Security Prescription Fix Signed By Governor Newsom; Delays Implementation Until 2021 After intense lobbying from the California Medical Association (CMA), Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Monday that will end the confusion caused by flawed implementation of the state’s new prescription pad law. AB 149 will delay implementation of the new law until January 1, 2021, ensuring that patients will continue to have access to the medicine they need while the state creates a system to better track prescriptions across the state. Physicians will be required to order a new set of prescription pads by that date, and the Department ... March 15, 2019 Advocacy, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, Patient Care Advocacy, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, Patient Care 0 0 Comment Read More »
Security Prescription Law Fix Heads to Governor's Desk for Signature Implementation of the new state law that requires security prescription forms to have a uniquely serialized number law will be postponed, thanks to a legislative fix heading to Governor Newsom’s desk. Flawed implementation this past January caused mass confusion, leaving pharmacies unable to fill prescriptions and patients being refused necessary medications. The California Legislature on Thursday passed AB 149 (Assemblymembers Cooper, Arambula and Low) to postpone implementation of the new law, which was intended to improve the security of physician prescription pads as a solution to the opioid crisis. This bill will delay ... March 6, 2019 Advocacy, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing advocacy, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medical staff prevails in legal battle over medical staff self-governance By Tina Tedesco Tulare, California is a small town in the Central Valley best known as the milk producing capital of America. More than half of its 60,000 residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal and served by a small, 108-bed health care district hospital – Tulare Regional Medical Center (TRMC) – with a separate medical staff of about 175 physicians. Two years ago, this small agricultural community became ground zero in a high-profile battle testing the legal scope of a hospital medical staff’s independence and right to be self-governing. Fundamentally, the question ... September 12, 2018 Advocacy, General 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA/AMA responding to proposed Medicare payment rule On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and MACRA Quality Payment Program (QPP) rule. This is the first year that CMS is combining the Medicare fee schedule and QPP rules. There are a number of positive elements in the proposed rule. These include: New payments for physician services that are not part of a face to face office visit (virtual check-ins, remote consults of patient videos and photographs, and online consultations with other physicians) ... August 7, 2018 Advocacy, Medicare 0 0 Comment Read More »
SCCMA/MCMS Members Lead at CMA’s Legislative Advocacy Day The California Medical Association kicked off its 44th Annual Legislative Advocacy Day on April 18th. The SCCMA and MCMS has approximately 30 physicians, residents and students who joined over 500 California physicians, residents and medical students to meet with legislators to share their voice and concern over AB 3087. With a record turnout of physician leaders and a unified voice advocating around the potential negative impact of AB 3087, it was a tremendously successful day at the Capitol. The day kicked off with a briefing delivered by Janus Norman, CMA’s ... April 23, 2018 Advocacy Advocacy, Legislative, Physicians, Santa Clara County 0 0 Comment Read More »
