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MSMS Board of Directors meet, discuss house of delegates, legislation, and payer issues

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MSMS Board of Directors meet, discuss house of delegates, legislation, and payer issues

Earlier this week, the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) Board of Directors met to discuss the 2018 MSMS House of Delegates, current legislation, and payer issues. Below are some of the highlights:

2018 MSMS House of Delegates:

The 153rd meeting of the MSMS House of Delegates will continue a two-day format, beginning on Saturday, April 28. Resolutions debated during the annual MSMS House of Delegates are the vehicles by which MSMS policies, priorities, and direction are determined. The Annual House of Delegates will convene at The Henry, Autograph Collection in Dearborn. Delegates: Please visit www.MSMS.org/HOD and complete the form indicating your attendance. Currently, more than 80 resolutions, ranging from public health to payer policies, are up for consideration.

Legislation:

  • HB 5075-5076 - Patient Advocate; and SB 597 - Procedure to Withhold Life-Sustaining Treatment: The MSMS Board of Directors voted unanimously to remain neutral on these bills as a resolution has been introduced for consideration at the 2018 MSMS House of Delegates.
       
  • State of Michigan Budget: MSMS currently expects there will be no major cuts to items of concern.
       
  • SB 802 - Mandatory Electronic Transmission of Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions: The MSMS Board of Directors voted unanimously to oppose due to the mandate.
       
  • Opioid Update: HB 5678 which was initially intended to clarify the definition of "bona fide" physician/patient relationship within the opioid legislation. The bill was amended to delay the implementation of the opioid legislation until the Department of Health and Human Services promulgates rules or December 31, 2018, whichever comes first. Click here for more information >>
       
  • SB 822 - Work Requirements for Medicaid Recipients: The MSMS Board of Directors voted unanimously to have more discussion on this particular issue before a formal position has been made.
       
  • SB 872 - Statute of Limitations: The MSMS Board of Directors voted unanimously to not take a formal position at this time. This bill would extend the statute of limitations for some types of sexual assault to as much as thirty years. The concern is based on retaining medical records for longer than 10 years after the physician ceases their relationship with a patient.

Health care Delivery and Education:

  • CHAMPS Enrollment: The Medicaid requirement of all typical providers needing to be enrolled in CHAMPS by March 1, 2018, has been delayed. MSMS will notify membership of the new deadline when it is released.
       
  • BCBSM Provider Outreach: BCBSM and BCN will change the way it assigns professional provider consultants. The new professional consultant model will have fewer office visits. It will maintain serving providers with education, provider forums, online tools and telephone support. Provider consultants will be providing direct support to PO's rather than individual physician offices.
       
  • BCN Repricing: At the February Tri-staff meeting, MSMS addressed concerns with BCN "repricing" claims submitted for higher level evaluation and management codes. MSMS is advocating for a more transparent process which would include a second level appeal and use of an independent reviews in cases of medical necessity.
       
  • MACRA Fixes: Included in the federal budget reconciliation bill signed into law on February 9, which delayed another government shut-down until March 23, were some technical corrections to MACRA.
    • Medicare Part B drug costs will be excluded from payment adjustments under MACRA's Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and from low-volume threshold determinations.
    • There will be greater flexibility in scoring and in the weight given to the cost component of MIPS for an additional three years.
    • CMS will also have more flexibility in setting overall performance thresholds for three more years.
         
  • Physician Well-Being Resources: MSMS's newest resource, the Physician Well-Being webpage, provides links to MSMS and AMA resources, as well as links to other resources such as the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program. The intent is to continue to evolve the page with additional content.
       
  • MSMS Presents to National Stakeholders on Preventing Type 2 Diabetes: MSMS was invited to attend and serve as a panelist at the National Outcomes Summit in Atlanta. The summit focused on National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), was hosted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), and the American Medical Association (AMA). MSMS provided an overview about how the program is working in our state in collaboration with MDHHS.
       
  • Physician Provider Quality Consortium Update: PPQC hosted a call with the NCQA Auditors, who work with the payers on their HEDIS data submissions. It was an introductory call to open dialogue between PPQC, the auditors, the payers, and the POs around how to streamline the reporting process. Additionally, PPQC and the Michigan Chapter of Health Information Systems Society (HIMSS) co-hosted a meeting at the National HIMSS Annual Conference on how to create standards for the Gaps in Care report and in the reporting to NCQA.
        
  • MSMS's 2018 Educational Course offerings include: