Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program Website is Now Available [June 2010]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has launched the official website for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. This website provides the most up-to-date, detailed information about the EHR incentive programs. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. Visit the EHR Incentive Program Website: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/

NMA Endorses Dr. Donald Berwick to Head CMS [May 2010]
Click here to read the endorsement letter from the National Medical Association in support of Dr. Donald Berwick’s nomination to be the next Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Journalist Training in New Orleans, August 11-13, 2010 [May 2010]
Health reform presents an historic opportunity to address fundamental inequities in the health care system and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that continue to plague the nation. As the process of health reform implementation moves forward, the media will play a key role in informing the public about how these changes will affect their communities.

In an effort to facilitate a greater understanding of these often complicated issues, the National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color is hosting a two-day training for journalists. This training is designed to bring attention to health policy issues that affect communities of color and to ensure that journalists have the tools, resources, and information they need to report on these topics.

For additional information and to register for the training, visit: http://www.healthpolicyalliance.org/trainings/upcoming-trainings_events.html

SGR Update [April 2010]
On April 1st, physicians who see Medicare patients faced a 21% cut in reimbursement. In response to this emergency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instructed their contractors to hold Medicare physician claims until Wednesday, April 14.

The U.S. Senate is expected to overturn the rate reduction upon returning to session this week. The vote on H.R. 4851 is scheduled for Monday, March 12, two days before Medicare requires carriers to begin processing claims for services with the 21% pay cut. 

The NMA supports a permanent repeal of the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. We urge you to call your Senator and ask them to repeal the SGR. For contact information for your Senator visit: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Comment Period Open for Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs [March 2010]
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administers a program that provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals for the “meaningful use’ of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology. CMS has proposed provisions for governing the EHR incentive programs, including defining the central concept of “meaningful use” of EHR technology. The public is encouraged to provide comments on the proposed rule. Comments will be accepted through March 15.

For the online comment form visit http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a7c4a8
Read the National Medical Association HIT and Meaningful Use Position Statement
For fact sheets and further information on the CMS proposed rule visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Recovery/11_HealthIT.asp
For the CMS press release on the comment period visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=3561

2010 Census Fact Sheet
This fact sheet outlines basic facts about the census and the many uses of census data. Share this information with your community.
2010 Census Fact Sheet

Take Action Friday 1/22 or Saturday 1/23!

Health reform advocacy organizations across the country are organizing events today and tomorrow to send members of Congress the message that the nation needs health reform now. Please join us and our partners in making that message clear.  Below are events ranging from delegation visits to vigils happening across the country.

State/ Date and Time/ Representative/ Location/ Address/ City/ Event
AR/Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Snyder, Rep. Berry/ Arkansas Studies Institute/ 401 President Clinton Ave. Room 110/ Little Rock
IA/ Jan-22 1:30pm/ Rep. Braley/ Member’s Office 601 Sycamore St., Suite 610/ Waterloo
IL/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Bean Member’s Office/ 1701 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 200/ Schaumburg
LA/ Jan-23 11am/ LA delegation/ MLK and Claibourne New Orleans visibility
MI/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Peters Gary Burnstein/ Community Health Clinic 90 W. University/ Pontiac/ press conference and rally
MO/ Jan-25 10am/ Rep. Carnahan/ Member’s Office 8764 Manchester Road, Suite 203/ Saint Louis
NC/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Watt/ Member’s Office 1230 West Morehead Street/ Charlotte/ delivery to member
NC/ Jan-23 3pm/ Rep. Price/ Member’s Office 5400 Trinity Road, Suite 205/ Raleigh
NM/ Jan-22 12pm/ Rep. Heinrich/ corner of 3rd and Tijeras/ Albuquerque
NV/ Jan-22 12pm/ Rep. Titus Member’s Office/ 8215 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 205 Las Vegas/ press conference and delivery event
OH/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Kaptur/ Member’s Office One Maritime Plaza/ 6th Floor/ Toledo
PA/ Jan-22 2:30pm/ Rep. Carney/ Member’s Office 233 Northern Boulevard Clarks Summit
PA/ Jan-23 11:30am/ Rep. Dalhkemper/ Intermodal Center (Rotunda) 208 E. Bayfront Parkway/ Erie/ rally, member has been invited
PA/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Fattah, Schwartz,/ Sestek Lover Park 15th & JFK Boulevard/ Philly/ rally with Rep. Fattah and perhaps others
PA/ Jan-23 10:30am/ Sen. Casey & Specter/ Regional Enterprise Tower 425 6th Street/ Pittsburgh
RI/ Jan-23 11am/ Rep. Kennedy & Langevin/ Winter Farmers Market 999 Main Street /Pawtucket
TN/ Jan-23 11am/ TN delegation American Baptist College/ Lewis Scruggs Center 1800 Baptist World Center Drive/ Nashville
VA/ Jan-23 11am/ Sen. Webb Member’s Office/ 507 E. Franklin/ St. Richmond/ rally and picket
WA/ Jan-23 11am/ WA delegation/ Bridges Overpasses on I-5 Seattle
WA/ Jan-28 11am/ WA delegation State Capitol/ Olympia press conference with State Sen. Keiser and other state legislators

