ABCBS to Revise Metallic Plan Reimbursement
After several weeks of ongoing talks with state legislators, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield has decided to revise its highly controversial decision to reduce payments to specialists by 15% for patients covered by individual metallic (plans created by the ACA) policies. Instead, effective July 1st, the state's…
Attestation Deadline for Meaningful Use Extended
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the original planned deadline date for all physicians who are attesting for Medicare Meaningful Use in 2013 has been extended from February 28 to March 31. The date has been delayed because the attestation system experienced a number…
National Physician Survey Examines Physician Morale
The Physicians Foundation is conducting its third national survey designed to examine the morale, career plans, and practice metrics of today’s physicians. Results will be compared with those of the 2010 and 2012 surveys. These surveys have been instrumental in giving physicians a national voice, with coverage by…
AMS members can now receive CDL-Medical Examiner Training online and at a discount
Register | Already Registered? Access Your Course New Federal Requirement The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has established the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME), requiring all health care professionals who conduct physical examinations of interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers to: complete training that…
Dr. Heinemann Breaking Ground In Cardioligy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1pK3oGdy1Q
Private Option Passes House with 76-24 Vote
To our members: Thank you for contacting members of the Arkansas House of Representatives in support of the Private Option. Your work helped push the vote past the needed 75 for the appropriation. With our state constitution requiring 75% legislative support for most appropriations over $2.5 million, it…
Arkansas Legislature reauthorizes Medicaid expansion
National coverage from AMA Morning Rounds, 3/5/14. Multiple national and regional newspapers, wire services, and beltway publications cover news of the passage of a much-watched piece of legislation from Arkansas regarding expanded Medicaid eligibility. The New York Times (3/5, Goodnough, Subscription Publication) reports that the Arkansas House of…
Help Repeal the SGR!
Contact the Arkansas Congressional Delegation through THIS LINK or call the AMA's Physicians Grassroots Network hotline at (800) 833-6354. Ask them to support legislation that will repeal the SGR. The bills are H.R. 4015 and S. 2000. Share with them that: The SGR formula is widely acknowledged to…
Calling All Prescribers… Have You Completed the AR PMP Survey?
A survey to examine how often prescribers are using Arkansas’ Electronic Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) went out February 4th to the email address provided to the AR PMP by the prescriber. If you have not already completed it, please do so today! The monitoring program was made available…
How you can tip the balance for SGR repeal
From AMA Morning Rounds, Feb 10, 2014 A long-awaited and hard-fought bill to permanently repeal Medicare’s fatally flawed SGR formula finally is before Congress, following a milestone announcement Thursday. It’s critical to maintain the momentum in Congress: Your voice could tip the balance to pass repeal this year.…
Lawmakers release plan to repeal SGR
From AMA Morning Rounds, 2/7/2014 News that lawmakers have released a plan that would permanently fix the sustainable growth rate received coverage in a few major US newspapers, and was widely covered in the beltway media. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle praised the deal, as did…