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Classified ads are run on a first-come, first-serve basis. For rate information, call 713-524-4267. Advertising is subject to acceptance by publisher.

Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising. Publication of an ad is not to be considered an endorsement or approval by HCMS.

All articles in The Harris County Physician Newsletter that mention HCMS’ stance on state legislation are defined as “legislative advertising,” according to Tex. Gov’t. Code Ann. §305.027.That law requires disclosure of the name and address of the person who contracts with the printer to publish legislative advertising in The Harris County Physician Newsletter. Greg Bernica,Executive Vice President, Harris County Medical Society, 1515 Hermann Drive, Houston, TX 77004-7126.

The Harris County Physician Newsletter (USPS 960-580) is the official publication of the Harris County Medical Society. Offices: 1515 Hermann Drive, Houston TX 77004-7126, 713-524-HCMS (4267), www.hcms.org. It is Published 16 times per year-twice monthly except in January, March, April, June, July, August, November and December which are monthly. The subscrip-tion rate is $15.00 per year. Single copies are 75 cents. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Harris County Physician Newsletter, 1515Hermann Drive, Houston, TX 77004-7126.

Kimberly E.

Monday, MD

President

2 Harris County Physician Newsletter / September 15, 2016 / www.hcms.org

In March, I explained that transparency in physiciancharges and balance billing would be hot topics in the nextTexas legislative session, similar to state legislation in NewYork and Florida. Last week, California also adopted legisla-tion to eliminate all surprise or balance billing. For moreinformation, please visit www.hcms.org/advocacy/legisla-tion/, and click on California passes new balanced billing law– Sept. 1, 2016. To help this cause in Texas, I requested that you take part

in HCMS’ Voluntary Charge Transparency Program. I ampleased to announce that so far approximately 4,400 physi-cians (about 60% of our active physician members) havereported to us they are charge transparent with patients. Ifyou have not responded, please do so by emailing “yes” withyour name and specialty to [email protected]. Forthose that have already responded, thank you. This informa-tion has been very helpful in our conversations with electedofficials to demonstrate that physicians are not hiding infor-mation from their patients. Over the summer we have been meeting with our local

legislators to educate them on the charge transparency/bal-ance billing issue. As a result of these meetings, we havelearned what “the other side” is saying.

Consumer ProtectionThe health plans have been telling anyone who will listen

that the state needs to ban our ability to balance bill becausegreedy doctors are driving up the cost of health care. Theyare claiming this is a “consumer protection” issue. While wecategorically reject the first notion, we have told our locallegislators that we completely agree that this is a consumerprotection issue.

Narrow NetworksWe have known for quite some time that health plans are

intentionally narrowing their networks as a way to reducecosts. One of the things we have learned this summer is thehealth plans are actually blaming Obamacare for their owninability to accurately anticipate the costs brought on by thelaw and for their decisions to reduce patients’ access to quali-ty physicians. Remember, the health plans publicly supportedObamacare and it was largely speculated at the time they didso because they thought forcing everyone to get health insur-ance would be a financial windfall for them.When most consumers buy a health insurance policy, they

believe they are covered for most medical issues. They getsurprised when they realize they have a $10,000 deductibleand that what they really bought was catastrophic coverage.Even if consumers understand the realities of high deductibleplans, many believe that they will have access to MDAnderson or Texas Children’s Hospital if a catastrophic eventshould occur. In the age of narrow networks, they are wrong.If health plans are going to justify narrowing their providernetworks, then they need to be held accountable for theincreased incidences in balance billing by forcing their poli-cyholders to seek out-of-network care. The basic facts are

that physicians who are out of network don’t seek to deceivepatients and patients may not understand out-of-networkcare.We have worked very hard this summer to teach our leg-

islators that the real consumer protection issue is the narrownetworks adopted by the health plans and to stress the factthat health plans need to be transparent about their paymentpolicies and their networks like physicians are about theircharges.We also have learned that the state is woefully under-

staffed to ensure network adequacy. For example, plans con-tinue to list physicians who have not been part of their planfor years, thereby creating the illusion of a larger physicianpool. There is no incentive for plans to ensure that the physi-cian lists are accurate, and the state has very few resources toprovide monitoring. The full time employees needed toenforce regulatory statutes governing adequate networksmust be enhanced and penalties enforced.

