A Word from Our President

This is my last President’s Update message, and I wish to thank all of you for the opportunity you have given me to serve as your LSMS president over the past year. Beginning with health system reform in our state and struggling with national health system reform over the last many months, it has been a busy year for LSMS. The LSMS President’s Update has attempted to keep our members informed and current on the many issues facing medicine and physicians in our state. We have received wonderful feedback and ideas from our members, and I hope that you will all continue to read this important information as Dr. Patrick Breaux assumes the presidency of the LSMS. The events of the past year have highlighted the great need for physicians to be involved in the LSMS and to have their voices heard in the public arena. Whatever the outcome of national legislation, there will be a monumental amount of work to do to properly influence the direction of health care reform in our state. Please stay involved and continue to urge our non-member colleagues to join us. The public and elected officials are looking to us for guidance on health care delivery issues. We cannot let them down. God bless you all and the happiest of New Years.

Roger D. Smith, M.D.

2010 Annual Meeting of the HOD

The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held January 29-30 at the L’auberge du Lac Casino and Golf Resort in Lake Charles. LSMS Members are encouraged to log in and access specific information regarding the House of Delegates, including guidelines for submitting and formatting resolutions. Look for Governance in the Members Only menu. The House of Delegates is the legislative and policy-making body of the LSMS and is composed of elected and special delegates and others as provided in the LSMS Bylaws. The House of Delegates transacts all business of the Society not otherwise specifically provided for in the LSMS Charter and Bylaws, elects general officers (in accordance with the Bylaws), adopts an annual budget and establishes the official policies of the Society.

Luck of the Draw!

In addition to the items offered by our event sponsors and exhibitors, meeting attendees may participate in the LSMS Luck of the Draw game for a chance to win up to $500 in cash. Five marked cards, each worth $100, will be randomly placed within decks of playing cards given to each sponsor/exhibitor. When visiting a sponsor/exhibitor’s booth, participants will have a chance to draw a playing card from the deck. The more cards you draw, the higher your chances to win!

The names of the winner(s) will be announced at approximately 11 am on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Winner must be present with a photo ID to claim prize.

National Health System Reform
The Kaiser Family Foundation has updated its interactive side-by-side health reform comparison tool to reflect the Senate bill as passed by the full Senate on Dec. 24. A separate interactive calculator helps to illustrate what assistance the uninsured would get with premiums under the House and Senate reform plans. To view the comparison, go to www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm. Continue to check www.LSMS.org for breaking news and the latest information on national health care reform.

DHH Outlines Mid-Year Reductions

On December 30, 2009, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine announced mid-year reductions in department spending of state general funds, and proposed utilization of other means of financing, in order to offset a $108 million deficit in available funding. DHH's reductions are part of an overall across the board mid-year reduction plan for each agency to help address the state's mid-year budget deficit, and is supplemental to the Department's now downward-revised mid-year expenditure deficit in the Medicaid private provider program of $46.9 million. Read the entire news release for details on mid-year cuts.

Payment for Claims to be Held Until Jan 15

Annual Participation Enrollment Period Extended

In the last weeks of 2009, Congress acted to avert the 21.2% Medicare physician payment cut and on December 19, the President signed into law the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3326) which will stop the cuts until March 1, 2010. Other changes reflected in the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule will still take effect on January 1, 2010 and may have a slight impact on the conversion factor used for the first two months of 2010. For more information visit www.lamedicare.com/provider/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=8034. Consequently, CMS has extended the 2010 Annual Participation Enrollment Program end date from January 31, 2010, to March 17, 2010, therefore, the enrollment period now runs from November 13, 2009, through March 17, 2010. The effective date for any Participation status change during the extension, however, remains January 1, 2010, and will be in force for the entire year.

CMS Transmittal on Consultation Codes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published an article pertaining to Change Request (CR) 6740, which alerts physicians and non-physician practitioners that effective January 1, 2010, the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) consultation codes (ranges 99241-99245 and 99251-99255) are no longer recognized for Medicare Part B payment. Effective for services furnished on or after January 1, 2010, physicians and non-physician practitioners should code a patient evaluation and management visit with E/M codes that represents where the visit occurs and that identify the complexity of the visit performed. For more information, please view the article located at: www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM6740.pdf on the CMS Web site.

LSMS Expands Member Benefits with Venyu’s AmeriVault Backup Service

The LSMS has partnered with leading offsite data backup and recovery provider, Venyu to bring you secure patient and practice data backup through their proven AmeriVault backup service. LSMS members will receive discounts on Venyu’s competitive subscription rates. As an independent subsidiary of healthcare IT services provider, PHNS, Venyu leverages vast experience and capabilities that enable deep understanding of the needs specific to the medical field. From HIPAA compliance to military-grade security controls, Venyu’s backup solution will ensure rapid recovery of information in the event of an outage or data-loss event.

Venyu is the official backup provider of the LSMS – join the growing number of healthcare providers who depend on Venyu for reliable and secure data backup. Setup is easy with the ‘hands-on’ assistance of Venyu’s support team, there is no hardware to buy, and you can start with a 30-day trial evaluation. Call or email Andy Piner to schedule a trial or to learn more: 225-214-3800 or apiner@venyu.com.