CONGRESS REPEALS SGR … BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Tuesday, April 14, on a bipartisan vote of 92 to 8, the Senate passed H.R. 2, the "Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act," or MACRA. All six members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation supported this legislation. The measure replaces the Medicare SGR formula for physician payments in place…
Uninsured rate dropped to 13.8% nationally, 11.4% in Arkansas
The Los Angeles Times (2/25, Levey) reports that the US uninsured rate “plummeted last year, with the improvement driven by states that have fully implemented the Affordable Care Act, a new nationwide Gallup survey indicates.” The survey found that the rate of uninsured adults nationwide fell from 17.3…
Attempt to repeal ‘private option’ rejected by House panel
The proposal to end the "private option" on December 31st failed today (Jan 29) before the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee. The vote was 8-10. The private option uses federal money to purchase private insurance for the poor. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has called on lawmakers…
House to hold ACA repeal vote next week
Fox News (1/28) reports on its website that House Republicans are set to hold their first vote of the new Congress to repeal the ACA next week. The vote comes as the GOP debates how to address the health law. Republican lawmakers are facing mounting pressure from conservative…
Private Option, Budget and Tax Cuts on Legislative Agenda this Week
Capitol action will be plentiful during a short week as lawmakers and Gov. Asa Hutchinson return Tuesday for the state's legislative session. Hutchinson is scheduled to release his budget for 2015-2016 early in the week, have his tax cut proposal head to a state Senate committee Wednesday and…
CDC director urges physicians to use antivirals against flu
Reuters (1/10, Steenhuysen) reported CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden stated the flu season in the US looks to be especially harsh and urged physicians to prescribe antiviral drugs when patients present with flu-like symptoms. Dr. Frieden noted that some doctors do not believe antiviral drugs like Tamiflu (oseltamivir)…
Updated Ebola Sinage for Your Office
The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is redistributing the current English and Spanish ADH Ebola signs as of 12/23/2014. There have been quite a few changes in affected countries since the original was distributed back in August. It is critical that the most current signs (click images…
Hospital saftey efforts have decreased errors and saved 50,000 lives over 3 years
The Washington Post (12/3, Millman) reports that efforts to make hospital care safer “have resulted in an estimated 50,000 fewer patients dying because of avoidable errors in the past three years,” according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services. US hospitals reported 1.3…
Workers’ Compensation Rule 30
The Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission is seeking a change to Rule 30 that would implement Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) and a Drug Formulary. A public hearing on the proposed rule change is scheduled for 10 a.m. on December 4 in Hearing Room "A" of the Workers' Compensation Building.…
Physician Volunteers Needed at the State Capitol
The Arkansas Medical Society will again sponsor the "Doctor of the Day" program for the 2015 session of the Arkansas legislature. This program has been provided by the Society for a number of years and has enhanced the effectiveness of our political efforts. The legislative session will convene on…
Arkansas Department of Health Distributes Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Screening Resource
In light of new developments and extensive media coverage regarding the Ebola case in Texas, the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) wanted to distribute some helpful resources for management of potential Ebola patients. The CDC is actively developing and updating information on their website, and the recommendations and guides…