Planning for the 2017 Legislative SessionWe know the Texas Legislature will be studying trans-

parency and balance billing beginning in January. The TMAand HCMS will ask the legislature to take several steps toprotect patients (consumers) and their physicians frominsurance company abuses. Those steps include:• Mandatory increases in state agency oversight of theadequacy of insurer networks;• Protect the patient as the initiator of the current media-tion process and maintain the $500 threshold;• Expand the current mediation process to include hospi-tals, ambulatory surgical centers, free standing emergencycenters and ground ambulance services;• Require health plans to apply any out of pocket expens-es incurred from out-of-network providers to in-networkdeductibles and out-of-pocket maximums;• Require the insurer to inform the patient about the net-work status of the facility-based physicians and other whomay bill for services;• Require physicians and providers to use a standard formthat tells patients what physicians and providers might beinvolved in their elective care and how to contact themregarding their network status;• Require insurers selling PPOs to include on their web-sites, policy documents and directories, a clear and con-spicuous notice regarding the implications of using orreceiving services from an out-of-network physician andthe potential for balance billing;• Require insurance brokers and agents to educate con-sumers on the basic limitations of the plans they buy,especially their out-of-pocket responsibilities for care pro-vided both in and out of network.As physicians, our focus has been and will always be on

the patient. It is fine if the health plans just want to think ofour patients as consumers. State lawmakers will be put onnotice that physicians are all in when protecting our patientsthis session.

Protecting Our Patients

Newly built out medical facility available: 1,500 or 3,000 square feet. Adjacent to WALMART in thenewly redone Northside Commons Complex at I-45 /Crosstimbers. Full of anchor stores and restaurants.Prime location for cash patients in a beautiful center w/mall security included. Email [email protected],or call 713-206-1992 for more information.

PRACTICE FOR SALE IN SUGAR LAND: Need pri-mary care physician to replace me in a 2 doctor, longstanding practice in Sugar Land. 4 exam rooms, fullyequipped, new phone system, electronic medicalrecords, billing system and plenty of parking space. 50%OWNERSHIP, VERY FAVORABLE PRICE. For moredetails call 281-380-5825 MONDAYS OR other daysafter 5 pm.

Private Mental Health Practice located in Houston(Bellaire), Texas seeks an Adult and Child TrainedPsychiatrist to lease office space within an inter-disci-plinary, private pay, private practice. 10-20 flexible hours.Please send resume to: Angela Koreth, [email protected]

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www.hcms.org / Harris County Physician Newsletter / September 15, 2016 36 Harris County Physician Newsletter / September 15, 2016 / www.hcms.org

In Memoriam

Stanton P. Fischer, MD, a pulmonary disease physician and internist, died Aug. 13. He hadbeen a member of HCMS since 1966.

David T. Roark, MD, an otolaryngologist, allergist and head and neck surgeon, died Aug.4. He had been a member of HCMS since 1973.

SUBLEASE: Medical Office Space Pearland:FM/IM physician looking to sublease 5 Exam Rooms(1,400 sq. ft.) to Podiatrist, Ophthalmologist,Dermatologist OR Subspecialty Physician looking toexpand practice. Share Lab, Waiting Area, Reception,Break Room. Off 288 and Shadow Creek Ranch.Rapidly growing area with 2 new hospitals right acrossthe clinic. Email [email protected]

BC/BE PEDIATRICIAN NEEDED: Full time in the 1960/Hwy 59 area. Wonderful work envi-ronment and great staff. Busy practice with a mix ofpatients and insurances. Please email inquiries to: [email protected] or call 281-548-7334 and askto speak with the Office Manager, Themis.

Sugar Land: Beautiful, new medical office condo-minium available for sublease. Approx. 1,500 squarefeet with 3 exam rooms, waiting room, private frontoffice, break room with amenities and private physicianoffice. Fully furnished with phone system, high speedinternet and convenient, free parking. Located onHighway 90 with easy access to Highway 6 and US59.Contact [email protected], or 713-899-5822.

PRICE REDUCED - Medical Office for SaleFallbrook Crossing, LLC, 11734 FM, approximately

1,257 sq. ft. Currently has certified x-ray facility,4 exam rooms, x-rays / dark room, waiting room,

business office, small physician office, and bathroom.Available for occupancy early 2016.

For more information contact:[email protected], or call 713-666-1990.

FP/IM MDs for weekend work, to perform physicalexams and minor medical consults. Residents wel-come, but must have Texas MD license. Liability insur-ance provided. One of 3 locations, ranging 10-30 milesfrom The Texas Medical Center. Rounding times flexibleduring daytime hours. Please contact Michelle at [email protected] or 713-589-9159 (emailpreferred).