House-Senate Comparison of Key Provisions

The House and Senate have begun discussing ways to reconcile the differences between their two health reform bills. The House Tri-Committee has released a document showing the top line differences between the House and Senate bills. Read the Tri-Committee House-Senate Comparison of Key Provisions.

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announces the following two funding opportunities:

Community College Consortia to Educate Health Information Technology Professionals
Objective: This program makes available $70 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the health information technology (health IT) community by rapidly creating health IT education and training programs at community colleges or expand existing programs. Community colleges funded under this initiative will establish intensive, non-degree training programs that can be completed in six months or less.  Application Deadline: January 22, 2010

Curriculum Development Centers
Objective: This grant opportunity will provide $10 million in grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) to support health information technology curriculum development. Up to 5 grant awards will support curriculum development to enhance programs of workforce training primarily at the community college level.  Application Deadline: January 14, 2010

For more information, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov/fundingopportunities

Physician’s Quality Reporting Initiative
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the results for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).  More than 85,000 physicians and other eligible professionals who satisfactorily reported quality-related data to Medicare under the 2008 PQRI received incentive payments totaling more than $92 million. 

The incentive payments that physicians and other health professionals received were based on 1.5 percent of their allowed charges for covered professional services.  The average incentive amount for individual professionals was over $1,000, with the largest payment to an eligible professional totaling over $98,000.  In 2008, 153,600 professionals participated in the program, and the number of eligible professionals who met the requirements for reporting and earned an incentive payment increased by one-third from 2007, from 56,700 to more than 85,000 professionals.

CMS added several new features in the 2008 PQRI program year to make it easier for healthcare professionals to participate, including expanding the number of measures from 74 in 2007 to 119 in 2008.  In addition, for the first time in 2008, eligible professionals had the choice to report data on quality measures through a qualified medical registry, which then reported that data to CMS. 

Eligible professionals who participated in the 2008 PQRI can access confidential feedback reports that aggregate the data they submitted across all practices with which they are associated.  The reports also show eligible professionals how they compare with other participants across the country who submitted the same measures.  CMS redesigned these reports for 2008 based on feedback from national stakeholder focus groups. 

A press release and fact sheet on the 2008 PQRI results may be viewed at
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press_releases.asp and
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, blacks comprised 5.6% of all physicians and surgeon in 2008 - approximately 49,728 black physicians. This presentation is a snapshot of the black physician workforce in the U.S. and includes information on physician characteristics, geographic distribution of physicians and black populations, practice characteristics, and trends in medical training. The Black Physician Workforce.pdf

Physicians Round Table on Capitol Hill, September 23, 2009

NMA Supports Health Care Reform.pdf

Please join the National Medical Association along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, House leadership, and White House staff for an event on health reform:

A Conversation with Physicians of Color: Health Care Reform in 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill, Rayburn Building, Room B318

Chairpersons:
Congresswoman Corrine Brown
Congresswoman Donna Christensen, M.D.

