News

NYC Public Health Collaboration Launched to Help Physicians Adopt IT NEW [3/1/2010] - The NYC Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health, or NYC REACH, promotes electronic health records to modernize physician practices, support patient-centered care, and improve health outcomes. REACH is one of 32 federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers announced last week by the Department of Health and Human Services. REACH will encourage health IT adoption in physician offices and community health centers to coordinate care and improve health outcomes, specifically through the use of prevention-oriented electronic health records (EHRs). more

Expand Patient Access to Hearing Aids/Support Fairness in Hearing Aid Dispensing NEW [2/19/2010] - Please support a change to General Business Law 802 that would strike the restriction on physicians who perform evaluations of hearing loss from deriving a profit from the sales of hearing aids. The current law is anti-consumer, anti-business, and anti-competition. more

Two Free Conferences to Explain Medicare Coding/ Payment NEW [2/8/2010] - National Government Services (NGS) is offering two teleconferences in February at no charge to help providers understand the changes in Medicare coding and payment for consultation services. Providers from all NGS sites and of all specialties should plan on attending one of these sessions. more

Call on Congress to Reform the Flawed SGR Formula [1/29/2010] - Take a few minutes to make an investment in your future. Use the AOA's toll-free legislative hotline (877) AOA-9400 and ask your Member of Congress to enact a permanent solution to the flawed Medicare physician fee schedule, similar to the House passed bill, the "Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act" (H.R. 3961). Tell them: Physicians are the foundation of the health care delivery system and Congress must enact permanent reform of the flawed Medicare physician payment formula, no more short-term solutions. Access to care for millions of patients, especially our nation's seniors and military families, is threatened as a result of this flawed Medicare policy Health care coverage does not equal access to care, Congress must ensure that patients have access to physician services more

How to Get What You Want (and Need) from Your Health Insurance Provider [1/28/2010] - Special from Bottom Line's Daily Health News January 28, 2010 Health insurers have lots of sneaky ways to deny insurance claims because, of course, the less they pay, the more money they get to keep. I got some good advice from professional patient advocate, speaker and radio-show host Trisha Torrey on what we consumers can do to help get coverage when the insurers are trying to wiggle out of their obligations... Six Secrets to Get Your Health Insurance Company to Pay more

AOA Town Hall Meeting: Replay of January 21st Event Now Available [1/27/2010] - On Jan. 21, the AOA hosted the seventh in a series of virtual town hall meetings focusing on health care reform. Following remarks from AOA President Larry A. Wickless, DO, AOA Director of Government Relations Shawn Martin provided participants with a comprehensive overview of current health care reform efforts in Congress, the process of merging the health reform bills, and the anticipated impact of the Massachusetts special election. To see the Webinar in its entirety, log on to www.DO-Online.org and see the second news item on the page more

Good Morning America Hails NYCOM Grad as a Hero for work in Haiti [1/20/2010] - "Our staff becomes mother and father and teacher," the Rev. Leo R. "Rick" Frechette, DO (NYCOM '98), told "Good Morning America" on Jan 15, referring to his patients in Haiti whose parents were killed in the earthquake. Families of victims are having "to go to the cemetery with their picks and their shovels and dig their own grave," he told "NBC Nightly News." A Roman Catholic priest, Dr. Frechette runs St. Damien Hospital, the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti. Frechette, returned to Haiti to serve the innumerable adults and children left in dire need of care due to the devastating earthquake that has practically destroyed the capital city and much of St. Damien Hosptial where he is the director. Despite the damages to the building, the injured have been pouring in since the quake hit Tuesday. There is a dire need for medical supplies, fuel, water and other necessities. Below is a letter from Fr. Frechette and additional information and donation opportunity. more

NYSOMS NEWSLETTER WINTER 2009-10 [1/11/2010]

CMS extends Medicare Enrollment Perios [12/21/2009] - CMS has extended the 2010 Annual Participation Enrollment Program end date from January 31, 2010, to March 17, 2010- therefore, the enrollment period now runs from November 13, 2009, through March 17, 2010. The effective date for any Participation status change during the extension, however, remains January 1, 2010, and will be in force for the entire year. Contractors will accept and process any Participation elections or withdrawals, made during the extended enrollment period that are received or post-marked on or before March 17, 2010. more

Summary of AOA Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform [12/18/2009] - On December 16, the AOA held a webinar and town hall meeting entitled "Congress' Plans to Reform the Health System Part IV." Below is a summary of the event. The entire meeting will be posted on the AOA's You-Tube site at: www.do-online.org/health_reform/public more

