Message from MSSNY President Parag Mehta, MD:
Your Dedication is Needed So We Can Practice Medicine the Way it Should be Practiced

Colleagues:
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend, Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors. Hanukkah translates to ‘dedication’ in Hebrew—the holiday pays tribute to the dedication of a group of Jews who believed fervently in their right to religious freedom.

We need your dedication and fight for us to practice medicine the way it should be practiced. New York state is one of the worst places in the country to practice medicine due to regulatory burdens, the prohibitive cost of providing quality care, poor reimbursement, and high liability risks and premiums. We all need to act to prevent an existential crisis of increases in premiums by 40-45% if our Governor signs the wrongful death bill. MSSNY has educated all possible partners and advocated the governor to veto it. Please urge the governor to veto the bill.

MSSNY leaders also met with several elected officials to urge Congress to prevent Medicare cuts of 4.5% and 4% cuts to PAYAGO. We also opposed the fee for EFT and Virtual Credit card.

At the same time—as noted in the article below in the Advocacy section—we are urging Governor Hochul to sign several bills into law to take steps towards addressing some of pervasive hassles physicians and their patients face with insurance companies.

Underdog Day. Today is Underdog Day. It’s a day on which people are encouraged to sing the praises of those people who fought impossible odds to become unlikely heroes. It doesn’t matter if the underdog is an athlete, a politician, or someone else who did the impossible to achieve their dreams or for the greater good. After all, when a person sees an underdog win it sets off a chain reaction in their brain that makes them believe that just about anything is possible.

Words of Wisdom. Walk away from arguments that lead to anger, from people who put you down, from anyone who does not see your worth. Walk away from mistakes and fears, they don’t determine your fate. The more you walk away from things that poison your soul, the healthier and happier you will be.  –Unknown

Stick with the people who pull magic out of you and not the madness.

Parag Mehta, MD
MSSNY President

Visit Our New MSSNY Website!
MSSNY.org’s new digital experience has come online for our members to use. We have unveiled a new design, navigation, and search function. The combination of our new website, the recently launched Pulse newsletter, our enhanced social media presence and the MSSNY Pulse App are the foundation of our digital expansion that we plan to build upon in 2023. As more features come online in the future, remember that our goal is to always fulfill the needs of our members and highlight your successes and contributions. Please send news of any recent awards or other successes to Matt Brown so we can highlight you in our publications and on our website.

Looking to Lower Your Tax Bill or Max Out Your Retirement Account?
As the year’s end approaches, it’s a good idea to start thinking about last-minute moves you can make to help reduce your 2022 tax bill. Among the options is contributing more money to an individual retirement account (IRA), which can help reduce your annual taxable income. When making these contributions, you must be aware of the funding deadlines and rules surrounding contribution limitations to avoid penalties.

Learn more of the author’s ideas on how to lower your tax bill or contact MSSNY Preferred wealth management provider for members, Altfest Personal Wealth Management.

Looking to lower your tax bill or max out your retirement account? (Taylor, 12/12, Fortune).

CommonSpirit Ransomware Attack Exposed Personal Information of 623K Patients
CommonSpirit, one of the nation’s largest health systems, with 142 hospitals spanning 21 states, was victim to a ransomware attack in October, compromising the protected health information of 623,700 people, including that of patients, family members, and caregivers. The ransomware attackers accessed files containing names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and a unique ID used internally. The health system reported the breach on Dec. 1 to The United States Department of Health and Human Services. The breach is now under investigation by HHS Office for Civil Rights.

CommonSpirit ransomware attack exposed personal information of 623K patients (Liss, 12/12, Healthcare Dive).

Surgical Teams Sought for Project to Prevent Surgical Site Infections
AHRQ is recruiting surgical teams to participate in a free 18-month project to reduce surgical site infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other pathogens. Participants will get peer-to-peer learning, online training, evidence-based guidance, tools and other resources to address infection prevention challenges. Learn more and register for one of several upcoming informational webinars.

Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH on How to Protect Children Against Flu and COVID
In a letter to providers, Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH addressed the issue of protecting children against flu and COVID by utilizing approved vaccines for both. Citing disease surveillance data suggesting a tough winter ahead, Bassett mentioned recently reported pediatric deaths from influenza and COVID-19, including in otherwise healthy children who were unvaccinated. Bassett asked providers to be diligent in offering vaccination against both influenza and COVID-to all eligible children presenting for care.

Physicians, if you are not enrolled in the program to receive COVID-19 vaccines, enrollment for providers is still open. Enrollment information is available here.

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FDA Authorizes Updated (Bivalent) COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Down to 6 Months of Age
On December 8, the FDA authorized the bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years of age and bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age.  For more information on what providers and parents need to know, please read the FDA press release.

