AMA's Save GME grassroots campaign

The AMA's new Save GME grassroots campaign makes it easy for medical students and physicians to urge their members of Congress to preserve GME funding and lift the federal cap on residency slots.

Unless Congress acts first, GME will undergo untimely cuts in Medicare financing on March 1.

"Residency training gives new physicians hands-on experience and provides high-quality care to patients," AMA President Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD

Experts say a physician shortage is imminent as the U.S. patient population continues to age and 30 million newly insured Americans gain access to health care. Even without a reduction in funding for residency programs, the United States is expected to experience a shortage of 62,900 physicians within two years. That number is predicted to increase to 130,000 across all specialties by 2025.

Learn more about the AMA's Save GME grassroots campaign

CPT Billing Codes reimburse for Care Coordination (Medicare)

Let's face it: physicians spend a lot of time coordinating care for their older adult patients, especially when patients leave hospitals or nursing homes. These "transitions of care" are becoming increasingly important opportunities for primary care providers to check medication reconciliation, prevent readmission, and facilitate appropriate follow-up.

Medicare is now accepting newly created Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for care coordination to pay physicians for the management of patients who have recently been discharged from a hospital or skilled nursing facility.

The American Medical Association CPT Editorial Panel created new codes (99495 and 99496) to capture transitional care management services.

Learn more about these CPT codes here.

Reflections from the AMA Task Force on CME Collaboration #AMACME

For the past six years, I've been traveling to Baltimore to attend the Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. This year was the 23rd annual conference and it was the smallest one I have ever attended. There were roughly 200 or so attendees, so it was a very intimate conference. You can view some of the presentation slides here.

This year, I appreciated the focus around some real-world examples of quality improvement efforts that have led to measurable improvements in patient care. One example was around the Rhode Island ICU Collaborative where all the ICUs in the state collective came together to identify strategies to reduce certain types of infections (like CLASBI and VAP) in the intensive care setting. They established a collaborative approach, engaged administrative leaders, applied a rapid cycle continuous improvement approach, and accomplished some remarkable outcomes like an 84% reduction in CLASBI.

National ACO Congress

Learn the latest insights about implementing and operating accountable care organizations (ACO) at the National ACO Congress, Oct. 30–Nov. 1 in Los Angeles. Co-sponsored by the AMA, the conference will feature experts with hands-on experience, including keynote speaker Jay Crosson, MD, the AMA's vice president of professional satisfaction—care delivery and payment. Physicians can attend in person or online.

Learn about this event here.

AMA-IEEE Medical Technology Conference

Here's a note I got from the AMA about their upcoming medicine & technology conference:

The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have joined together for the second year to offer a conference series that addresses important topics linking biomedical engineering and the practice of medicine.

With a focus on health information technology (health IT)—a discipline at the intersection of information and computer science, engineering and healthcare—the conference will examine resources, devices and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, display, and use of information in health and biomedicine.

We invite healthcare providers, engineers, innovators, industrial leaders, government agencies and policy makers to:

AMA-IEEE Medical Technology Conference: Health IT/Delivering on the Promise of Cost Effective Quality Healthcare in Boston, MA, on Oct. 16–18, 2011, at the Park Plaza Hotel and Towers.

Will the new CEJA report produce changes in the CME industry? Polling results from #AMACME

Here at the AMA Task Force conference, as Dr. William Carey from the Cleveland Clinic delivered the opening keynote, we went through a series of audience response questions evaluating the attitudes of attendees regarding the recent AMA CEJA report titled, "Financial Relationships with Industry in Continuing Medical Education." Here are the results of those audience polling questions:

Will the new CEJA report produce change in the CME industry?

• No change: 34%
• Minor change: 56%
• Major change: 10%

What do you think was the intent of the CEJA report?

• To eliminate commercial support: 20%
• To reduce commercial support: 41%
• Neither: 39%

The ACCME response should be:

• Leave the current standards of commercial support as is: 55%
• Make minor adjustments to the standards of commercial support: 31%

You can view the CEJA report here.

I'm heading to the 22nd Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration

I'm heading to Baltimore for the 22nd Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, "Collaborating to Improve Professional Education and Health Outcomes." I've been attending this conference every year since 2006 and it's been interesting to follow the changing trends within the world of CME.

The Hot Topics session will address Risk Reduction and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). Keynote presentation by William D. Carey, MD, Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Director, Center for Continuing Education at the Cleveland Clinic. Shickman Lecture: "Collaborating for Advances in Professional Education and Patient-Centered Care" by Douglas E. Henley, MD FAAFP. Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, American Academy of Family Physicians.

I'm sure everyone will also attend: 10 Myths About the CEJA Report, presented by Bette Crigger, PhD, Director of Ethics Policy and Secretary of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs

Make sure to stop by the NAMEC (National Association of Medical Education Companies) booth to learn more about NAMEC.

ePrescribing final rule, controlled substances update

Register for this complimentary AMA health IT webinar titled, "ePrescribing final rule, controlled substances update."

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on the 2012 Medicare ePrescribing Incentive Program, released Aug. 31, contains various changes of which physicians should be aware.

