CMS has released the Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File (PUF) and Referring Provider Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Public Use File (PUF) with data for 2016. The Physician and Other Supplier PUF contains summarized information on Part B services and procedures furnished to Medicare beneficiaries by physicians and other healthcare […]

Please participate in the Physicians Foundation’s sixth biennial physician survey. Its purpose is to examine the morale, career plans, and practice metrics of today’s physicians – and to give physicians a voice! The goal is to produce a “state of the union” of the medical profession that can have a significant impact on both policy […]

CSMS Testimony on Health Care Related Legislation The following bills were not voted on during the legislative session, but CSMS provided support/argument for them.  We will continue to advocate for you, your practice and your patients as bills are presented. SENATE BILL 164 An Act Raising the Legal Age to Purchase Tobacco to Twenty One […]

HARTFORD, CT. – With the generous support of Z-Medica of Wallingford, CT, The Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the Connecticut ACS Committee on Trauma, and The Connecticut Orthopaedic Society donated two wall mounted Bleeding Control Stations and a Stop the Bleed training kit to CT Department of Public Health on April 25th. […]

In late April, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced proposed rule changes directly aimed at empowering patients and reducing administrative burden for physicians. These changes are tied to CMS’s ongoing commitment to interoperability, patient data access and system-wide health information exchange (HIE). The meaningful use EHR Incentive Programs will now be known […]

Twenty-two percent decline in opioid prescriptions over four years announced by IQVIA.  Connecticut has seen a 27.3% decline. Connecticut has had one of the most significant reductions in prescribing (27.3%) over the last few years and saw an 11% reduction in the last year alone (2016 to 2017).  The Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) has […]

KaMMCO is pleased to announce the company has been admitted to sell medical professional liability insurance and cyber security insurance in the State of Connecticut. KaMMCO enters the Connecticut market with support from the Connecticut State Medical Society. Matthew Katz, executive vice president and chief executive officer of CSMS said, “We are excited to add […]

Providing monthly updates on PAI’s activities and QPP news for you and your practice.  CSMS is a proud partner of PAI, the Physician Advocacy Institute. New Interactive Resource Navigation Tools for 2018 MIPS Participation PAI’s QPP Resource Center recently added several new resources to help physicians understand the 2018 participation rules for the Merit-based Incentive […]

Please join us in supporting Dr. Seyed Aleali by casting your vote for him to serve on the AMA’s Senior Physician Section Governing Council. Dr. Aleali was a past president of CSMS, served on the Fairfield County Board of Trustees, and is currently an AMA Delegate for CT and Chair of the CSMS AMA Delegation.  […]

April 6, 2018 Yesterday, Federal District Court Judge R. David Proctor issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order granting in part Provider Plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the Antitrust Standard of Review in the In re Blue Cross and Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation. Copies of the Memorandum Opinion and Order are available at our […]

  CMS Releases 2018 MIPS Eligibility Tool Upcoming Webinar: APG Educational Series 2018, MIPS APMs to Advanced APMs: How to Make the Valuable Transition CMS Releases 2018 MIPS Eligibility Tool You can now use the updated CMS MIPS Participation Lookup Tool to check on your 2018 eligibility for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Just […]

Statement attributed to: CSMS President Steven Thornquist, MD and Gregory Shangold, MD, and Mark Kraus, MD, CO Chairs of the CSMS Opioid Committee The Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) strongly supports the Surgeon General’s advisory on naloxone.  Surgeon General Adams, Connecticut physicians, first responders, public health professionals and patient advocates all recognize that naloxone can […]

The data submission period for the 2017 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) closed on April 3, 2018. CMS is currently in the process of reviewing all the data submitted. We would like to thank all of the clinicians who submitted their data, as well as the qualified clinical data registries, qualified registries, EHR vendors, and […]

Message from CMS We started mailing newly-designed Medicare cards with the new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), or Medicare Number. People enrolling in Medicare for the first time will be among the first to get the new cards, no matter where they live. Current Medicare beneficiaries will get their new cards on a rolling basis over the coming […]

CMS Extends the MIPS 2017 Data Submission Deadline from March 31 to April 3 at 8 PM EDT If you’re an eligible clinician participating in the Quality Payment Program, you now have until Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 8 PM EDT to submit your 2017 MIPS performance data. You can submit your 2017 performance data […]

