“Coronaviruses 2020” CME Webinar on March 18th Register Now The Medical Society of the State of New York will conduct Medical Matters: Coronaviruses 2020 on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30am. William Valenti, MD, chair of MSSNY Infectious Disease Committee and a member of MSSNY Emergency Preparedness and Disaster/Terrorism Response Committee will serve as faculty for this program. Registration is now open for this webinar here.   Educational objectives are: Become familiar with the epidemiology and clinical features of coronaviruses Understand the physician’s role in the public health response to an infectious disease outbreak Identify the circumstances that have contributed to the rapid spread of COVID-19 Additional information or assistance with registration may be obtained by contacting Melissa Hoffman at mhoffman@mssny.org. The Medical Society of the State of New York is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical Society of the State of New York designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA/PRA Category 1 credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity

Physicians should utilize the New York State Department of Health website that has up-to-date information on COVID-19 and includes information on known cases of COVID-19, cleaning and disinfection guidance, help for childcare providers and schools, and guidelines for individuals who have recently traveled internationally.
https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/providers.htm

Reporting
COVID-19 is a reportable disease.  If novel Coronavirus is suspected, immediately notify the local health department (LHD) where the patient resides.

Health care providers should review: CDC's Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals Evaluating Persons Under Investigation (PUI)

Free Communication Resources  CDC offers free resources including video, fact sheets, and posters. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/index.html

Additional Resources
CDC Website for Healthcare Professionals 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html

Governor Cuomo's proposed Health Budget bill contains measures to bypass important due process protections for physicians during disciplinary proceedings. The proposal would, among many other provisions, allow the Commissioner of Health to disclose to the public that a physician is under disciplinary investigation or summarily suspend a physician with only a minimal finding of risk to the public, as opposed to the much stronger “imminent danger” standard now required for bypassing existing due process protections.

This measure impacts both private practice and employed physicians

The Solution
Ask your elected representatives to remove these provisions from the Governor’s Budget.

We're closer to getting full insurance coverage for congenital anomalies than we've ever been. Our bill has been introduced in both houses and now we need to get as many assembly members and senators to sign on as co-sponsors. That's where you come in. We need you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the bill in their respective houses.

It's quick and easy--you can either email or send a message over social media. Just enter your information on the form and you'll be on your way to letting your legislator know how important this bill is to children across New York State.

1in38 Advocacy Day - Join us on 2/25/2020

Bull Moose Club
150 State Street, Floor 4 (Franklin Room)
Albany, NY 12207

8:00am    Opening Remarks and Briefing
10:00am  Legislative Appointments Begin
4:00pm    Conclude

> REGISTER TODAY!

Support A.8890 (Simon), Give Kids A Chance–Carter’s Law so that New York health insurance companies can no longer routinely deny coverage for medical procedures and therapies they consider not medically necessary.

Take a stand and help kids get a chance at a full and productive life!
> Sign the Petition

Background
In New York, 1 in 38 babies are born with a congenital anomaly. On average, children with congenital anomalies can expect anywhere from three to five surgical procedures throughout their childhood to restore a more normal appearance and function.

Although insurance carriers may provide coverage for the initial procedures, they may resist coverage of the later stage procedures, claiming they are cosmetic and not medically necessary. Denial or delay of these procedures – which by definition are reconstructive – could lead to long-term physical, functional, and psychological injuries.

To a layperson, repair of a congenital anomaly may seem cosmetic in nature. However, reconstructive surgery is performed to treat structures of the body affected aesthetically or functionally by congenital or developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease. It is generally done to improve function and ability, and may also be performed to achieve a more typical appearance of the affected structure.

Coverage should also be provided for healthcare services that help an individual keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living. Habilitative services may include physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and other services for people with disabilities in a variety of inpatient and/or outpatient settings.

 The NYSDOH’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety has developed a new electronic adverse event reporting (AER) tool that will be easily accessible and assist OBS practices in reporting adverse events as required by Public Health Law § 230-d.

The new electronic AER is designed to assist OBS practices in reporting adverse events and submitting medical records more efficiently.  It will also allow the OBS program to identify trends in adverse events and opportunities for quality improvement in OBS practices. 

The OBS program anticipates launching the electronic AER tool February 3, 2020.  Additional information will be provided to the practices as we move closer to the launch date of the electronic AER tool including written & video instructions for using the tool. 

