Monday Rx: The LA Healthcare Awards, Medicare Cuts, Burnout Symposium, Membership Renewal and Events November 8, 2022 AB1400, Access to Care Town Hall, CalAIM, California Medical Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Congress, Cooperative of American Physicians, Medi-Cal, medical malpractice protection, Medicare, Membership Dues, Patient Care Foundation, Payment Cuts, Physicians, Provider Town Hall, Southern California Burnout Symposium, Webinar 808 Patient Care Foundation Last Friday night, nearly 140 attendees witnessed the 10th annual Los Angeles Healthcare Awards to benefit medical students from UCLA, USC Keck School of Medicine, and UC Riverside. The signature event was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Congratulations to those recognized, our tremendous sponsors such as Moore-White Medical Foundation, the LACMA Alliance, Aledade, Cooperative of American Physicians, Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center, AltaMed Health Services, AMBA, L.A. Care Health Plan, Larta Institute and Lucid Motors and our leaders who attended, namely Dr. Omer Deen, Dr. Jeffery Lee, Dr. C. Freeman, Dr. Heather Silverman, Dr. Troy Elander (chairman), Dr. Jerry Abraham, Dr. Jack Chou and Dr. Maria Lymberis! Special kudos to Lisa Le, Vice President, for organizing such a memorable event! Check out all of the honoree videos here! Donate to the Patient Care Foundation Donate Here Medicare Payment Cuts Threatened Again Physicians are facing another round of Medicare payment cuts. Unless Congress acts by the end of the year, physicians face more than 8.42% in Medicare payment cuts in 2023 due to a confluence of statutory and budget neutrality payment cuts. If these cuts are allowed to take effect, these cuts will severely impede patient access to care due to the forced closure of physician practices and put further strain on those that remained open during the pandemic. CMA is asking all physicians to urge their Senators and Representatives to protect the nation’s Medicare patients by stopping the cuts. These scheduled cuts will come in the form of: Cuts to Physician Payment Rates. CMS has proposed a 4.42% cut for all physician services in 2023 to offset payment policy improvements in office and facility-based visits. No inflationary update. Physicians are the only providers whose Medicare payments do not automatically receive an annual inflationary update. When adjusted for inflation, Medicare physician payments have dropped by 22% from 2001 to 2021. During this time of record inflation on the heels of a highly disruptive pandemic, this statutory flaw amplifies the impact of proposed payment cuts. Physicians simply cannot afford to operate under the current payment system. Representatives Ami Bera, M.D., (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, M.D., (R-IN) introduced H.R. 8800 the "Supporting Medicare Providers Act" to help address the flawed payment system and stop 4.42% of the cuts related to budget neutrality adjustments in the Medicare Fee Schedule. Congress must reform the Medicare physician payment system to make it simpler, more reflective of real-world physician practice costs and more predictable and sustainable for physicians and patients before it’s too late! Click here to urge your Senators and Representatives to protect the nation’s Medicare patients by stopping the cuts. Southern California Burnout Symposium Each week I look forward to sharing news about our February Symposium discussing the topic of physician burnout. LACMA is the lead sponsor for this groundbreaking event that promises to be profoundly impactful. LACMA members also receive a $200 early bird discount (before December 2), plus $400 of additional savings. Visit www.stophealthcareburnout.comto see the complete agenda or register below! Register Here LACMA Members can also contact Stephanie@lacmanet.org for an additional discount code to register for this historic and worthwhile event! It’s Time to Renew Your 2023 Membership Dues! Switch to CAP for Great Rates and So Much More Great rates for excellent medical malpractice protection are just a click away. Get an instant quote emailed to you AND learn about the unbeatable included services the Cooperative of American Physicians (CAP) offers its more than 12,500 physician members, like FREE practice management consulting and the option to purchase up to $10,000 in monthly disability benefits and up to $500,000 in life insurance guaranteed with no required health exam*. See for yourself what makes CAP different! Get a no-obligation quote now. Request an Emailed Quote To learn more about becoming a CAP member, please call 800-356-5672 or email MD@CAPphysicians.com. Webinar - CMS Medicare Updates 2023 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Chief Medical Officer Ashby Wolfe, M.D., will provide an update on CMS policy for the 2023 calendar year. Information presented will be relevant to practicing clinicians, including an overview of the updates to the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule. Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 Location: Virtual - Zoom Register Provider Town Hall: 2023 Health Care Transitions for Patients with Medicare and Medi-Cal California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) includes multiple initiatives that are impacting older adults and adults with disabilities who have both Medicare and Medi-Cal. It is crucial that you and your office staff understand these upcoming changes to accurately inform and support your patients. The objectives of this Town Hall are to: Review the January 2023 Enrollment Changes affecting dual eligible beneficiaries, including Medicare Medi-Cal Plans (Medi-Medi Plans), the Cal MediConnect Transition, and the Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) Look-Alike Transition. Discuss other Medi-Cal changes potentially affecting this population, such as the statewide expansion of Medi-Cal Managed Care, Older Adult Expansion, and Medi-Cal Asset Limit Increase. Facilitate a live question-and-answer session with the Department of Health Care Services. Date: Thursday, November 10, 2022 Time: 12:00 PM Location: Virtual - Zoom Register Date: Monday, November 14, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Location: Virtual - Zoom Register Access to Care Town Hall: Single Payer, AB1400. What happens now? Objectives: Key Elements of AB 1400. Why AB1400 didn’t succeed. What are the challenges to future single payer bills. How can we make sure physicians (LACMA/CMA) are included early and in an integral way in the discussion and decisions moving forward #MondayMessage We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”