What's New

Reforming America's Health - Join MSDC leaders and US Congressmen at GW Hospital, Tuesday, July 7 for a town hall meeting.  Click here for more information. 

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway.

SAVE THE DATE - MSDC ANNUAL MEETING, Wednesday, October 21, 2009, National Museum of Health & Medicine, 6:00 pm.

Q&A: Retention of medical records

Q. Where can I find the HIPAA standard for retention of medical records and billing information?

A. The HIPAA privacy rule does not provide specific requirements for the retention of medical or billing records. HIPAA requires covered entities to retain documentation for six years, but many states have longer retention periods for these records. Be sure to check state licensure standards for your type of healthcare organization/practice to determine the retention requirements for your state.

H1N1 virus of swine origin updates

CDC is investigating human cases of swine flu in the United States. Keep up with updates on the investigation and find out what you can do to protect yourself from getting sick by visiting the CDC Swine Flu website. You can also get real-time updates on the investigation by following CDC on Twitter.

2009 PhRMA Code Q&A

· The 2009 PhRMA Code issued by the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America provides guidelines relevant to situations that can occur during healthcare meetings. The full code can be accessed at www.phrma.org.

The code states that providing healthcare professionals with items that do not advance disease or treatment education is not appropriate, even if these items are practice-related items of minimal value, such as clipboards, pens, mugs or similar items with or without company logos or product names printed on them. It would, however, be appropriate for a company to distribute educational brochures without pens or clipboards.

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Basics of HIV Management for
Newer HIV Clinicians
May 7, 2009 1-5 pm

AMA meets with new FTC chairman to discuss antitrust reform, Red Flags Rule
AMA Board of Trustees member Cecil Wilson, MD, met with the new Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Jon Leibowitz, on April 16 to discuss the AMA's proposal for physician antitrust reform. During the meeting, Dr. Wilson also urged the FTC Chairman not to define physicians as "creditors" who would be subject to the FTC's "Red Flags" regulation to deter identity theft. The Red Flags Rule was scheduled to take effect on May 1. At press time we received indications that the FTC will delay implementation of these requirements until August 1. In the interim, the AMA has developed guidance material to help physicians comply with the Red Flags Rule, which can be accessed on the AMA website at: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/physician-resources/red-flags-rule.shtml

Board of Medicine reporting requirements

Health Reform Dialogue - Please read and send comments to K. Edward Shanbacker, EVP, MSDC.  (3/27/2009)

EHR Users – CCHIT Needs Your Help!

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is seeking to compile a catalog of case histories of physicians who have implemented EHRs.  President Obama is focused on speeding the adoption of health IT, and as interest in EHRs escalates, CCHIT wants to provide specific examples of how EHR usage improves both patient care and practice management.

CCHIT is looking to hear from practices large and small, in both urban and rural geographies, who have made tangible improvements to their practice by adopting EHRs.  Since implementing EHRs have you:

-Contained or reduced costs?

-Provided better patient care?

-Kept more complete records?

-Increased revenue for your practice?

-Made safer and more informed decisions regarding the diagnosis, clinical treatment and ongoing health management of patients?

If you use EHRs and feel they have improved your patient care and/or practice, CCHIT wants to hear from you.  Please contact John Morrissey, Communications Manager, CCHIT at jmorrissey@cchit.org.

Following review and editing, the case study will be returned for final approval by the practice.  A contact email and phone number for the profiled practice must be included with submission.

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What's New on the Emergency Preparedness & Response Site for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This information has recently been updated

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/whatsnew.asp

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