Laser and skin care medical practice for sale.

Established, close to the Galleria area. Training avail-

able. Please contact [email protected], or call

832-407-9677.

Are you transparent with your charges?

HCMS is proactively standing up for your right to set your own charges and bill patients.If you inform out-of-network patients your charges for non-emergency care prior to servicesbeing rendered, please let us know by emailing "Yes" with your name and practice name [email protected]. For more information, go to www.hcms.org/practice-resources/chargetransparency/.

Presented by the HCMS Board on Socioeconomics

HIT Parade

What should a small practice consider prior to

joining a Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

An electronic health information exchange (HIE) allows physicians, nurses, pharmacists,other health care providers and patients to appropriately access and securely share apatient’s vital medical information electronically—improving the speed, quality, safety andcost of patient care. A HIE will bring the benefits of the information age to both practices and patients with

relevant and accurate patient records delivered in a timely manner. However, it is importantthat small practices perform their due diligence before committing to a HIE.

Here are some things to consider before joining a HIE:1. How could access to an HIE help my small practice?2. How important is it to my small practice to receive lab and radiology reports?3. Will I want to actively pull reports into my EHR or do I want to have them show up automatically?4. What are the HIE’s capabilities and costs?5. What else does a small practice need to consider before joining an HIE?

Currently, a local HIE, the Greater Houston Healthconnect (GHH), is available to physi-cians in Harris County. For more information about the GHH, go towww.ghhconnect.org/physicians or call (832) 564-2599. For more information on HIEs and other health information technology (HIT) topics

visit www.hcms.org/practice-resources/HIT/. Questions may be addressed to [email protected].

Presented by the HCMS Health Information Technology Committee

Call for entries! Nominate Compleat Physician

The HCMS is now accepting nominations for the John P. McGovern Compleat PhysicianAward. The award is based on the traditions of Sir William Osler and recognizes multi-accom-

plished physicians who have enriched the field of medicine with excellence and humane-ness.The award recipient will receive national recognition, a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque,

presented at the Harris County Medical Society/Houston Academy of Medicine Installationof Officers and Leadership Recognition banquet scheduled for Jan. 13, 2017.The deadline for submission is Nov. 2. For more information on the guidelines and cri-

teria for submitting a nomination, go to www.hcms.org/mcgovern-award/.

Business of Medicine

Free billing & payment help from a TMA expert

The Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) is hosting the Texas Medical Association(TMA) “Billing Cure” telephone consultations Oct. 24 to 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.“Billing Cure” is a free member benefit that offers 30 minutes of payment and practice

management issues (PM) assistance to members and their staff. Examples of some issues are:• Payment dilemmas regarding Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial payers, InsuranceMarketplace plans, etc.; • Assistance with payment policies and coding guidelines; • Assistance with Medicare or Medicaid revalidation questions; and• Assistance with PM issues, e.g., “Where can I find mandated posters for my practice,etc”,The 30 minutes slots are limited so sign up today for this valued benefit. Contact Kerry Hardwick at 713-524-4267, ext. 262, or email Kerry_Hardwick@

hcms.org to schedule an appointment. Presented by the HCMS Board on Socioeconomics

Changes to Texas Prescription Program began

Sept. 1

The new Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is now under the Texas State Board ofPharmacy. This board also now issues the official controlled substance prescription (Rx)forms. Additionally, physicians are no longer required to hold or register for the ControlledSubstances Registrations (CSRs). Although, physicians must still maintain a current federalDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration. The Rx forms purchased from theTexas Dept. of Public Safety (DPS) prior to Aug. 26, are still valid. For more information on the new PMP, visit the HCMS website at www.hcms.org/

Practice-Resources/DPS/.education/cme-programs/.

issues to address before engaging in social media. Cost for attending the YPO meeting is $25for HCMS members. Join colleagues for an evening filled with fun, food, drinks and ethicsCME. To register for the upcoming YPO event, learn more about becoming a Young Physician

leader, or about HCMS and TMA benefits that may be of particular interest to early careerphysicians, visit www.hcms.org/Membership/YoungPhysicians. You also may contactTiffeny Henderson at 713-524-4267, ext. 218, or [email protected].

Social media risks for young physicians Continued from page 1

October CalendarVisit the calendar online at www.hcms.org

Tuesday 4

6 p.m., HCMS Central Branch, The Briar Club, 2603

Timmons Ln.

