is set up to minimize administrative burden. Sixty-one percent of physicians said their organization has not taken steps in the last 12 months to curb physician burnout.
- More than half of women (51 percent) reported feeling burned out a few times a month, compared to 43 percent of men. Women were also less likely to feel their workload is manageable and less likely to believe they would be with their organization in the next three years.
- Women reported that administrative tasks accounted for 29 percent of their working time, compared with 25 percent for men.
- Women spent more time working at home, with 19 percent of work time conducted at home, compared to 14 percent for men.
- Physicians aged 65 and older reported feeling burnout less frequently than younger physicians (35 percent and 48 percent, respectively). Older physicians were more likely to report they have enough time to spend with each patient and their workload is manageable.
—Mitchell, Becker’s Hospital Review
Do You Know an Outstanding Physician?
The Medical Society of the State of New York is accepting nominations for the 2020 Albion O. Bernstein, MD Award. This prestigious award is given to:
“…the physician, surgeon or scientist who shall have made the most widely beneficial discovery or developed the most useful method in medicine, surgery or in the prevention of disease in the twelve months prior to December, 2020.”
This award was endowed by the late Morris J. Bernstein in memory of his son, a physician who died in an accident while answering a hospital call in November, 1940.
The $2,000 award will be presented to the recipient during a MSSNY Council Meeting.
Nominations must be submitted on an official application form and must include the nominator’s narrative description of the significance of the candidate’s achievements as well as the candidate’s curriculum vitae, including a list of publications or other contributions.
To request an application, please contact:
Committee on Continuing Medical Education
Miriam Hardin, Ph.D., Manager, Continuing Medical Education
Medical Society of the State of New York
99 Washington Avenue, Suite 408
Albany, NY 12210
518-465-8085 mhardin@mssny.org
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS EXTENDED: September 7, 2021
New York State Employer Safety Plans for Employees Required by August 5
As reported earlier this week, the New York State Department of Labor put forth model forms for all New York employers to follow in adopting required airborne infectious disease exposure prevention standards in response to legislation enacted into law (the New York Health and Essential Rights Act – NY HERO Act) earlier this year. The law requires all employers regardless of size to have extensive new workplace health and safety protections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The statute requires that employers adopt a safety plan within 30 days of the Department of Labor posting the model forms (August 5). After adopting a plan, the employer is required to share the safety plan with employees within 30 days.
The airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plans must be activated by the employer when an airborne infectious disease is designated by the New York State Commissioner of Health as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health. However, the DOL announcement notes that, while employers must adopt plans as required by the law, “as of the date of this writing no designation is currently being made and therefore, plans are not required to be in effect.”
There were also recent federal rules adopted by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) imposed on certain healthcare employers to help prevent transmission of Covid-19 to employees, as noted in the recent alert by MSSNY’s General Counsel, the Garfunkel Wild law firm. Physicians should consult with their legal counsel for how best to ensure their offices comply with these new state and federal requirements.
New Help for Physicians to Start—Or Sustain—Life in Private Practice
Starting and maintaining a private practice isn’t easy. Coding, billing, documentation and state regulations can be complicated, but being accurate is essential, according to Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, the AMA’s vice president of health care quality and a cardiologist who worked in private practice for many years.
In addition to considerable clinical skills and acumen, physicians in private practice also need management and marketing know-how to build successful and sustainable practices, she said.
“These aren’t skills they teach you in most medical schools,” she said, “but they are essential for anyone in private practice or even considering starting a private practice. According to AMA research, about 44% of physicians are in private practice, and they have needs that are not just associated with delivering medical care.
“You hear this all the time. The best referral is an existing patient asking, ‘Would you see my family members?’” she said, but private practice physicians need more than just referrals to build their patient panels. They also need to create an efficient management structure, establish a positive patient experience, and build a personal online brand, she added.
Help in Pursuing Private Practice Medicine
Working with the new AMA Private Practice Physicians Section (AMA-PPPS), Dr. Blake and her colleagues helped aggregate resources for physicians at all stages of private practice: from those completing their training who are exploring practice options to mid-career doctors managing an established practice.
“We felt it was important to identify and understand the various challenges physicians face in private practice and publish in one place what I like to call news you can use to help them have a sustainable practice and enduring, positive relationships with their patients, families and communities,” she said.
The result was a collection of AMA private practice sustainability resources. The resources cover vital issues such as how to get started in private practice, managing business operations, and developing a positive patient experience. Content includes curated webinars, research and recent AMA news articles on private practice, including profiles of physicians who are succeeding in this vibrant practice mode.
Read the full AMA article here.
NYS Department of Financial Services (DFS) Again Extends Audio-Only Telehealth Coverage
The latest emergency regulation from DFS, released on Wednesday, July 7th, continues coverage for Telehealth services delivered via audio-only until at least October 1st. However, it is unclear if DFS will renew come October, making clarifying legislation potentially necessary.
Please note that last year a statute was enacted that requires Medicaid to cover audio-only Telehealth. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) recently issued a guidance document for how Medicaid will continue to cover Telehealth services, including audio-only services.
To view the latest extending regulation, click here.
Save Money with Premier Group Purchasing: Call MSSNY’s Dedicated Rep!
MSSNY has a group purchasing partnership with Premier Group Purchasing to provide lower operating costs and improved access to supplies and products for members who sign on to purchase through Premier negotiated agreements.
Sign up today or contact MSSNY’s dedicated representative, Samantha Garrett, at Samantha_Garrett@premierinc.com /212-901-1209.
Click the links below to access specifics on the program:
Continuum of Care Overview: High level overview of the Premier program and the value it provides GPO FAQ: Questions and answers to further introduce Premier and explain the program
Physician Practices information sheet: Provides value proposition of the Premier program, followed by specific suppliers and contracts members will be able to access, broken down by category
What to Expect: Step by step onboarding guide for members.
Telehealth’s Impact: Physician Survey Analysis
COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition | November 2020
The experience of physician practices engaging in an unprecedented number of telehealth visits in 2020 is captured in this report from a survey of 1,600 physicians, issued by the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition.
75% of physicians reported that telemedicine enabled them to provide quality care in the areas of COVID-19-related care, acute care, chronic disease management, hospital/ED follow-up, care coordination, preventative care, and mental/behavioral health.
60% reported that telehealth improved the health of their patients.
55% reported that telehealth improved their work satisfaction.
73% reported that no or low reimbursement will be a major challenge post-COVID.
64% said that technology challenges, such as lack of access to broadband and technological illiteracy, are a barrier to sustained use of telehealth, pointing to the need for policies that support audio-only services where needed.
Click here to view the full report.
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 Roseann Raia at 516-488-6100 ext. 302
For then MSSNY 2021 Ad Rate Sheet, please click here.
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Professional Office Space For Sale – Albany, NY
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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