maintenance Archives - Medical Association of the State of Alabama

MOC UPDATE: Working to Solve Problems with Certifications

Posted by admin on March 28, 2018

UPDATE DEC. 12, 2018: The Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission has released its draft report for public comment. The report, which includes the Commission’s key findings and recommendations, will be posted on the Vision Initiative website for comment through Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 at 11:00 p.m. CST.

The Medical Association remains committed to working with the American Board of Medical Specialties and its 24 Member Boards to improve the continuing certification process so that it becomes a system that demonstrates the profession’s commitment to professional self-regulation, offers a consistent and clear understanding of what continuing certification means, and establishes a meaningful, relevant and valuable program that meets the highest standard of quality patient care. The Boards will seriously consider the Commission’s findings and recommendations once finalized, as they continue implementation of improvements and pilots currently underway.

UPDATE JULY 20, 2018: The Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future or “Vision Initiative” is a collaborative effort that brings together multiple stakeholders to envision a system that is responsive to the needs of those who rely on it and that is relevant, meaningful and of value to physicians. The Vision Initiative includes physicians, professional medical organizations, national specialty and state medical societies, hospitals and health systems, the general public and patients, and the 24 Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

The Vision Initiative held in-person meetings in March and May to solicit testimony from ABMS member boards, national specialty and state medical societies, key stakeholders, and the public regarding their perspectives on the continuous certification system as well as innovations and possible changes.

Here is a summary of the March and May meetings for your information.

Upcoming meetings, to be held August 29-30 and October 15-16 will discuss solutions in relation to MOC. (See timeline.) A draft report for public comment is anticipated in November 2018, with a final report from the Commission to ABMS due February 2019.

Interested medical societies can sign up for monthly updates to follow the Commission’s progress and be notified about opportunities for feedback and input at this link.

UPDATE APRIL 20, 2018: The Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission is continuing its quest to bring together physicians, medical organization, state medical societies, hospitals, health systems, patients and the ABMS to investigate the future of board certification and recently hosted its first in-person meeting in March in Washington, D.C. Commission members heard testimony on continuing certification from stakeholders who provided their perspectives and experiences with continuing certification, the challenges they currently face, and their thoughts about opportunities about the future. The presentation components of the meeting were open to the public and video streamed for all to view live.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE? The Commission launched a stakeholder survey in February, which will remain open until May 11. Complete the survey, share the link with your colleagues, and urge them to participate as well. TAKE THE SURVEY

The next Commission meeting will be held May 30 – June 1. The meeting will feature sections open to the public and will be live video streamed. Details regarding the agenda and live streaming will be featured in next month’s update and posted on visioninitiative.org. Please make sure to bookmark the site for access to Commission meeting information, progress updates, and opportunities for your feedback and input, and remember to share this update with your colleagues and encourage them to become involved in the process as well.

The Medical Association continues to work with the American Board of Medical Specialties concerning physician frustrations with the current Maintenance of Certification process. Late last year, Association Executive Director Mark Jackson and Council on Medical Service member Jeff Rickert, M.D., joined representatives from other state medical societies and individual specialty boards for a meeting with the ABMS in Chicago, which included discussions about innovations the medical boards are working on to address continuous learning for physicians, many of which include input from various outside stakeholders and focus on greater consistency amongst the medical boards.

Following the Association’s Annual Governmental Affairs Meeting in Washington in February where Richard Hawkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of ABMS, was a guest speaker, the organization issued a statement as an update on the progress of issues of concern to physicians about Maintenance of Certification.

As a result of these meetings, and other meetings initiated by State Medical Societies, the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future was formed as a collaborative effort bringing together physicians, medical organization, state medical societies, hospitals, health systems, patients and the ABMS to investigate the future of board certification.

The Commission invites input from all stakeholders. To participate in the discussion, you may provide comments to inform the future of board certification, learn how you can engage in the process, and sign up for monthly email updates from the Commission. LEARN MORE

Tags: ABMS, board, certification, maintenance, MOC

Posted in: Advocacy

Medical Association’s 2018 State and Federal Agendas

Posted by admin on December 13, 2017

The Medical Association Board of Censors has met and approved the Association’s 2018 State and Federal Agendas. These agendas were developed with guidance from the House of Delegates and input from individual physicians. As the Alabama Legislature and U.S. Congress begin their work for 2018, additional items affecting physicians, medical practices and patients may be added to this list.

