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June 3, 2015 | Issue 114 |
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Government Affairs
State Budget Battle Begins
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With a June 30 deadline and budget hearings concluded, the Pennsylvania budget debate is getting down to brass tacks. Many items are in play: sales and personal income tax increases, property tax reform, pension reform, and changes to the Liquor Control Board. The PAFP is championing physician loan repayment, no-use taxes on physician visits, and enhanced Medicaid payments for primary care with payer reforms.
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Practice Advocacy
CMS Proposed Rule to Strengthen Managed Care
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to modernize Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care regulations to update the programs’ rules and strengthen the delivery of quality care for beneficiaries. This proposed rule is the first major update to Medicaid and CHIP managed care regulations in more than a decade, and supports the agency’s mission of better care, smarter spending, and healthier people. View the proposed rule – the comment period expires July 27, 2015.
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Education
Live Interactive Workshops Coming This Summer
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Do you have questions about meaningful use, EHRs, or musculoskeletal pain and treatment? Attend one of the two following sessions at the Chesapeake CME Summer Escape Conference:
Musculoskeletal Workshop: Submit your questions now and attend this workshop with Dr. Matthew Silvis, Medical Director for Primary Care Sports Medicine at the Penn State Hershey Medical Group.
Meaningful Use and EHR Q-&-A: Do you need help choosing an EHR? Are you using your EHR to manage your patient population and improve patient outcomes? Deb Hammaker from Primary Healthcare Consultants will be on-site to answer your questions. Submit your questions today!
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Public Health
A Multicultural Approach to Colorectal Cancer Screening
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Physicians and staff came together at the May 8 Residency Program and Community Health Center Collaborative learning session to share thoughts on care delivery challenges and problem-solving. Welsh Mountain Health Centers, which serves the Amish and Mennonite community, found transportation to be a challenge. Solution: Take the care to them; provide home services. For the Neighborhood Health Center of Lehigh Valley, the language barrier is a big issue. Solution: Hire bilingual staff; engage in community exchange interpreter volunteers. For ChesPenn Health Services, getting patients to understand the importance of preventive care is a problem. Solution: Produce multilingual patient education materials.
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Quality Improvement
HIPAA and Business Associate Agreements
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If a health care provider, health plan, or health care clearinghouse – considered a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) – engage a business associate in performing health care activities or functions, they must have a business associate agreement with said business associate. This is to establish what the business associate’s involvement will consist of and indicate the business associate’s requirement to comply with rules protecting privacy and security of protected health information. Business associates entering such agreements should be aware they are liable for compliance with HIPAA provisions and subject to penalties due to compliance infractions.
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Residents & Students
Apply for Scholarships; Primary Care Career Fairs
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- Philadelphia: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, 5-8 p.m.,
Sheraton Philadelphia University City
- Pittsburgh: Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, 5-8 p.m.,
Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center
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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!
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