Palmetto GBA Loses Medicare MAC Contract The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) yesterday announced that Noridian Administrative Services (NAS) has been named the new Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Medicare Parts A and B in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, as well as the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands (Jurisdiction E, previously called Jurisdiction 1). September 24, 2012 Medicare, News MAC, Noridian Administrative Services, Noridian, Palmetto GBA 0 0 Comment Read More »
Mandatory Influenza Vaccination or Masking of Health Care Workers During Flu Season The Department of Health has issued a Health Officer order mandating that all hospitals, skilled nursing, and other long term care facilities in the City and County of San Francisco require their health care workers (HCWs) to receive an annual influenza vaccination or, if they decline, to wear a mask in patient care areas during this flu season. September 21, 2012 Public Health, SF Dept of Public Health influenza vaccination 0 0 Comment Read More »
SFMS/CMA Urges Congress to Stop $11 billion in Medicare Sequestration Cuts Medicare payments will be slashed by $11.1 billion next year due to the Budget Control Act of 2011 unless Congress passes new measures to prevent the cuts. This comes just days after the SFMS/CMA, American Medical Association, and 99 other state and specialty societies submitted a letter to Congress urging the passage of legislation nullifying the 2 percent cut payments called for under the sequestration act. September 17, 2012 Advocacy, AMA, CMA, Medicare, Payment Medicare sequestration cuts, Medicare payment reduction, SFMS/CMA advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor Brown Signs AB 589 to Create Medical School Scholarship Program On September 17, 2012, Governor Browns signed AB 589 (Perea), which will create a medical school scholarship program for students, helping to increase the physician workforce throughout California. September 17, 2012 Advocacy, News medical school scholarship, AB 589 0 0 Comment Read More »
Coalition Files California Supreme Court Amicus Briefs In Support of Medical Staff Independence and Self-Governance 23 current and former chiefs of staff from throughout California have filed an amicus curiae brief with the California Supreme Court in El-Attar v. Hollywood Presbyterian Med. Ctr. SFMS/CMA and AMA have also filed a separate amicus brief in the case. The briefs argue that a hospital’s lay governing board is not qualified to engage in peer review and thus cannot directly or indirectly commandeer a medical staff’s peer review functions. September 13, 2012 Advocacy, AMA, CMA El-Attar v. Hollywood Presbyterian Med. Ctr, medical staff independence 0 0 Comment Read More »