Download the Medical Association’s 2018 State and Federal Agendas (PDF)

2018 STATE AGENDA

The Medical Association supports:

Ensuring legislation “first do[es] no harm”
Extending the Medicaid payment bump for primary care to all specialties of medicine
Eliminating the health insurance-coverage gap for the working poor
Ensuring fair payment for patient care and reducing administrative burdens on physicians and medical practices
Strengthening existing tort reforms and ensuring liability system stability
Empowering patients and their doctors in making medical decisions
Continued physician compounding, dispensing of drugs
The same standards and reimbursements for telehealth and face-to-face visits
Training, education and licensing transparency of all individuals involved in patient care
Continued self-regulation of medicine over all areas of patient care
Increased state funding to upgrade the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to a useful tool for physician monitoring patients at risk for drug interactions and overdose potential
Using data analytics to combat the drug abuse epidemic by strengthening research capabilities of pre-approved, de-identified prescription information
Maintaining the Alabama Department of Public Health as the repository for PDMP information to ensure continuity for prescribers and dispensers and security for patients
Standard opioid education in medical school so the physicians of tomorrow are prepared to face the realities and responsibilities of opioid prescribing

The Medical Association opposes:

The radical Patient Compensation System legislation
Legislation/initiatives increasing lawsuits against physicians
Non-physicians setting standards for medical care delivery
Tax increases disproportionately affecting physicians
Expanding access to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) for law enforcement
Statutory requirements for mandatory PDMP checks
Further expansion of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements
Changes to workers’ compensation laws negatively affecting treatment of injured workers and medical practices
Any scope of practice expansions that endanger patients or reduces quality of care
Biologic substitution legislation that allows lower standards in Alabama than those set by the FDA that doesn’t provide immediate notifications to patients and their physicians when a biologic is substituted, and that increases administrative burdens on physicians and medical practices

2018 FEDERAL AGENDA

The Medical Association supports:

Meaningful tort reforms that maintain existing state protections
Reducing administrative and regulatory burdens on physicians and medical practices
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act and replacement with a system that:
- Includes meaningful tort reforms that maintain existing state protections
- Preserves employer-based health insurance
- Protects coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions
- Protects coverage for dependents under age 26
- With proper oversight, allows the sale of health insurance across state lines
- Allows for deducting individual health insurance expenses on tax returns
- Increases allowed contributions to health savings accounts
- Ensures access for vulnerable populations
- Ensures universal, catastrophic coverage
- Does not increase uncompensated care
- Does not require adherence with insurance requirements until insurance reimbursement begins
- Reduces administrative and regulatory burdens
Overhauling federal fraud and abuse programs
Reforming the RAC program
Prescription drug abuse education, prevention and treatment initiatives
Allowing patient private contracting in Medicare
Expanding veterans’ access to non-VA physicians
Reducing escalating prescription drug costs
A patient-centered MACRA framework, including non-punitive and flexible implementation of new MIPS, PQRS and MU requirements
Congressional reauthorization of CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) at the current enhanced funding level
Better interstate PDMP connectivity
Eliminating “pain” as the fifth vital sign
Repealing the “language interpreters” rule
Requiring all VA facilities, methadone clinics and suboxone clinics to input prescription data into state PDMPs where they are located

The Medical Association opposes:

Non-physicians setting standards for medical care delivery
Publication of Medicare physician payment data
National medical licensure that supersedes state licensure
Legislation/initiatives increasing lawsuits against physicians

Tags: adph, agenda, bump, burden, certification, CHIP, compensation, drug, educate, federal, legislative, liability, license, licensure, MACRA, maintenance, Medicaid, MIPS, MOC, monitor, MU, opioid, PDMP, PQRS, prescription, reimburse, specialty, state, telehealth, train

Posted in: Advocacy