The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a notice on June 3, 2021 advising that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) may now begin conducting post-payment medical reviews of items and services for dates of service March 2020 and after.

> Read the complete alert

Earlier today, the United States Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued an alert concerning fraudulent postcards sent to health care organizations claiming to be official communications from OCR. The post cards inform recipients that they are required to participate in a “Required Security Risk Assessment” and directs providers to submit their risk assessment to hsaudit.org, a link that diverts individuals to a non-government website offering consulting services. You should disregard such correspondence and not provide the specified information.

As a reminder, all communications from OCR will come from either an official office or an email address ending with @hhs.gov. You can find a complete list of OCR’s headquarters and regional offices here: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/about-us/contact-us/index.html.

Read complete alert

Non-physician providers are an important part of a health care team in a plastic surgeon's medical practice. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and aestheticians provide a variety of healthcare services to patients. Understanding their roles along with the potential risks and liabilities are the responsibility of the physician. 

Learn about the risks, laws, and liabilities as well as mitigation strategies with a patient safety professional and an attorney through discussion and case examples.

OBJECTIVES:

• Evaluate my potential exposure with my non-physician providers related to laws of practice and liability.
  
  
• Utilize the closed claims examples in this program to educate his/her/their peers and team as opportunities to improve failure points to risk in patient care.
  
  
• Implement two risk mitigation strategies in working non-physician providers that can reduce patient injuries and improve the quality of care.

Register today!

NYS Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker released the following statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson vaccine:

"Today the CDC and FDA issued a statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution. New York State will follow the CDC and FDA recommendation and pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide immediately today while these health and safety agencies evaluate next steps. All appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines today at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer vaccine.

"As the CDC and FDA have said, any adverse events related to the Johnson &  Johnson vaccine 'appear to be extremely rare' and, 'People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.'

"I am in constant contact with the federal government and we will update New Yorkers as more information becomes available."

Sue Boisvert, BSN, MHSA, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, The Doctors Company, and Chad Anguilm, MBA, Vice President, In-Practice Technology Services, Medical Advantage, Part of the TDC Group of Companies

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of remote patient monitoring was expanding. The technologies offer many benefits, but they may also create potential malpractice risks.

Consider the following case example and strategies that can help mitigate risks.

In February 2020, the NYSDOH’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety launched the electronic AER tool for the reporting of adverse events (AEs) as required by Public Health Law § 230-d. Since launched, 70 percent of AE reports (AERs) have been received via this tool.  In order to promote efficient collection of consistent information, effective April 1, 2021, we are accepting only electronic AER submissions.

The AER tool is located on a secure web-based application and uses https encryption.  To insure you are on the secure web-based application look for the lock symbol to the right of the web address. The URL to access the AER is https://obsaer.health.ny.gov and works with Internet Explorer 11+, Chrome, Safari and Firefox.  Please use the latest browser version for the best experience.  Since there is no ability to save a partially completed AER and complete it at a later time, you should complete the AER once you have started it.  Otherwise, you will need to complete it again in its entirety at a later time.  You will be able to save and print the completed form once it is submitted. 

For your convenience you can attain a printable copy of the AER user guide by clicking on the question mark (?) at the top right-hand corner of the web-based application.  Training videos are available to guide mandated reporters through the electronic submission of the web-based AER form. The video for mandated reporters who are members of the OBS practice submitting a web-based AER form, can be viewed on the OBS website https://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/office-based_surgery/  and are also located within the AER tool. 

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

The NYS Society of Plastic Surgeons encourages plastic surgeons to amplify the physician's voice by participating in today's virtual MSSNY advocacy day.

By using MSSNY's grassroots action center, you can quickly send emails to legislators on the following issues of shared importance with our Society.

Click click here to view all of the current issues.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and fall across all regions of the United States, practices must adapt and adjust their operations according to regional mandates, which can transition overnight with the shifting environment. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to operating a medical practice during the pandemic, The Doctors Company has developed a checklist to help you manage your practice.

The checklist can be adapted to your practice’s needs: https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/managing-healthcare-practice-operations-during-covid-19/

As healthcare leaders around the country make decisions to guide the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, renowned physician experts Robert M. Wachter, MD, and Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, discussed how the pandemic is reshaping the future of medicine and healthcare delivery during a virtual meeting hosted by the TDC Group of companies on February 3.

In this article, find their answers to key questions regarding the vaccine.
https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-questions-answered-by-virtual-panel-of-healthcare-experts/

January 20, 2021 @ 7:30am Medical Matters:
COVID-19 & Mental Health of Patients
Click here to register

February 5, 2021 @ 7:30 am Physician Wellness/Medical Matters COVID-19 & Mental Health of Physicians and Other Healthcare Providers
Click here to register  

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to countless health problems over the past year.  Not the least of which are mental health-related.  Learn more about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of patients on January 20^th at 7:30 am and how it has affected physicians and other healthcare workers on February 5^th at 7:30 am.  Dr. Craig Katz will serve as faculty for both webinars.

COVID-19 & Mental Health of Patients – January 20, 2021 @ 7:30 am

• Identify the usual scope of mental health reactions to disasters
• Examine what is known so far about the mental health impact of COVID-19 on a range of populations
• Appraise the scope of COVID-19’s long term mental health impact on our communities

COVID-19 & Mental Health of Physicians and Other Healthcare Providers – February 5, 2021 @ 7:30 am

• Examine the mental health risks posed by COVID-19 for physicians
• Review the possible range of psychological and psychiatric responses to the pandemic
• Discuss principles and interventions for helping ourselves, our families, and our colleagues

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 each 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.