eNewslineJanuary 28, 2013 Vol. 20, No. 2

Reminder: Renew Your Physician License Physician Licensure Renewal Deadline is One Month Away: February 28, 2013 The 2012 renewal period for physician licensure is coming to a close. The renewal deadline wasextended to February 28, 2013, to allow sufficient time for licensees to undergo the required criminalback ground check (CBC) and be finger­printed. If you have not already made yourappointment, visit https://dc.ibtfingerprint.com/ or call 1­877­783­4187.

In This Issue

From HHS: PHI ReportingGuidaince

From CMS: Program Changesand Deadlines

From HBX: Opportunity toParticipate in Working Groups

From AMA: EmployedPhysician Resources

From ACP: Adult ImmunizationPartnership with CDC

Member in the News: JeffreyS. Akmwn, MD

Solveras is Now TransFirst;Save over $500 with ThisSpecial Offer!

MSDC Events

YOUNGPROFESSIONALSMENTORING GROUPKICKOFF & HAPPYHOUR Wednesday, February 65:00 ­8:00 pmHill Country Barbecue410 Seventh Street NWWashington, DC 20004

From HHS: The Privacy Rule andProtected Health Information Guidance on Reporting Patients to Law Enforcement In light of recent tragic events, including the mass shootingsin Newtown, CT, and Aurora, CO, the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services (HHS) issued a letter to clarifywhen the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA) Privacy Rule allows covered entities to share patientinformation involving threats to health and public safety. Whena health care provider believes that a warning is necessary toprevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to thehealth or safety of the patient or others, the letter states, "the Privacy Ruleallows the provider, consistent with applicable law and standards of ethical conduct,to alert those persons whom the provider believes are reasonably able to prevent orlessen the threat." Other circumstances that covered entities may disclose protected healthinformation under federal law include:

To comply with a court order or court­ordered warrant, a subpoena orsummons issued by a judicial officer, or a grand jury subpoenaTo respond to an administrative request To respond to a request for PHI for purposes of identifying or locating asuspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person

From CMS: EHR Incentive ProgramChanges; ERx Penalty ExemptionDeadline is This ThursdaySeveral Changes to Stage 1 Meaningful UseMeasures Begin This Year The Stage 2 rule for the Electronic Health Record(EHR) Incentive Programs included changes to the Stage 1 meaningful use objectives, measures, andexclusions for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access

Read more here.Experienced physicianmentors are welcome.Please RSVP to ElizabethPhillips, MD. BOARD OF DIRECTORSMEETING ... Join us!Monday, February 256:30 pm1250 23rd Street NWWashington, DC 20037

Current MSDC members requesting an invitation inadvance are welcome toattend. For details, emailPia Duryea.

Other Events

AMPAC CandidateWorkshop February 15­17Pentagon City, VA This workshop is for AMAmembers and theirspouses who areconsidering a run forpublic office. View agendaand application for moreinformation. CME CREDIT EVENTS Cannabis in Medicine: APrimer for HealthcareProfessionals Friday, February 22, 20132:00­6:00 pmMayflower Renaissance Hotel1127 Connecticut Ave NWWashington, DC 20036 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1Credits. See brochure formore information. The Business of Medicine­ 2nd Annual Summit February 23­24, 2013Thomas JeffersonUniversity Campus Philadelphia, PA Up to 15 CME credits areavailable . Click here forprice and conferenceinformation. MSDCmembers pay the earlybird rate with password"MedSoc"