Please Call Your Legislator! The Appropriations Committee must take final action by Thursday, April 5. This may be our last opportunity to push for restoration of Medicaid cuts! CSMS is asking the Appropriations Committee to include in a FY ’19 budget bill: Funding to continue the Medicare Savings Program at current eligibility levels Restoration of HUSKY A parents’ eligibility […]

Physicians and clinicians participating in Connecticut’s health information network, CTHealthLink, have a trusted choice when reporting key components of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) as a part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Quality Payment Program (QPP). CTHealthLink received notification its Doctors Quality Reporting Network Qualified Clinical Data Registry for Quality […]

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(Hartford, CT, March 12, 2018) Connecticut state officials and CTHealthLink leaders have announced the signing of a data-sharing agreement to facilitate the exchange of health information between Connecticut Medicaid and Connecticut healthcare providers. Through the development of a longitudinal patient record, Connecticut healthcare providers will have a powerful tool to assist in the treatment of […]

Despite this week’s seasonal weather, CSMS member Gregory Shangold, MD, CSMS EVP/CEO Matthew Katz and Senior VP of Legislative Affairs Ken Ferrucci testified on more than a dozen health care bills before the legislature. Topics included: SB 384 AN ACT CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH PARITY SB 383 Alternative Treatment Coverage SB 380 AA REQUIRING COVERAGE OF A DRUG DURING […]

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The Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI) submitted a letter last week to the House E&C Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that discusses concerns about the rapid, system-wide trend of consolidation in the health care marketplace.In the letter, PAI expressed concern about a health care system increasingly dominated by large, powerful entities as the fast pace of […]

Ever Advocates for Connecticut Physicians and their Patients, Connecticut State Medical Society leaders descended upon Washington, D.C., this week for two packed days of meetings with Connecticut’s elected federal Representatives and Senators. The CSMS leadership brought a long list of physicians’ complaints to be addressed by Congress. While, as noted in a news item in […]

To access a 6-page summary of health-related provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, click here. To view the 25-page Senate Section by Section summary, click here.

TAKE THE SURVEY – LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD Your input would be of great value. The survey’s purpose is to examine the morale, career plans, and practice metrics of today’s physicians – and to give physicians a voice! Click the link to take the survey, and to register for one of five $500 or […]

Jeffrey Gordon, MD, CSMS Immediate Past President and Chair of the CSMS HIE, CTHealthLink, speaks with WTIC’s Joe D’Ambrosio about how the CTHealthLink Infrastructure will be used to support an NIH suicide prevention grant. To hear the interview, click below. .

The extension of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, was posted February 6 on the House Rules Committee website. The continuing resolution (CR) would extend government funding through March 23, 2018. Click to view: Press Release Full Text

On February 5, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a table displaying the Alternative Payment Models (APMs) that CMS operates. In the table CMS identifies which of those APMs CMS has determined to be MIPS APMs or Advanced APMs. This list will be modified based on changes in the designs of APMs or […]

On January 17, the American Hospital Association (AHA), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), American Medical Association (AMA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) announced a Consensus Statement outlining their shared commitment to industry-wide improvements to prior authorization processes and patient-centered care. To read the press […]

On January 11, a coalition of concerned individuals and groups sent a letter to Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick Bremby requesting the reinstatement of the NEMT Quality Assurance Committee. To read the full letter, click here: QAC Termination Opposition Letter

On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the federal government, for the first time, will allow states to test work or community engagement requirements as a condition of eligibility for some Medicaid enrollees. Click to read the full summary from the AMA: Summary of CMS Policy on Work […]

Physicians are a critical component of the health care system, providing care to patients across a variety of settings and within a multitude of specialties and subspecialties. Through the care provided to their patients, physicians can have a positive and lasting impact on the health of their patients and the community as a whole. However, […]

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CSMS has been a strong proponent of network adequacy laws and regulations in Connecticut, and has provided the following comments to the Connecticut Insurance Department regarding the proposed Insurance Department Regulations Concerning Network Adequacy. CSMS Comments on Network Adequacy Regulations

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NGS Claims System to be Corrected Starting in April, 2018. According to National Government Services, the Medicare carrier for Connecticut, most of the claims and physicians impacted were in private, non-hospital based settings. CMS has updated several NCDs, but these updates will not be effective within the FISS or the MCS until April, 2018. This […]