Monday Rx: AB 1130, Telehealth Phone Visits, FQHC and Private Practice Help and the Shared Savings Program June 14, 2021 Aledade, Assembly Bill 1130, Assembly Bill 2789, Assembly Bill 32, California, California Medical Association, Careclix, CME, FQHC, LA Department of Public Health, LACMA Alliance, Meals on Wheels, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Medicare Shared Savings Program, Office of Health Care Affordability, Private Practice, Race Against Time, Shared Savings Program, Telehealth, WeVax+LA 1511 Stop Assembly Bill 1130 Assembly Bill 1130, as currently drafted, will create enormous bureaucratic complexities within the health care delivery system and is overly burdensome on physician practices. The bill will intensify the imbalances and inequities that exist within the system and increase consolidation, driving up costs. CMA is arguing that the Senate needs to fully vet this proposal and work with stakeholders to address concerns through a policy hearing in the proper committee. As of today, the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) proposal has only been reviewed by a policy committee in one house. If this proposal is included in the budget, the Senate will not be able to fully vet and address the proposal to ensure the creation of an implementable solution. California needs to get this crucial and far-reaching proposal right. Take action to stop this catastrophic legislation. Physician voices are urgently needed to tell the Senate that we need to ensure the OHCA stays in the policy process and Senators are allowed to properly consider the policy, rather than have it rushed through as part of the budget. Click here, to learn more. To Telehealth or Not Telehealth? California lawmakers are debating Assembly Bill 32, which would require Medi-Cal to keep reimbursing phone, video and in-person visits at the same rate in most settings. The measure, passed by the state Assembly, is now being debated in the Senate and as part of budget negotiations. An analysis of the bill from the California Health Benefits Review Program found evidence that patients of color and those who are older or rural were more likely to use phone visits than video visits during the pandemic. In California, the legislature wants Medi-Cal — to keep paying for phone calls at the same rate as for video and in-person visits, a policy that began during the pandemic. But Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget plan directs Medi-Cal to reduce the rate. What do you think? If you have questions about telehealth and how it can maximize your practice, our partner Careclix can help. Contact Sal LoBianco at slobianco@careclix.com. How Aledade, LACMA’s Newest Preferred Partner, Helps FQHCs and Private Practice Aledade partners with physician practices, health centers and clinics to assist them in building Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and other value-based care programs. To date, Aledade has partnered with nearly 800 independent primary care practices, including more than 100 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), comprising over 7,800 providers in 32 states. Through this nationwide network of independent practices, Aledade manages roughly $12 billion in health care spending through 35 Medicare and 51 other value-based contracts and Aledade ACOs care for nearly 1.2 million patients. Aledade also plans to launch several initiatives in 2021 that leverage this platform, including extending the use of its integrated telehealth and working to predict and prevent the occurrence of unplanned dialysis. The company is also taking steps to reduce racial disparities in hypertension control and enable even the smallest primary care practices in the country to join value-based contracts which are aligned with LACMA’s focus on social determinants of health, vaccine inequities and health disparities facing communities of color. What You Need to Know About Medicare and Medicaid Shared Savings Program The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) offers providers and suppliers (e.g., physicians, hospitals, and others involved in patient care) an opportunity to create an ACO. An ACO agrees to be held accountable for the quality, cost, and experience of care of an assigned Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiary population. There are different tracks in MSSP that allow ACOs to select an arrangement that makes the most sense for their organization. The MSSP is an important innovation for moving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) payment system away from volume and toward value and outcomes. It is an alternative payment model that: Promotes accountability for a patient population. Coordinates items and services for Medicare FFS beneficiaries; and Encourages investment in high-quality and efficient services. FQHCs and Private Practices are finding long-term success in value-based care with Aledade. Aledade’s mission is to ensure the long-term sustainability of independent primary care physicians and community health centers. We do that by enabling their success in the inevitable shift to value-based care payment models. Primary care doctors recognize they cannot make the shift to value-based care alone, but they want a partner who is aligned with their interests and can help them remain independent. Aledade understands that primary care practices need access to regulatory