Register for the Sept. 14 complimentary webinar and learn about:

• exemption categories
• attestation
• incentives
• penalties
• electronically prescribing controlled substances

Date: Wed, Sep 14, 2011
Time: 01:00 PM EDT
Duration: 1 hour
Host(s): American Medical Association

Register here.

The AMA wants this YouTube video to go viral. Will you help?

The American Medical Association (AMA) wants to communicate to Congress that now is the time to repeal Medicare's flawed SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) formula. They're hoping to get this YouTube video to go viral. Will you help?



This video is sponsored by the following organizations:

American Medical Association
American Academy of Dermatology Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American College of Cardiology
American College of Physicians
American College of Surgeons
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Medical Group Management Association

Pathway to Meaningful Use: WellCentive EHR-M & AMAGINE e-Prescribe

Another upcoming webinar: Pathway to Meaningful Use: WellCentive EHR-M & AMAGINE e-Prescribe

Date: Wed, Aug 10, 2011
Time: 12:00 PM EDT
Duration: 45 minutes
Host(s): AMAGINE

This presentation will introduce you to the AMAGINE™ physician portal, which offers health IT applications to help physician practices meet their health IT needs. Featured in the presentation will be a demonstration of WellCentive EHR-M, an upgraded version of the WellCentive Registry, with more comprehensive certification for the ARRA/Meaningful Use requirements, in combination with AMAGINE e-Prescribe (powered by Allscripts).

Physicians who use WellCentive EHR-M along with a certified e-prescribing system can meet the requirements for Meaningful Use of Certified EHR Technology and qualify for their $44,000 incentive under the ARRA program-- at less cost than an EMR-based approach.

Register here.

The AMAGINE™ physician portal is the one-stop, web-based solution for your health IT needs. Select from more than 20 industry-leading tools. Start with just one. Or complete your suite with electronic medical records (EMR/EHR), e-prescribing, patient registry, lab ordering and results, or other clinical support tools. All for one low subscription fee. All on one secure website with single sign-on access. Contact us now to assess your priorities, craft a plan, and make health IT work for you. Imagine that.

AMAGINE physician portal

Amagine, Inc., a subsidiary of the American Medical Association (AMA), launched the AMAGINE™ physician portal in 2010 to provide physicians with a comprehensive health information technology tool designed to help physicians stay up-to-date with changing professional needs.

The AMAGINE physician portal offers a single, secure sign-on for multiple products and services which help physicians and their staff improve patient care, reduce administrative burdens and improve practice efficiency.

The AMA and Amagine, Inc. are dedicated to helping physicians implement health IT solutions. These solutions help facilitate access to meaningful use and other incentives yet can also be easily integrated into a physician's workflow. The AMAGINE portal is especially suited to small and medium-sized practices that may not have easy access to health IT resources.

Learn more here.

Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress

The Surgeon General of the United States, Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, will speak about “Women’s Health: Putting Prevention First” at a special dinner on Friday, April 1, 2011 during the 19th Annual Congress on Women’s Health in Washington, DC. A limited number of registrations are still available for the conference.

Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress
April 1-3, 2011
Washington, D.C.

More information here.

AMA Health IT Community

In case you haven't visited the AMA's online community recently, here are a few recent highlights:

* Health websites were more secure than banking and financial services sites in 2010.
* The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has started recruiting "physician champions" to help others in their area get over the hurdles of digitizing their medical records.
* And we've posted a survey to gauge when our members plan to participate in the CMS EHR Incentive Program. Some 76% of office-based physicians could qualify for federal incentives. When do YOU plan to participate?

If you're already of member of the AMA's online Health IT community, login and join the discussion. The Health IT community is "an online community to share thoughts and ideas on using Health IT in physician practices."

Are you prepared for the 2011 Medicare Participation Decision?

Physicians will have until Dec. 31, 2010, to modify their status with the Medicare program, and will want to carefully weigh their options. The American Medical Association (AMA) is once again hosting a live webinar on Medicare participation options for 2011. Join AMA President Cecil B. Wilson in this informative webinar as he walks physicians through their Medicare participation options to guide them through their decision in advance of the Dec. 31 deadline. In wake of looming Medicare payment cuts, physicians face a tough decision when it comes to participation in the Medicare program in 2011.

The webinar will cover:

* Advantages and disadvantages of each participation option: participation in Medicare, nonparticipation in Medicare, or opting out of Medicare and privately contracting with patients.
* Examples of how payments are calculated under each option
* New regulations on 2011 Medicare physician payment policy changes
* AMA resources that help physicians gauge which Medicare option is right for their practice

Date: Thu, Dec 2, 2010
Time: 06:30 PM EST
Duration: 1 hour

Click here to learn more.

AMA webinar on Health IT: Moving your practice forward

The AMA is releasing a series of webinars on health information technology. Here's information about webinar #1: 

Health IT: Moving your practice forward

WEBINAR #1: Preparing the small practice for meaningful use
Planning to qualify for EHR incentives? Or, just wondering how to select, implement and use EHR technology while running an efficient practice? The AMA’s 60-minute live webinar taking place on November 4 will arm you with best practices and strategies—used in real practices—to help guide Health IT decisions in your practice.