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Quality & Patient Safety, OBS Program at (518) 408-1219 or at obs@health.ny.gov.

CMS final rules recently went on display updating payment polices for services furnished in a physician office or in a hospital outpatient setting. These final rules address some of the concerns ASPS and other medical societies raised, while others are yet to be fully addressed.

Plastic surgeons should be aware of new Medicare Prior Authorization policy, set to become effective on July 1, 2020, that will require hospitals to show the medical necessity of blepharoplasty, botulinum toxin injections, panniculectomy and rhinoplasty procedures before Medicare will provide reimbursement. For private practices to obtain prior authorization, medical information will need to be forwarded to the hospital before the procedure can be scheduled. 

> Learn more about the new payment policies

The Fraser Institute in Canada released their annual "Waiting Your Turn" report. Researchers found that wait times for medically necessary treatment increased in 2019. Specialists surveyed reported a median wait time of 20.9 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and when the individual received the treatment. That's up from 19.8 weeks in 2018. 

The longest wait is for orthopedic surgery, at 39.1 weeks. Plastic surgery and ophthalmology have the second and third longest waits, respectively. 

The New York Health Act has overwhelming support in the Assembly and is gaining ground in the Senate. Hearings have taken place across the state and NYSSPS was there represented by founding NYSSPS member, Dr. Scot B. Glasberg. While in strict opposition to this bill, we recognize that there is a distinct possibility of it becoming the law of our land. The impact will be a complete overhaul of healthcare in NYS and the eventual elimination of private health insurance. We have been actively involved to try to shape the language in the bill and in particular, to ensure that if this bill does pass, that reimbursement will be in excess of the cost required to provide care. You can see Dr. Glasberg’s testimony HERE

Sponsors of the New York Health Act often point to Canada's healthcare system as a model that New York State should seek to move toward. However, the Fraser Institute research shows that such a system can lead to problems like longer wait times, which then leads to poorer medical outcomes and higher costs to individuals.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the The American College of Surgeons are offering an annual scholarship to subsidize attendance and participation in the Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The course takes place June 14–20, 2020. 

The award is in the amount of $8,000, to be used toward the cost of tuition, travel, housing, and subsistence during the period of the course. Indirect costs are not paid to the recipient or to the recipient’s institution

Eligibility
The award is open to surgeons who are active members in good standing of both the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Applicants must be at least 30 years old, but under 60, on the date that the completed application is filed

Some of the requirements include sending in a cover letter, a one-page essay discussing why the applicant wishes to receive the scholarship, how the scholarship will fill a gap in the applicant's training/experience and the applicant's curriculum vitae.

Applications are currently being accepted with a deadline of February 3rd. Eligible members are encouraged to apply.  All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process by early April 2020.

Learn more: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/Health-Policy/ASPS-ACS-Health-Policy-Scholarship.pdf

In 2020, plastic surgeons from across the country will be heading to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of the specialty during the two-day ASPS Regional Fly-In events. The Southeast & West Regional Fly-In will take place on February 4-5, 2020 and the Northeast & Midwest Regional Fly-In on June 10-11, 2020. ASPS members are encouraged to register for the Fly-In for their respective state, however, if they are unable to attend their region's designated Fly-In event they are welcome to register for the alternative Fly-In event.

The ASPS Regional Fly-Ins will be focused only on congressional meetings on Capitol Hill and will not feature the extra day of educational programming that's part of the ASPS Advocacy Summit. The ASPS Regional Fly-Ins will occur in even years – election years – going forward, while the ASPS Advocacy Summit will be held in odd years and is scheduled to return in 2021.

During the ASPS Regional Fly-Ins, ASPS members will:

• Meet with the members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill to educate them about critical healthcare policies
• Participate in an exclusive dinner discussion with a prominent member of Congress
• Influence and help shape ASPS's 2021 state and federal policy priorities to help determine the Society's advocacy agenda
• Network with their plastic surgery colleagues and ASPS leadership in the nation's capital

To register or learn more about the ASPS Regional Fly-Ins, please visit here. Please contact Darcy McLaughlin at dmclaughlin@plasticsurgery.org with any questions.

Resources

• Event Page: ASPS Regional Fly-Ins