6 p.m., Houston Medical Forum, Location: TBA

Wednesday 5

6 p.m., HCMS Southwest Branch, Braeburn Country Club,

8101 Bissonnet St.

Thursday 6

6 p.m., HCMS North Branch, Amerigo’s Grille, 25250

Grogans Park Dr. – The Woodlands

6:15 p.m., Houston Ophthalmology Society, The Briar

Club, 2603 Timmons Ln.

6:30 p.m., Texas Gulf Coast Gastroenterological Society –

Fellows Presentation, Location: TBA

Sunday 9

12 p.m., Annual Indian Doctors Association (IDA) Family

Picnic, Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Blvd.

Monday 10

6:30 p.m., Houston Dermatological Society, Location: TBA

Tuesday 11

11:30 a.m., RPO Luncheon, The Briar Club, 2603

Timmons Ln.

Wednesday 12

6:30 p.m., Harris County Academy of Family Physicians,

Location: TBA

Thursday 13

6 p.m., HCMS Western Branch, Houston Racquet Club,

10709 Memorial Dr.

6 p.m., HCMS Southeast Branch, Kemah Aquarium

Restaurant, 11 Kemah Rail Rd. – Kemah

Tuesday 18

6:30 p.m., Houston Pediatric Society, Location: TBA

Wednesday 19

6:30 p.m., Houston Psychiatric Society, The Briar Club

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists,

Location: TBA

Thursday 20

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Otolaryngology, Location:

TBA

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons, Location:

TBA

Friday 21

9 a.m., Human Resources Seminar – TMA Seminar (Live

CME), Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center,

921 Gessner Rd.

Saturday 22

8:30 a.m., HCMS Business Expo, NRG Stadium, NRG

Pkwy (77054)


www.hcms.org / Harris County Physician Newsletter / September 15, 2016 36 Harris County Physician Newsletter / September 15, 2016 / www.hcms.org

In Memoriam

Stanton P. Fischer, MD, a pulmonary disease physician and internist, died Aug. 13. He had been a member of HCMS since 1966.

David T. Roark, MD, an otolaryngologist, allergist and head and neck surgeon, died Aug. 4. He had been a member of HCMS since 1973.

SUBLEASE: Medical Office Space Pearland:

FM/IM physician looking to sublease 5 Exam Rooms

(1,400 sq. ft.) to Podiatrist, Ophthalmologist,

Dermatologist OR Subspecialty Physician looking to

expand practice. Share Lab, Waiting Area, Reception,

Break Room. Off 288 and Shadow Creek Ranch.

Rapidly growing area with 2 new hospitals right across

the clinic. Email [email protected]

BC/BE PEDIATRICIAN NEEDED:

Full time in the 1960/Hwy 59 area. Wonderful work envi-

ronment and great staff. Busy practice with a mix of

patients and insurances. Please email inquiries to:

[email protected] or call 281-548-7334 and ask

to speak with the Office Manager, Themis.

Sugar Land: Beautiful, new medical office condo-

minium available for sublease. Approx. 1,500 square

feet with 3 exam rooms, waiting room, private front

office, break room with amenities and private physician

office. Fully furnished with phone system, high speed

internet and convenient, free parking. Located on

Highway 90 with easy access to Highway 6 and US59.

Contact [email protected], or 713-899-5822.

PRICE REDUCED - Medical Office for Sale

Fallbrook Crossing, LLC, 11734 FM, approximately

1,257 sq. ft. Currently has certified x-ray facility,

4 exam rooms, x-rays / dark room, waiting room,

business office, small physician office, and bathroom.

Available for occupancy early 2016.

For more information contact:

[email protected], or call 713-666-1990.

Are you transparent with your charges?

HCMS is proactively standing up for your right to set your own charges and bill patients.If you inform out-of-network patients your charge for non-emergency care prior to servicesbeing rendered, please let us know by emailing "Yes" with your name and practice name [email protected]. For more information, go to www.hcms.org/practice-resources/chargetransparency/.

Presented by the HCMS Board on Socioeconomics

HIT Parade

What should a small practice consider prior to

joining a Health Information Exchange (HIE)?

An electronic health information exchange (HIE) allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists,other health care providers and patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’svital medical information electronically—improving the speed, quality, safety and cost ofpatient care. A Health Information Exchange will bring the benefits of the Information Age to both

practices and patients with relevant and accurate patient records delivered in a timely man-ner. However, it is important that small practices perform their due diligence before com-mitting to a HIE.

