News

Monday Rx | May 20, 2019 | The First Ever LACMA Marketplace is Here!

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The First Ever LACMA Marketplace is Here

For several weeks I've been sharing the great news that LACMA now has a marketplace designed for members to see substantial savings on vaccine costs, medical supplies – even if you are already on a national contract.

Lacmamarketplace.com also features savings on the costs of processing credit and debit cards, medical liability protection, credit card services, office supplies, and more.  You can even earn loyalty payments and we offer concierge assistance with all your buying needs.

Some of the vendors offering discounts include Sanofi, Merck, Pfizer, Henry Schein, ProficientRX, McKesson, VaxServe, ClearGate Merchant Services and Staples Advantage. When a member visits the site (lacmamarketplace.com) and clicks Join on the top left they will need to enter this pin code first: LAMKPL0519. Remember, LACMA is proud to offer members preferred pricing with vaccine manufacturers to medical supply distributors.

If you have any questions, email:  info@sterlinghl.com or call (888) 902-4367.
 


Department of Public Health Partnership

As you may know, LACMA has a unique partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Health Services.  LA County Public Health's latest issue of Rx for Prevention is now online. This issue is particularly timely as it features an important article on understanding California's child care and school immunization requirements and medical exemptions (with CME) and a brief on communicating about vaccines in the context of the local measles cases.

There are also articles on the new ACIP vaccine recommendations and safe opioid prescribing, as well as local public health updates and resources for physicians and patients in Los Angeles County. I encourage members to subscribe to receive Rx for Prevention directly by email (4 issues/year).
 


Inside the Beltway, Because it Matters 

The continuous drumbeat against drug prices continues with a House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing titled "Improving Drug Price Transparency and Lowering Prices for Americans." It's the first hearing since the Trump administration finalized a rule requiring drug companies to publicize list prices of their products in TV ads.

Today, the hot topic with bipartisan support—addressing the problem of surprise medical billing—is the focus of a House Ways and Means health subcommittee hearing. It comes a couple of weeks after the Trump administration spelled out its principles for legislation ending surprise billing, including a ban on balance billing for emergency care and mandating that patients scheduled for non-emergency care should be given "a transparent bill upfront."

And it comes a week after leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee put out draft legislation that includes a provision that would require insurers to pay out-of-network clinicians based on what they'd pay similar physicians in their networks.
 


Identity Theft Protection

LACMA continues to partner with companies that deliver cost effective value directly to our members. This week we are partnering with LibertyID. If your identity is stolen and you are signed up for one of their low cost member plans, one phone call results in your full identity theft restoration. This means that they will take care of everything for you from managing the dozens of phone calls, hours of wait time, filing of documents, replacing any lost documentation, and every other detail that needs to be attended to.

Services are 100% guaranteed and while other companies offer identity theft resolution—this only means they will guide you through the process of doing it yourself. The hard work is still 100% up to you. With a combined experience of 25 years and a 100% success rate, the LibertyID team is here to help our members who've been victims of identity theft get their lives and practices back. To review LibertyID's certifications, click here.
 


Fighting Unfair Payment Practices

In 2018, the California Medical Association (CMA) surveyed physicians for feedback on health plans that are routinely engaging in unfair payment patterns, the types of violations and results of physician efforts to resolves these issues. Despite legislation that passed in 2000 attempting to stop these abuses by allowing providers to submit complaints to the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), there was no requirement that DMHC review those complaints. Because of this, the results of our survey confirmed that payors overwhelmingly continue to engage in unfair payment practices.

To address this issue, CMA sponsored AB 2674 (Aguiar-Curry), which was signed into law in 2018. Effective July 1, 2019, DMHC will be required to annually review complaints filed by providers who believe a plan is engaging in an unfair payment pattern. If the complaint data indicates a possible unfair pattern, DMHC may conduct an audit or open an enforcement action.

The effectiveness of this new law depends on physicians and their office staff. CMA urges practices to closely monitor their accounts receivables to ensure that they have been paid properly and to report any violations to DMHC through its provider complaint portal or by calling the Help Center at (888) 466-2219.  For a summary of California's unfair payment practices law, see CMA's "Know Your Rights: Identify and Report Unfair Payment Practices" resource, which summarizes vital protections under California state law that physicians should be aware of.

Remember, LACMA members have access to CMA's practice management experts for free one-on-one help with contracting, billing and payment problems. Contact CMA's reimbursement helpline at (888) 401-5911, contact me directly or economicservices@cmadocs.org.
 


Voting for 2019 LACMA Elections Now Open!

Today marks to beginning of the voting process for our 2019 election. This year, there is one vacancy for the position of Secretary and three vacancies for Councilor-at-Large. Active members of LACMA should have received the voting instructions this morning, so feel free to visit to voting website to begin the process today .

For additional information about the election process or the candidates, please visit www.losangelesmedicine.org or contact Lisa Le at lisa@lacmanet.org or (213) 226-0304.

Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association "If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me."
 


EVENTS AND COMMUNITY


 
LACMA/athenahealth Dinner


athenahealth partnered with the Los Angeles County Medical Association to host a dinner where attendees will view a presentation that will focus on thriving independently, patient engagement, and maximizing self-pay collections.

 
WHEN: Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 WHERE: Brio Coastal Bar and Kitchen 21532 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503RSVP
 

Finance for Physicians 101 Presented by ACap


 
 
Join us for the first installment of Finance for Physicians webinar series, in partnership with ACap Advisors & Accountants' Ara Oghoorian, who will discuss the changes in real-estate taxation based on the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act now in effect.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 29th, 2019
 
 
Los Angeles County Medical Association's Annual Installation of Officers



You are Invited!
 
Join us in celebrating Dr. Sion Roy, a Harbor-UCLA Medical Center cardiologist, who will become LACMA's youngest president in the organization
WHEN: June 21, 2019 WHERE: Riviera Country Club 1250 Capri Drive Pacific Palisades, CA 90272RSVP