hospitals (CAHs). Some of these Stage 1 changes took effect on October 1, 2012,for eligible hospitals and CAHs, or January 1, 2013, for EPs. Several are optional,but others are required. Stage 1 Changes and Timing: Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) o Change: Addition of an alternative measure based on the total number ofmedication orders created during the EHR reporting period | Timing: 2013 andonward o Change: Revised the description of who can enter orders into the EHR and haveit count as CPOE | Timing: 2013 and onward (regardless of what stage ofmeaningful use the provider is attesting to) Electronic Prescribing o Change: Additional exclusion to the objective for electronic prescribing forproviders who are not within a 10 mile radius of a pharmacy that accepts electronicprescriptions | Timing: 2013 and onward Record and Chart Changes in Vital Signs o Change: Age limit increased for recording blood pressure in patients from ages 2to ages 3; no age limit for height and weight | Timing: Optional in 2013; requiredstarting in 2014 o Change: Exclusion if the EP sees no patients 3 years or older, if all three vitalsigns are not relevant to their scope of practice, if height and weight are not relevantto their scope of practice, or if blood pressure is not relevant to their scope ofpractice | Timing: Optional in 2013; required starting in 2014 o Change: Require that providers perform at least one test of their certified EHR technology's capability to send data to public health agencies, except whereprohibited | Timing: Required in 2013 and onward (for all Stage 1 public healthobjectives) Electronic Exchange of Key Clinical Information o Change: Objective for electronic exchange of key clinical information no longerrequired for Stage 1 for EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs | Timing: No longerrequired in 2013 and onward

For more details about each of these changes review the Stage 1 ChangesTipsheet.

ERx Penalty Exemption Deadline is This Thursday, January 31st Physicians who were unable to file for a Medicare ePrescribing hardshipexemption by the original deadline still have time to avoid the 1.5 percent paymentpenalty in 2013, but must do so by January 31, 2013. Physicians may request awaiver of the 2013 penalty on Communications Support Webpage under any ofthe following categories: ­ The physician is unable to ePrescribe as a result of local, state or federal law orregulation. ­ The physician wrote fewer than 100 prescriptions during the period of January1­June 30, 2012. ­ The physician practices in a rural area that doesn't have sufficient high­speedInternet access. ­ The physician practices in an area that doesn't have enough pharmacies thatcan do ePrescribing. CMS also added two hardship categories for those participating in Medicare'selectronic health record meaningful use program. Physicians do not need to applyfor an exemption related to these meaningful use hardship categories; CMS willautomatically determine whether physicians meet those requirements. Visit the CMS ePrescribing Web page to learn more. Physicians can contactCMS's QualityNet Help Desk at (866) 288­8912 or via email for assistance.Support is available from 8 am. to 8 pm (EST) Monday through Friday.

HBX News: Board Meetings andAdvisory Working GroupsHBX Executive Board Meetings In 2013 the DC HBX Executive Board meetings will move toa regular monthly schedule on the second Thursday of eachmonth. However, the next meeting will be a week early onFebruary 7th at 5:30 pm at One Judiciary Square, 441 4thStreet NW, South Lobby in the Board of Education Chambers. The January 10th meeting included updates presented by the executive directorand chief operating officer. The December 15th meeting included operationalupdates and the Executive Board approved the recommendations of the BusinessOperations Working Committee. Materials from the Executive Board public meetingscan be found here.HBX Seeking Community Input for Advisory Working Groups As part of its planning process the DC HBX is soliciting community stakeholders

Annual Regional EthicsCommittee ConferenceFriday, March 29, 20139:00 AM ­5:30 p.m. Washington HospitalCenter

Up to 6 CME units areavailable for this program. For details on conference,view the brochure.

Corporate Partners

including physicians to participate in Essential Health Benefit (EHB) WorkingGroup in the following ares:

Network Adequacy Working GroupQuality Working GroupCertification of Quality Health Plans (QHP) Process Working GroupPremium Billing and CollectionsPlan Choice Working GroupSustainability Working GroupPlan Offerings and Standardization of Benefits Working Group

The work of these groups is short ­ taking place between January and March2013­ but members of these groups will make key policy decisions, so physicianrepresentation is encouraged. MSDC Board members are participating to the extentpossible, but other physicians interested in serving on any of the Advisory Boardsand Advisory Working Groups may contact Bonnie Norton at bonnie.norton@dc.gov.