Here are some things to consider before joining a HIE:1. How could access to an HIE help my small practice?2. How important is it to my small practice to receive lab and radiology reports?3. Will I want to actively pull reports into my EHR or do I want to have them show up automatically?4. What are the HIE’s capabilities and costs?5. What else does a small practice need to consider before joining an HIE?

Currently, the Greater Houston Healthconnect (GHH) is available to physicians in HarrisCounty. For more information about the GHH, go to www.ghhconnect.org/physicians orcall (832) 564-2599. For more information on HIEs and other health information technology (HIT) topics

visit www.hcms.org/practice-resources/HIT/. Questions may be addressed to [email protected].

Presented by the HCMS Health Information Technology Committee

Call for entries! Nominate Compleat Physician

The HCMS is now accepting nominations for the John P. McGovern Compleat PhysicianAward. The award is based on the traditions of Sir William Osler and recognizes multi-accom-

plished physicians who have enriched the field of medicine with excellence and humane-ness.The award recipient will receive national recognition, a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque,

presented at the Harris County Medical Society/Houston Academy of Medicine Installationof Officers and Leadership Recognition banquet scheduled for Jan. 13, 2017.

The deadline for submission is Nov. 2. For more information on the guidelines and cri-teria for submitting a nomination, go to www.hcms.org/mcgovern-award/.

Business of Medicine

Free billing & payment help from a TMA expert

The Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) is hosting the Texas Medical Association(TMA) “Billing Cure” telephone consultations Oct. 24 to 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.“Billing Cure” is a free program that offers 30 minutes of payment and practice man-

agement issues assistance to members and their staff. Examples of some issues which will be covered:• Payment dilemmas regarding Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial payers, InsuranceMarketplace plans, etc.; and• Assistance with payment policies and coding guidelines; • Assistances with Medicare or Medicaid revalidation questions; and• Assistance with PM issues, i.e., Where can I find mandated posters for my practice, etc.The 30 minutes slots are limited so sign up today for this valued member benefit. Contact Kerry Hardwick at 713-524-4267, ext. 262, or email Kerry_Hardwick@

hcms.org to schedule an appointment. Presented by the HCMS Board on Socioeconomics

Physician Collaboration and Communication

Register today for the Texas Medical Association (TMA) course, Physician Collaborationand Communication. This course offers 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (Enduring) and 1medical ethics credit.It is important to recognize that communication between physicians is critical towards

providing safe and ethical care to patients. This webinar is designed to help physicians withthe domains of communication with other professionals and staff when implementing col-laborative care. The cost is $25 for members and $40 for non-members. To learn more information

about this course, go to texmed.inreachce.com/ and select Physician Health/PhysicianCollaboration and Communication. For more CME courses, go to www.hcms.org/education/cme-programs/.

for attending the YPO meeting is $25 for HCMS members. Join the HCMS team for anevening filled with fun, food, drinks and ethics CME at the HCMS Young PhysiciansOrganization (YPO) Networking Reception and social hour. To register for an upcoming YPO event, learn more about becoming a Young Physician

leader, or about HCMS and TMA benefits that may be of particular interest to early careerphysicians, visit www.hcms.org/ Membership/Young Physicians. You may also contactTiffeny Henderson at 713-524-4267, ext. 218, or [email protected].

Social Media Risks for Young Physicians Continued from page 1

September CalendarVisit the calendar online at www.hcms.org

Tuesday 4

6 p.m., HCMS Central Branch, The Briar Club, 2603

Timmons Ln.

6 p.m., Houston Medical Forum, Location: TBA

Wednesday 5

6 p.m., HCMS Southwest Branch, Braeburn Country Club,

8101 Bissonnet St.

Thursday 6

6 p.m., HCMS North Branch, Amerigo’s Grille, 25250

Grogans Park Dr. – The Woodlands

6:15 p.m., Houston Ophthalmology Society, The Briar

Club, 2603 Timmons Ln.

6:30 p.m., Texas Gulf Coast Gastroenterological Society –

Fellows Presentation, Location: TBA

Sunday 9

12 p.m., Annual Indian Doctors Association (IDA) Family

Picnic, Sugar Land Memorial Park, 15300 University Blvd.

Monday 10

6:30 p.m., Houston Dermatological Society, Location: TBA

Tuesday 11

11:30 a.m., RPO Luncheon, The Briar Club, 2603

Timmons Ln.

