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March 11, 2015 | Issue 108 |
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Government Affairs
Proposed Pennsylvania Budget Highlights
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Gov. Tom Wolf has released his 2015-16 budget proposal, calling for increased taxes and spending. Included in the proposal: $2.1 million for the state’s new prescription monitoring program; full expansion of Medicaid eligibility; $5 million for new Dept. of Drug and Alcohol Programs initiatives to combat heroin and opioid abuse; $4 million to re-open county public state health centers; $100,000 to develop a fracking health registry and investigate health concerns. Physician services were exempted from the sales and service tax increase proposal. Expect a contentious budget debate between the governor’s office and the Republican-controlled House and Senate in coming months.
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Practice Advocacy
Are You Ready for ICD-10?
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The Pennsylvania Dept. of Human Services' (DHS) Office of Medical Assistance is conducting an ICD-10 Provider Readiness Survey. This short survey is voluntary and open to all Pennsylvania Medicaid providers. Providers are strongly encouraged to complete the survey to allow for ICD-10 progress tracking and identification of implementation issues. Reported issues will result in outreach efforts to the provider community. The 2015 ICD-10 Survey will be available March 5, 2015 through March 20, 2015. Results will be tabulated and shared on the DHS ICD-10 website for public viewing.
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Education
Last Chance to Pre-Register for CME, Annual Meeting
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Public Health
Lots of Free Public Health, Quality Improvement CME
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Follow the links below to find CME and information – all of which is free courtesy of public health and quality improvement partnerships:
• Three tips sheets on weight management: nutrition strategies, pharmacotherapies, and exercise strategies from the PAFP Residency Program and Community Health Center Collaborative’s partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center.
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Quality Improvement
Meaningful Use Deadline Around the Corner
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The deadline for attesting to Meaningful Use of electronic health records (EHRs) is coming in nine days - March 20, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says eligible professionals who haven’t used their one “switch” (from Medicare to Medicaid or vice-versa) for the 2014 payment year to switch programs have until the same date to do so. Please visit www.primaryhealthcareconsultants.com for more information on Meaningful Use.
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Residents & Students
Join Us for Leadership Development Workshop
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"You're already a leader. Join us to learn how to be a stronger one."
Spots are still available for the Leadership Development Workshop on Saturday, March 21, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. alongside the PAFP’s Valley Forge CME Conference. Even if you can’t come for the conference or Research Day, you can still pop in for the dinner program to learn, network, and hone key leadership skills. Join us! Details here. Questions? Contact Molly Talley, Director of Resident and Student Initiatives.
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Introducing Primary Healthcare Consultants
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After months of research, planning, and development, the PAFP is proud to introduce Primary Healthcare Consultants. From Meaningful Use to patient-centered medical home transformation, Primary Healthcare Consultants is dedicated to practice innovation and transformation. Click here to visit the website!
Take Digital Tour of Online CDC Resources
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has a great list of online tools offered for free! Get help navigating through these tools by taking part in a virtual tour of the CDC’s online health literacy resources. The Regional Health Literacy Coalition, together with the Appalachia Community Cancer Network and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Middle Atlantic Region, is offering two virtual tours: Tuesday, March 24 at 10 a.m. and Thursday, March 26 at 1 p.m. Register here today for one of these online tours!
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