Effective Jan. 21, 2017, and throughout the duration of a State of Emergency, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid’s (DOM) Office of Pharmacy has specific emergency billing directions for beneficiary claims, for those beneficiaries residing in affected areas: Forrest, Lamar, Perry, Marion and Jones counties.

The Triage Tuesday Train the Trainer Course is a one day training course developed in an effort to increase the competency and skill level of both pre-hospital and hospital medical providers in the approved triage methodologies for use in the state of Mississippi through producing well-informed trainers.

The process of rebuilding is just that… a process. Winston County is still recovering from a deadly 2014 tornado.  

Saturday March 25, 2017, at The Gables. The event will feature Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster, a live and silent auction, open bar and delicious food. Make plans to attend now! Purchase your tickets online at https://scrmc.com/community/art-of-healing-ticketing/ or call 601-399-0503

MRHC hosts 
heart conference - Encouraging heart-healthy lifestyles Magnolia Regional Health Center will host an informative event in recognition of American Heart Month. 

The North Mississippi affiliate of Susan G. Komen is now accepting grant applications. The deadline to apply is Feb. 20. For more information, visit www.komennorthms.org.

MSHIMA Newsletter – January 24, 2017

The Mississippi Health Information Management Association will host an E&M / CPT Question/Answer session via webinar format on Thursday, April 6, 2017. If you have an E&M / CPT question that you would like to have answered, please submit them prior to attendance to mshima@mshima.org. The directors will research these topics and have the answer ready to present at the event. Registration is $25 for members and $55 for non-members. CEU: 1.0 – Clinical Data Management, Performance Improvement 

Earn 7 college credits/shadow physicians (for HS Juniors).

Alzheimer’s Mississippi is the largest Mississippi voluntary health organization providing care and support services for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers while advocating to improve treatments and supporting researchers to find a cure. 

Reforms approved Monday would also create commission to recommend reform of restoring voting rights for convicts

There are two foundations established for monetary donations to help recovery efforts after the Pine Belt tornado: Pine Belt Community Foundation & United Way.

Mississippi state leaders are encouraging citizen from all areas to support Extra Table’s work to provide food for agencies that will be the main source of meals for effected residents in that Hattiesburg and Petal areas in the coming weeks.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., issued the following statement after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

A bill filed by state Rep. Jeramey Anderson prohibits an employer from asking if a job applicant has been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime. Anderson’s bill is HB 1146.

The internet has launched a digital revolution in virtually every corner of the economy. As the internet reaches health care, hospitals and health systems need to adapt and change to remain viable. Here are five ways they can do that, Kenneth Kaufman says.

Of course, technology alone won’t fix the issues that plague rural healthcare. It’s not magic, after all. Economics and public policy will also come into play.

From the beginning, the event has been a showcase for rural health care innovation and this year’s strategy sessions are brilliant.  

The court sided with a Justice Department argument that the merger would lessen competition for Medicare Advantage plans and health insurance sold on public exchanges.

Today’s decision rightly puts the needs of patients first in ensuring they have access to health care coverage that is affordable. The Court’s decision to halt the Aetna-Humana deal promises more than 2.7 million Medicare Advantage (MA) patients the benefits of greater competition, including lower out-of-pocket costs and more access to high-quality care. Humana is the second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer and Aetna the fourth with plans in more than 1,000 markets.  

Deploying a data-driven approach can help to reduce patient-on-employee violent incidents in hospitals, according to a new study, published this month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 

The primetime special will air at 10 p.m. on Jan. 25.

The largest lobbying organization for pharmaceutical companies began running TV ads on Monday morning to improve the industry’s image as criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump increases.

Latino patients with limited English skills may be less likely to take prescribed diabetes medications than other diabetics in the U.S. even when they see Spanish-speaking doctors, a recent study suggests.

Reince Priebus, chief of staff to President Trump, issued a memo to executive departments and agencies detailing the plan for managing the federal regulatory process.

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, left, and Mike Lee of Utah want to eliminate the deficit within 10 years. 

What other areas of health care are likely to be impacted? How much change can we expect? And at what pace?

Here are the Republican and Democratic leaders on key healthcare committees in the GOP-controlled 105th Congress, which is on track to dismantle the ACA and may take on major overhaul’s of Medicare and Medicaid.

Here are the men and women who have been named and floated as contenders for healthcare policy positions in the White House and executive departments and agencies, as well as the chairs and ranking members on congressional committees and subcommittees that influence healthcare policy.