Wednesday 12

6:30 p.m., Harris County Academy of Family Physicians,

Location: TBA

Thursday 13

6 p.m., HCMS Western Branch, Houston Racquet Club,

10709 Memorial Dr.

6 p.m., HCMS Southeast Branch, Kemah Aquarium

Restaurant, 11 Kemah Rail Rd. – Kemah

Tuesday 18

6:30 p.m., Houston Pediatric Society, Location: TBA

Wednesday 19

6:30 p.m., Houston Psychiatric Society, Location: TBA

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists,

Location: TBA

Thursday 20

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Otolaryngology, Location:

TBA

6:30 p.m., Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons, Location:

TBA

Friday 21

9 a.m., Human Resources Seminar – TMA Seminar (Live

CME), Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center,

921 Gessner Rd.

Saturday 22

8:30 a.m., HCMS Business Expo, NRG Stadium, NRG

Pkwy (77054)

9-15-16 Phys Nwsltr_September 1 2006.qxd 9/1/2016 4:22 PM

PhysicianHa r r i s C o u n t y

John P. McGovern Building

1515 Hermann Drive

Houston, TX 77004-7126

USPS 960-580

AT HOUSTON, TEXAS

PAID

PERIODICALS POSTAGE

N e w s l e t t e r

HCMS Newsletter presented by the HCMS Community Health Improvement & Communications Committee

The official publication of the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS) • Volume 58 • Number 12 • Sept. 15, 2016

PhysicianH a r r i s C o u n t y

N e w s l e t t e r

See ETHICS CME, NETWORKING AND FUN NEAR YOU continued on page 6.

HCMS hosts Branch meetings near you!Don’t miss a great opportunity to network with colleagues in your community,

enhance your referral base and increase your professional connections. Enjoy dinnerand receive ethics CME credit in your area of town at your local HCMS Branch meeting.The branches cover six geographical areas, allowing physicians to develop referring andcollaborative relationships.To register for a branch meeting, go to www.hcms.org/events/branch-meetings/.

Upcoming meetings are:

Central Branch - Tuesday, Oct. 4Texas Medical Board UpdateSpeaker: Mari Robinson, JD, TMB Executive Director1 hour TMB Ethics Credit6 p.m. - Networking & Social Hour; 7 p.m. – Dinner & ProgramThe Briar Club, 2603 Timmons Ln., 77027

Medicare corner: Reminder - ICD-10 grace

period expires Oct. 1, 2016

October 1 signals the end of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)grace period for ICD-10 coded medical claims. After Oct. 1, the CMS will no longeraccept unspecified ICD-10 codes for certain Medicare services.Under the grace period, the CMS add a note onto the Medicare claims electronic

remittance advice (ERA) and/or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) if the claim was notcoded to the highest level of specificity. CMS provided this information in an effort to educate physicians on where the ICD-

10 coding needs to be placed once the grace period ends. An example is below.

As some commercial payers did not give a one-year grace period, physicians mayalready be filing ICD-10 codes appropriately. HCMS encourages members to review all remark codes on all payer ERA/EOBs. To learn more about what is expected from CMS starting Oct. 1 go to www.hcms.

org/Practice-Resources/ICD10/.

Medicare open enrollment for patientsOpen enrollment for Medicare begins Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7. Physicians who have

changed their Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) network participation in 2016 or plan tochange by Jan 1, 2017, should provide their Medicare patients a list of the MAP net-works in which they will be participating starting Jan 1, 2017. If patients have any questions about open enrollment, they can call 1-800-Medicare

for assistance.Medicare Corner presented by the HCMS Board on Socioeconomics

Social Media Risks for

Young Physicians

The Harris County Medical Society (HCMS)is hosting the Young Physicians Organizationreception Sept. 27, 2016 beginning at 6 p.m. atiPic Theaters.The HCMS is committed to meeting the needsof early career physicians. Benefits includeopportunities to increase physicians’ visibilityamong colleagues through networking.Networking is an important investment of timeinto building referral networks and findingopportunities for collaboration. The social hour will be held from 6-7 p.m.,

followed by a new ethics CME program, “SocialMedia Risks”, presented by Blaine Holbrook, JD.Attend this important presentation to learn howsocial media can impact the physician- patientrelationship and identify critical issues toaddress before engaging in social media. Cost

TMA/AMA Chapter Presidents, Emily Dewar(left) and Andres Espinoza (right), spoke at theannual First Year Medical Student Mixer on Aug.26. Medical students from the University of TexasMedical School at Houston and Baylor College ofMedicine gathered for an evening of social net-working and the opportunity to share their firstyear experiences with fellow classmates.

See SOCIAL MEDIA RISKS FOR YOUNG

PHYSICIANS continued on page 3


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