From AMA: Resources and Webinarfor Employed PhysiciansOnline Resources for Employed Physicians Physicians are increasingly entering into employmentrelationships with hospitals, group practices and other entities.The recently adopted "AMA Principles for PhysicianEmployment,"which are grounded in AMA policy andthe AMA Code of Medical Ethics, are intended to helpphysicians, those who employ physicians, and their respective advisors identify andaddress some of the unique challenges employment can present to professionalismand the practice of medicine.January 30 Webinar: Principles for Physician Employment AMA is hosting a 90­minute webinar on January 30 at 8:00 ­ 9:30 pm (EST) thatwill provide an overview of these principles and their application to real­worldsituations in which the interests of the employer may differ from those of thephysician and his or her patients. Topics that will be covered include:

Conflicts of interestPhysician advocacy for their patientsContractingHospital medical staff relationsPeer review and performance evaluationsPayment agreements.

Webinar is free for AMA members; $45 for non­members. Learn more and registerhere

American College of Physicians(ACP) ­ DC Chapter NewsLocal Physician Chapter Partners with CDC to Launch New AdultImmunization Program The DC Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) is pleased toannounce its partnership with the national ACP and CDC to launch a new adultimmunization education and quality improvement initiative. This free opportunity forphysicians and members of their health care team will provide new information aboutrecommended vaccines, strategies for increasing vaccination among your patients,and access to performance measurement tools, other educational and QI toolsincluding ACP's Medical Home Builder®, Maintenance of Certification practiceimprovement credit, HIPAA compliant professional networking and communicationstools, and hands­on support for your practice or program at no cost. The initiative will be launched at a regional dinner program on March 20, 2013from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at a venue in Washington, DC. Robert Hopkins, MD, anational expert in adult immunization will lead the presentation, followed by adiscussion with local leaders in immunization. There will be ample time for answeringyour questions along with facilitated discussion during the program. To learn more about this initiative and sign up, please contact Yodit Beru atyberu@acponline.org. Space is limited, so interested participants are encouraged torespond as soon as possible.

2012­13 Board ofDirectors

Catherine S. May, MD

Chair of the Board; At­Large

Daniel I. Perlin, MDPresident

Laura L. Tosi,, MDPresident­Elect

James C. Cobey, MD

Immediate Past President; At­Large

Joseph Gutierrez, MD

Treasurer; AMA DelegationChair

Reginald Robinson,MDSecretary; At­Large

Peter E. Lavine, MD

AMA Delegate

Laura L. Tosi, MDAMA Alternate Delegate

Julian R. Craig, MD

At­Large

John W. Larsen, MDAt­Large

Barry Lewis, MD, MBA

At­Large

Joan B. Loveland, MDAt­Large

Carla Sandy, MD

At­Large

Stuart F. Seides, MDAt­Large

K. Edward ShanbackerExecutive Vice President

MSDC eNewsline

EditorPia R. Duryea202­355­9414 (direct)duryea@msdc.org

MSDC Offices1250 23rd Street, NWSuite 270Washington, DC 20037202­466­1800 (phone)202­452­1542 (fax)www.msdc.org

Member News: Jeffrey S. Akman, MD,Named Dean of GW School ofMedicine and Health SciencesFormer MSDC Board Member to Lead GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences Jeffrey S. Akman, MD, a past member of MSDC's Board of Directors, has beenchosen to serve as the Vice President for Health Affairsand the dean of the George Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). Hewill lead the academic and research mission of SMHSand will be named the Walter A. Bloedorn Chair ofAdministrative Medicine. In 2010, Dr. Akman was named Interim VicePresident for Health Affairs and dean, and has servedas a liaison between the university and its clinicalpartners, including the GW Medical Faculty Associates,the George Washington University Hospital andChildren's National Medical Center. He wasinstrumental in the restructuring of the GW MedicalCenter and successfully reorganized the administrativeleadership at SMHS. Read here for more information.