Join the AMA for its first in a two-part series of webinars designed to help physician practices make sound Health IT decisions.

Learn more about:

* Preparing for Health IT
* Selecting Health IT
* Implementing Health IT, and
* Choosing which meaningful use criteria apply to your practice
* Capturing data to fulfill meaningful use criteria
* Maximizing resources to help you navigate Health IT adoption

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation.

Register here for the AMA’s November 4 webinar presentation.

SPEAKERS
Sal Volpe, MD, Staten Island, NY
Jacqueline Fincher, MD, McDuffie Medical Associates, Thomson, GA

MATERIALS
In addition to the information and advice presented during this AMA webinar, you'll also receive a slide presentation of the program materials and:

* Answers to CMS EHR Incentive Program frequently asked questions
* Meaningful use table
* Summaries of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs

CAN'T LISTEN LIVE?
No problem. Go ahead and register. We'll send you a post-event e-mail with the materials and a link to the AMA’s webinar archive.

Advocacy Efforts Supporting Industry Collaboration in CME #cmetaskforce

Today is the last day of the 21st Annual Conference Of The National Task Force On CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. The Shickman Panel was titled, "Advocacy Efforts Supporting Industry Collaboration in CME." How often do you find yourself defending CME?

Moderator: Brian McGowan, PhD; Pfizer Inc

Panelists:

• John Kamp, PhD, JD; Coalition for Healthcare Communication
• Brad Bednarz, Chief Strategy Officer at Visible Productions
• Lois Colburn; Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME)
• Michael Weber, MD; Association of Clinical Researchers and Educators (ACRE)
• Christopher Bolwell; National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC)
• Jann Balmer, PhD; Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (ACME)
• Norman B. Kahn, Jr., MD; Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS)

What is the true value of CME?

In the past, CME was "trust me, I'm keeping up..." Now, CME has evolved dramatically and it focuses on patient outcomes, physician performance, and the application of the latest evidence. There are opportunities to develop advocacy efforts around the intersection of public health, patient safety, and improved quality.

Industry Senior Medical Leaders Panel #cmetaskforce (How Does CME Fit Into the Grand Scheme of Medical Affairs)

Today is the last day of the 21st Annual Conference Of The National Task Force On CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. This morning, we had a panel discussion titled, "Industry Senior Medical Leaders Panel: How Does CME Fit Into the Grand Scheme of Medical Affairs?"

Moderator: John Kamp, PhD, JD, Coalition for Healthcare Communication

The panelists included:

• Paul Chew, MD, Senior Vice President, U.S. Chief Science Officer/Chief Medical Officer, sanofi-aventis
• Janelle (Jill) Massey, PharmD, MBA, Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
• Nancy Santilli, NP, MSN, FAAN, Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

So, what did we talk about?

First, they discussed the value of CME. We need to inform senior executives about the value of CME. This type of information needs to be disseminated through business media such as the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, HBR, etc.

Principled Partnerships: Practical or Pipe Dream? #cmetaskforce

This morning at the 21st Annual Conference Of The National Task Force On CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, Dr. Darrell Kirch from the AAMC spoke about the culture of medical education.

He started by going into the history and culture of medical education and biomedical research. The culture of health care changed when Medicare entered and fee-for-service models changed the way physicians were compensated. Hospitals focused on the "margins" and hired academic physicians to boost procedures and patient volume capabilities.

Speaking of culture, what is the culture of industry? Industry is undergoing a culture change - similar to the cultural shifts that are occurring in health care and academic medicine. He spoke about the triple bottom line: profit, people, and planet. We need to have a balanced position around the cycle of  research, comparative effectiveness,  patient engagement, delivery system transformation, knowledge translation, etc. Let's rethink our approach to the medical education continuum. We must teach physicians so that they are focusing on improving patient care. We also need to change our health care reform culture and focus on medical homelessness. Unfortunately, most of the focus will revolve around health care costs.

If we compare the old vs. the new CME, we see that newer CME focuses on patient outcomes, systems-based education, and integrated educational initiatives. As we move forward, we will be developing principled partnerships and managing them over time. Then, we must affirm our integrity while fostering innovation.

NAAMECC is now NAMEC #cmetaskforce

The North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC) has renamed itself National Association of Medical Education Companies, Inc., (NAMEC). (now, it's much easier to spell)

The National Association of Medical Education Companies, Inc., (NAMEC) is a professional association dedicated to providing representation, advocacy, and education for its members. NAMEC is incorporated in the state of Maryland and is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(6) organization.

NAMEC revealed its new booth at the 21st Annual Conference Of The National Task Force On CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. You can also visit the new website here:
http://www.namec-assn.org/

On the train to Baltimore to attend #cmetaskforce

I'm now on the train heading to Baltimore to attend the 21st Annual Conference Of The National Task Force On CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. I think it's just easier to say #cmetaskforce.

Make sure to follow #cmetaskforce on Twitter as CME professionals tweet about the conference. Today, I'll be in a NAAMECC (North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc.,) board meeting and then I'll be attending the opening reception at 6:30 pm. I can't wait to dig into some crab cakes when I'm in Baltimore!