Featured Speaker:
Willarda V. Edwards, M.D., MBA
President of the National Medical Association

Invited Speakers:
Steny Hoyer, (D) - MD; House Majority Leader
James E. Clyburn, (D) - SC; House Majority Whip

Please RSVP to Byron Sogie-Thomas at 202-347-1895 ext. 232 or bsogie-thomas@nmanet.org no later than Monday, September 21, 2009.

2010-2011 Fellowship Program in Minority Health

The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship Program in Minority Health Policy is a one-year, full-time program designed to create physician-leaders who will pursue careers in minority health and health policy. Based at Harvard Medical School under the direction of Joan Reede, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., dean for diversity and community partnership, the fellowship combines an intensive year of training in health policy, public health, and management with special program activities on minority health issues. Applicants complete academic work for a master’s degree in public health or public administration.

For more information, read the program brochure.

Doctor’s Speak

Please join Today’s Child Magazine and The National Black Family Health Promotions Coalition for a breakfast and discussion of the health literacy gap.

What: Doctor’s Speak: Addressing the Health Literacy Gap
When: September 24, 2009
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Where: Developing Families Center, Inc.
801 17th Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Facilitated by:
Carolyn Springer, Ph.D
Winston Price, MD, MPH
Michelle Drayton, RN, MPH

RSVP to: springer@adelphi.edu by September 15, 2009
Doctor Speak Flyer.pdf

2010 NMA Colloquium

The National Medical Association Eleventh National Colloquium on African American Health will take place from March 20-23, 2010 at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, VA.

Letters to the Editor

Write an op-ed piece in your local newspaper showing your support for health care reform. For your convenience, we have included contacts for media outlets in congressional districts where the Congressperson is either on the fence or opposed to current health reform proposals.
Media_Outlet_Spreadsheet.xls

Minority Faculty Career Development Seminar:  September 11 - 14, 2009

The Minority Faculty Career Development Seminar is a three-day professional development seminar designed for junior faculty (senior fellows, instructors, and assistant professors) who are members of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups and who aspire to leadership positions in academic medicine. The Seminar is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges and Harvard Medical School Department of Continuing Education.

Registration will close 8/28/2009 Midnight EDT.

The Agenda and Registration details are available at: http://www.aamc.org/meetings.

HITECH Grants Announced

The White House announced on Thursday August 20, 2009 the rollout of the first two grant programs in a series of HITECH priority grant programs. The grant programs will help health care providers in the selection and incorporation of EHRs into their clinical practice and for States and their designates to assure that statewide information exchange is developed.

The first grant program, the Health Information Technology Extension Program will fund dozens of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers who are responsible for offering hospitals and clinicians with hands-on technical assistant to support meaningful use of certified EHR systems.

The second grant program will help States and Qualified State Designated Entities (SDEs) to develop or align the necessary policies, procedures and network systems to assist electronic information exchange within and across states.

To read the entire message from Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Click here

Journalism Training

The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color is holding a Health Policy Journalism Institute in October. Interested? Click here to learn more: http://www.healthpolicyalliance.org/trainings/upcoming-trainings_events.html.

Health Care Reform 2009

The U.S. Congress is currently on recess until after the Independence Day holiday. Upon their return, they will resume negotiations regarding the various proposals before their various chambers.

The National Medical Association has been involved in the national conversation, and in the process of reform. Both the legislative and the executive branches of the Federal government remain receptive to the NMA’s input. Members will receive more detailed information in the coming days about how to get involved in your state in shaping the final proposal that will become law, hopefully by year’s end.