Solveras is Now TransFirst....And is Offering a $500 Savings IfYou Reply by January 31, 2013 We wish to inform you that SolverasPayment Solutions ­ MSDC's memberbenefit for payment processing ­ haschanged its name to TransFirst. Expectthe same great products and customer service you've always enjoyed with Solveras­ just a new name. In conjunction with the name change, TransFirst is offering an outstanding savingspackage on Transaction Express, TransFirst's proprietary online paymentprocessing system. MSDC members who activate a merchant processing accountwith TransFirst by January 31, 2013* can save over $500! This limited time offer includes:

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Call 800.613.0148 and mention MSDC's eNewsline to take advantage of thislimited­time offer. *Exclusive savings package offer expires January 31, 2013. **Transaction Expressaccount required. Available for iPhone®, iPad® and most Android® devices.Merchant account subject to credit approval. Certain restrictions may apply. Offerand prices subject to change without notice.

Upcoming COCA Calls and Webinars

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) AnnualConference February 9 ­ 12, 2013 Washington, DC For schedule and information, go here. Also, AMCHP has partnered withRealityworks and Go Beyond to offer a new graduate student scholarship. Thisscholarship is designed to assist one graduate student per year in furthering their

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education while sponsoring their attendance at the AMCHP Annual Conference tohone their leadership skills and connect them with existing leaders within MCH. Archived COCA Conference Calls are available online.

**********************************MEMBER SPECIALSespecially for MSDC Members

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Solveras is Now TransFirst...And is Makng a Limited Time Offerfor MSDC Members We wish to inform you that SolverasPayment Solutions ­ MSDC's memberbenefit for payment processing ­ haschanged its name to TransFirst. Expectthe same great products and customer service you've always enjoyed with Solveras­ just a new name. In conjunction with the name change, TransFirst is offering an outstanding savingspackage on Transaction Express, TransFirst's proprietary online paymentprocessing system. MSDC members who activate a merchant processing accountwith TransFirst by January 31, 2013* can save over $500! This limited time offer includes:

FREE Transaction Express terminal swiper** ­ $195 valueFREE mobile card swiper and mobile processing** ­ $150 valueNO application fee ­ $100 valueNO set­up fee ­ $75 value

Call 800.613.0148 and mention MSDC's eNewsline to take advantage of thislimited­time offer. *Exclusive savings package offer expires January 31, 2013. **Transaction Expressaccount required. Available for iPhone®, iPad® and most Android® devices.Merchant account subject to credit approval. Certain restrictions may apply. Offerand prices subject to change without notice.

Strengthen Your Practice'sImmunization Performance Primary Care Physicians are in the best position to improve adolescent and adultvaccination rates. Immunization for Flu,Pneumococcal, Shingles, and Tdap vaccinescontinue to fall short of the U.S Department ofHealth and Human Services objectives. Fortunately, the Medical Society of DC has astrong partner in providing our members the resources and support to cost­effectively improve immunization rates, and in turn, strengthen your practice. AtlanticHealth Partners, the nation's leading vaccine buying group, offers you the lowestvaccine prices and finest customer service to improve the performance of yourimmunization initiatives. Atlantic even has a program that enables you to providevaccines like Zostavax (Shingles) and Adacel (Tdap) to Medicare Part D patients. MSDC members that currently participate with Atlantic are very satisfied with thesavings and support. We encourage you to contact Atlantic at 800­741­2044 orinfo@atlantichealthpartners.com to better determine how they can benefit yourpractice.

From MSDC: Up to 75% OffPrescription Drugs Using DC RxCard

As a physician in Washington, DC, you and yourpatients have access to a FREE Prescription Drug Cardprogram. The Medical Society is pleased to offer theDCRx CARD. Your patients can save up to 75% onprescriptions, selected eye­wear, vitamins and otherproducts. The card is accepted in pharmacies in theDistrict, Maryland and Virginia. The Medical Society of DC has new cards availableand any Society member who requests it may receive asupply of 250 cards. Please email Pia Duryea atduryea@msdc.org and ask for cards for your patients.