expertise, cutting-edge technology, data analytics, business transformation services, upfront capital, and other elements to succeed in value-based care while focusing on what they do best: caring for their patients. Aledade accomplishes this by partnering with primary care physicians to build and lead ACOs that allow doctors to remain independent, practice medicine the way they always wanted to, and thrive financially by keeping people healthy. LACMA will coordinate a series of Zoom calls with our FQHC, private practice colleagues and Aledade executives as the early ACO enrollment deadline nears. The schedule of these calls will be announced soon, but if you would like to learn more, please visit www.Aledade.com or reach out to: Kim Yu, MD, FAAFP | she/her Regional Medical Director, Growth Partnerships (248) 345 2915 | aledade.com kyu@aledade.com LACMA Partners with Meals on Wheels and LA Department of Public Health to Launch WeVax+LA Several LACMA members participated in a video shoot last week to kick off a video campaign to address vaccine hesitancy in communities of color. The campaign will feature Dr. Jeffery Lee, LACMA President-Elect and LACMA Executive Committee members Dr. Omer Deen, Dr. Troy Elander, Dr. Jerry Abraham, Dr. Heather Silverman and LACMA board members Dr. Po-Yin Samuel Huang, Dr. Anna Yap, and Dr. Roxana Yoonessi. LACMA Alliance Newsletter The Los Angeles County Medical Association Alliance is a diverse group of individuals who are here to support your physician family. It’s our privilege to take the journey alongside you and yours and to remain steadfast in our commitment to the wellbeing of our county physician families, as well as the health and wellness of the community at large. Click here to read the latest June 2021 newsletter. Webinar: Preparing for California's Electronic Prescribing Mandate Assembly Bill (AB) 2789 (2018) created a state-level mandate that all physicians use electronic prescribing starting January 1st, 2022. The mandate includes almost all prescriptions, including controlled substances, and applies to all physicians, regardless of specialty or practice size. Join CMA on Thursday, June 17th to learn more about the electronic prescribing mandate, and how your practice can be ready to go for next year. Presenter: David Ford, VP Health Information Technology, CMA Ford is a nationally recognized health information technology expert. He develops CMA's thought leadership in all aspects of health IT, including electronic health records, health information exchange and telehealth. Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021 Time: 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. PST Format: Zoom Register Here Webinar: Return to Work Issues for California Physician Employers This webinar will answer some of the most common questions employers have about returning to work issues, including whether the employer can inquire if the employee is vaccinated; if vaccination is or can be required for returning employees; whether the employer is required to accommodate employees who want to continue telecommuting; what obligations, if any, will employers have to accommodate employees not vaccinated; and what issues should employers address once employees return to work. This one-hour webinar will address all these issues, as well as provide information on how employers may go about addressing and documenting them. Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2021 Time: 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. PST Format: Virtual Register Here CMA's 2021 CME Provider Conference Join the California Medical Association virtually for their 2021 Annual CME Provider Conference: Leading the Way to the Future of CME! This educational opportunity will provide valuable strategies and insight to improving your CME program, as well as provide an opportunity to connect with ACCME, CMA CME staff, and other CMA-accredited providers. Topics will include: *subject to change National Update, Collaborations and MOC - Graham McMahon, M.D., MMSc, CEO at the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Standards for Integrity and Independence State of the State of CME - Kristin Jensen, M.D., Chair of CMA CME Steering Committee Engaging your Leadership about the Importance of CME - Moderated Panel New CLC and IB Standards - Moderated Panel CA Legislation that Impacts CME Virtual Social Hour Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021 Time: 8:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. PST Format: Virtual Register Here Race Against Time: A Conversation with Tung Nguyen, MD Our guest will be Dr. Tung Nguyen, Endowed Chair in General Internal Medicine and Professor of Medicine at UCSF. He is also Director of the Asian American Research Center on Health or (ARCH) and previously Chair of the Presidential Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders under President Barack Obama. Dr. Nguyen will lead a conversation on the ongoing AAPI hate crimes and violence directed towards our community. Hosted by the LACMA Health Equity Council, the event will be on Wednesday, June 30th at 6:00 pm. Register below or email Lisa Le at lisa@lacmanet.org. Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Time: 6:00 p.m. PST Format: Zoom Register Here #MondayMotivation "To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden." Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”