Category: Uncategorized
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Rep. Kirk Hatcher Wins the Special General Election for Senate District 26
Democratic Candidate, State Rep. Kirk Hatcher, won the special general election against Republican candidate, William Greene, for Senate District 26 seat on Tuesday, March 2, 2021. The seat was previously held by David Burkette (D). According to the Alabama Political Reporter, Hatcher received 4,565 votes of the 5,827 votes, 78.3%. He vacated his House District…
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Ben Robbins Wins the Special General Election for House District Seat 33
Republican candidate, Ben Robbins, won the special general election against Democrat candidate, Fred Crum, for house district seat 33 yesterday, Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The house district seat was previously held by Rep. Ron Johnson (R) who passed away on July 14, 2020. According to the Alabama Daily News, Robbins received 2,232 of the 3,269…
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Major Changes Coming to 2021 E/M Coding
Considerable changes are being made to Medicare outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) codes. The transition will take effect on January 1, 2021 and will likely affect physicians across all specialties. The changes are currently restricted to new and established outpatient visits (CPT codes 99202-99205, 99211-99215) and will impact everyone who assigns codes, manages patient information,…
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Discussions with Decisionmakers: Finance Director Kelly Butler
About Kelly Butler: Kelly Butler was appointed as the Director of the Alabama Department of Finance by Governor Kay Ivey on December 1, 2018, after serving as acting State Finance Director since August 15, 2018. As the State’s chief financial officer, Butler serves as an advisor to the governor and the Legislature in all financial…
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Medical Association Recognizes Racism as a Threat to Public Health
At the most recent Board of Censors meeting, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama pledged to recognize and confront racism and racial inequalities within our society and the healthcare system. The Medical Association further recognizes the need to end systemic racism in our country and to work towards a better, fairer, and more…
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Summary of Liability Protection from Starnes, Davis Florie, LLP
Starnes, Davis, Florie, LLP has drafted a summary with some guidance on documentation for physicians concerning some protection in response to potential liability issues facing physicians during the COVID-19 declared emergency. Governor Ivey’s March 13, 2020 Proclamation declared a state public health emergency. The Proclamation grants certain immunity from lawsuits if a provider in a covered…
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Medical Cannabis Passes Senate Committee
Last Wednesday, the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill allowing cannabis to be recommended for up to 15 conditions for medicinal purposes. SB165, informally named the Compassion Act and sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson, M.D., would allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis for conditions such as cancer, anxiety and chronic pain. It would also…
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Senate Committee Approves Collaborative Practice Ratio Increase
Last Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee approved an amended version of legislation dealing with the ratio of physicians to nurse practitioners in a collaborative practice. Originally, the bill would have allowed physician collaboration with an “unlimited” number of full-time equivalent nurse practitioners or nurse-midwives. However, after significant input from the Medical Association, the legislation deletes “unlimited”…
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Proposed Importation of Prescription Drugs from Canada
On December 18, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a proposed rule (the “Proposed Rule”) to amend its regulations to implement a provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada. The purpose of the Proposed Rule is to lower prices and reduce out-of-pocket…
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Competing Surprise Billing Measures Released
Early this week, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Greg Walden (R-OR), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced an agreement on legislation to end surprise medical bills. The two members issued a…