Use CAP to Earn PQRI Bonus Payment [12/15/2009] - Don't miss your opportunity to get your bonus payment for 2009! Participants of the 2008 PQRI who submitted data through the AOA's Clinical Assessment Program (CAP) received payments ranging from $1,200 to $3,100. As a qualified PQRI registry and a free resource for AOA members, CAP maximizes your PQRI incentive, automatically validates your data, and minimizes data entry time. To sign up for CAP, log on to DO-Online and select "CAP-PQRI" under the "Clinical Resources" tab. Click on DOCMEonline.org and then select "AOA CAP for PQRI 2009." Register for the program by providing your office information, Tax Identification Number, and National Provider Identifier (NPI). All data during the reporting period for 2009 must be submitted by 1/30/10, to be eligible for the PQRI incentive payment. more

Pfizer Extends, Expands its MAINTAIN program [12/15/2009] - You may be aware that in May 2009, Pfizer launched a new program called MAINTAIN that helps eligible, unemployed Americans, without prescription coverage, continue treatment with the Pfizer medicine prescribed by their health care professionals. Pfizer has just announced that the MAINTAIN program will be extended for a full year, through 2010. Applications will now be accepted until December 31, 2010. In addition, as a result of Pfizer and Wyeth coming together, Pfizer is also extending the benefits of MAINTAIN to people who need help staying on their Wyeth primary care medicines if they are unemployed and uninsured. more

Healthcare Reform Update from AOA President [12/3/2009] - To the Osteopathic Family: For the past 11 months the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the nation have been engaged in the ongoing debate regarding the reform of our nation's health care system. This debate has invoked strong reactions from our membership and the public. The views shared with the AOA on this important issue reflect the diversity of our membership. This process has also challenged the AOA Board of Trustees, bureaus, councils, and committees, and our professional staff. I am proud of the way our association is responding. We are engaged at the highest levels of policy development and the legislation reflects many priorities of the AOA. Much of the public discourse on this issue and the pending legislation ignores the broader scope of the legislation and focuses on singular issues that play upon the apprehensions of our members and the public. Do these issues have merit? Of course. However, we owe it to our membership and the public always to evaluate issues with all the facts, not just those that promote our perceived interpretation. more

Red Flag Rule Delayed Again [11/3/2009] - The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Red Flag Rule is delayed until June 1, 2010. The delay comes at the request of Members of Congress. This is the fourth time the FTC has put off the enforcement of the controversial rule, which requires "creditors" and "financial institutions" to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs. more

Martin Diamond, DO, receives AOA Distinguished Service Award [11/3/2009] - During the opening session of the Osteopathic Medical Conference and Exposition in New Orleans, AOA President Larry Wickless honored NYSOMS past president and former executive director Martin Diamond, DO, with the AOA Distinguished Service Award--the AOA's highest honor. Dr. Diamond's many accomplishments include co-founding the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, chairing the New York State Board of Medicine in 1999, and dedicating his life to advocacy, education, and philanthropy. Congratulations, Dr. Diamond! more

Blue Cross Blue Shield Offers Credit Monitoring Following Security Breach [10/22/2009] - New information is available about the recent Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) security breach that resulted in the theft of a data set containing names, addresses, taxpayer ID numbers and NPI numbers of more than 800,000 physicians. more

H1N1 Reimbursement Code Update [10/2/2009] - Two new CPT and HCPCS codes have been issued for the H1N1 Vaccinations. more

Protect the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Support the Health Insurer Code of Conduct [10/1/2009] - No matter where you fall in the current debate about health care, everyone should agree that a strong doctor-patient relationship is the key to effective, personalized health care. A simple and important step to protect that relationship was taken by the AOA House of Delegates in July, when it passed a resolution to work collaboratively with the health care community in development of the basic tenets of a Health Insurance Code of Conduct, which supports transparency, corporate integrity, and patient safety and welfare. Now there is something everyone can do to make the code a reality. Physicians, patients and others who care about increasing the transparency and effectiveness of care can visit www.insurepatientaccess.org and add their name to the online petition and read the code. more

NYSOMS Newsletter Summer 2009 [8/14/2009]

NYSOMS Pioneers featured by AOA media [6/10/2009] - The June 17 AOA Daily Report notes that the current issue of The DO Magazine and the AOA's You Tube channel feature the NYSOMS ceremony honoring the New York State Pioneers of Osteopathic Medicine, which was held at the Eastern Regional Osteopathic Convention (EROC) in March. To access all..... more