Half of healthcare systems get some or most of their reimbursement under contracts that put them at risk for the cost and quality of care, according to a new KPMG survey. The results are somewhat more upbeat than a Modern Healthcare survey last June.

Shortly after his January 20 inauguration, President Trump signed an Executive Order (promptly published by Politico) titled, “Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Appeal.” It’s most notable for what it doesn’t do – i.e., compel any agency to take, or to refrain from taking, any particular ACA enforcement action.  

Lawmakers, insurers and the health-care industry rushed over the weekend to decipher the full meaning and consequences of President Trump’s executive order urging agency heads to do whatever they can to unwind some provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

John Kasich, Brian Sandoval and other governors have voiced concerns about the effects of abruptly scrapping the 2010 health law, as Republicans in Congress weigh their options.

In planning their finances for the year, governors are counting on health care to remain the same. But if it doesn’t, states could suddenly be on the hook for billions of dollars.

The Maine senator hopes to attract support from both parties with a plan that offers thousands in annual payments to people for their health care.

The push to replace Obamacare does not reflect the desires of working-class voters. They want practical solutions to their health care problems.

Availability of quality healthcare, followed by affordable care, are the top two issues concerning U.S. consumers surveyed just prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th U.S. President. Welcome to Consumer Reports profile of Consumer Voices, As Trump Takes Office, What’s Top of Consumers’ Minds?

In the recent presidential debate, moderator Anderson Cooper asked Donald Trump how he would “make coverage accessible for people with preexisting conditions” if the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed. Trump responded: “Once we break out—once we break out the lines [around the states] and allow the competition to come…when we get rid of those…

President Trump has the authority to do much “on his own to unravel the Obama health care law, but some of those actions would create disruptions that undermine his administration’s early promises.”

The Affordable Care Act likely extended the lives of thousands of seniors who took advantage of free screening exams.

“It is nearly impossible to keep the benefits of the Affordable Care Act without keeping the whole thing,” said Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer.

Plans are being laid in Washington to repeal the Affordable Care Act as soon as Donald Trump takes the presidential oath of office. Hidden inside the law is a little-known provision unrelated to the health insurance expansion that helps rural hospitals across America stay open.

“I think we’re seeing the most effective pushback ever on this issue,” she said.

New research finds that the Affordable Care Act — especially the Medicaid expansion — helped about 4 million people with chronic health problems get coverage. Researchers say their findings could help Republicans planning a replacement.

As Donald Trump starts his first week as president, how he and congressional Republicans plan to proceed on their first priority of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act remains a mystery—even to Republicans.

Republicans want to cut costs, return control to states and keep people covered — a near impossibility.

States may receive their Medicaid funding in block grants under President Donald Trump’s plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, one of his advisers reported this weekend.

Trump’s HHS pick would reduce the program’s budget by $1 trillion over the next decade.

We welcome a discussion about how to improve Medicaid. But proposals to convert Medicaid to block grants so far fail to cross even this basic threshold.

The House Republican Plan (“A Better Way”) released on June 22, 2016, includes a proposal to convert federal Medicaid financing from an open-ended entitlement to a per capita allotment or a block grant (based on a state choice).  This proposal is part of a larger package designed to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reduce federal spending for health care.   

Medicaid covers about 73 million people nationwide.  Jointly financed by the federal and state governments, states have substantial flexibility to administer the program under existing law.  Medicaid provides health insurance for low-income children and adults, financing for the safety net, and is the largest payer for long-term care services in the community and nursing homes for seniors and people with disabilities.  President-elect Trump supports repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and a Medicaid block grant. The GOP plan would allow states to choose between block grant and a per capita cap financing for Medicaid. The new Administration could also make changes to Medicaid without new legislation.

CMS will host a Feb. 9 webinar on its new payment model to bundle payment to acute care hospitals for heart attack and cardiac bypass surgery services beginning in July 2017. The final rule also will expand the existing Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model to include other surgical treatments for hip and femur fractures beyond hip replacement.

New CMS data related to opioid prescribing shows opportunities to improve responses to the opioid abuse epidemic.

Telehealth Talk is a monthly podcast from the South Central Telehealth Resource Center.  Each month,  join host Brian Lee as he connects with telehealth professionals to present to you stories, experiences, presentations and advice that will support novices and experts in their telehealth journeys.

Did you know that there are general guidelines that you can follow to ensure the success of a telemedicine visit? This free course will explore telepresenting best practices and help you understand tasks that must be done before, during and after a telemedicine event at both the originating and distant sites.