Following this authorization, the CDC recommended expanding use of updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines to include children ages 6 months through 5 years. Highlights of the emergency use authorization of these two products as well as links to additional COVID resources can be found here.

Pfizer 12+ Bivalent Single Dose Vials: Ordering Guidance

New York State has received a limited allocation of Pfizer 12+ bivalent single dose vials (SDVs). The introduction of SDVs is designed to improve vaccine access and equity by enabling providers that are unable to use the larger multi-dose vials (MDVs) to offer bivalent boosters.  The minimum ordering quantity is 50 doses (50 vials). Due to limited supply, providers approved to receive SDVs will have their orders capped at 50 doses. For more info, please see the NYSDOH letter to providers.

Join Us for MSSNY’s Lobby Day on March 14th, 2023
Please plan to put aside Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, for MSSNY’s annual Physician Advocacy Day. To register, click here.

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSSNY’s lobby day will be held in person! It will take place at the Empire State Plaza (The Egg) in Albany from 7:45-11:00 am. Physicians and their allies will hear from legislative leaders in the morning, and in the afternoon, they will meet with their respective legislators in meetings organized by county medical societies.

This year, we will be advocating for policies that address public health threats, remove barriers to patients accessing needed care, and reduce prior authorization and claim payment hassles. At the same time, we will voice our opposition to policies that will increase medical liability insurance costs and inappropriately expand the scope of practice for non-physicians.

Please plan to join hundreds of colleagues from around the state in Albany on March 14th!

MSSNY 16th Annual Poster Symposium
MSSNY Medical Students and Resident/Fellow members are invited to submit abstracts that will be considered for the poster presentation at this year’s House of Delegates. Deadline for abstract submission: 4 pm, Monday, January 16, 2023.

Please note that medical student membership requires enrollment in an LCME or COCA-accredited school. However, non-LCME/COCA students doing rotations in New York hospitals may participate without membership. Click here for more details.

Abstract Reviewers Needed
MSSNY will once again hold a Residents/Fellows and Medical Students’ Poster Symposium during the 2023 MSSNY House of Delegates.  We are seeking volunteers to serve as reviewers of abstracts for the symposium. January 16, 2023 is the deadline for submission of abstracts and abstract review will take place between January 20 and February 20.

If you are interested in reviewing abstracts, please contact Kathy Rohrer at [email protected]

Clock is Ticking to Prevent Huge Medicare Cuts for 2023
Physicians are again urged to contact their Respective Congressional representative and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand (Stop Cuts to Medicare Payments (p2a.co) to urge that they act to prevent a drastic 8.5% cut to Medicare physician payments for 2023. MSSNY and county medical society physician leaders’ meetings have been held or are scheduled with several key New York Congressional delegation members urging that this untenable cut be prevented.

This week several members of New York’s Congressional delegation joined a bi-partisan letter initiated by Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) to Congressional leaders urging action to prevent Medicare reimbursement cuts that would force medical groups and integrated systems of care to “eliminate services, furlough staff, implement hiring freezes, and delay population health initiatives.” Reps. Wild and Miller-Meeks, Lead 113 Bipartisan colleagues (house.gov).  New York members signing the letter include Rep. Adrianno Espaillat, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Joe Morelle, Rep. Pat Ryan, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Rep. Paul Tonko. Rep. Ritchie Torres, and Rep. Nydia Velazquez.

The cuts are based upon a variety of provisions that will expire at the end of 2022. Before the end of the year, we are asking Congress to:

  • Extend the Congressionally enacted 3% temporary increase in the Medicare physician fee schedule
  • Provide relief for an additional 1.5% budget neutrality cut that is planned for 2023
  • End the statutory annual freeze and provide an inflation-based update for the coming year
  • Waive the 4% PAYGO sequester necessitated by passage of legislation unrelated to Medicare

Please let your legislators know that their constituents – your patients – will suffer from access issues if this cut is not prevented by the end of the year.  Again, you can send a letter to your members of Congress from here: Stop Cuts to Medicare Payments (p2a.co).

MSSNY, Physicians Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Host of Patient Access Bills
MSSNY is urging Governor Hochul to sign several managed care reform bills that will increase access to care for patients and reduce prior authorization hassles for physicians delivering need patient care.  We need members to take action! These include the following:

  • A.3276 (Gunther)/S.5909 (Kaminsky), which would ban health insurers from applying Fail First/Step Therapy protocols to medications used to treat mental health conditions. The Governor has until Friday, December 23rd to act, so please take a minute to let her know you support her signing this important legislation into law through MSSNY’s Grassroots Action Center (GAC): End Fail First & Step Therapy Protocols (p2a.co)
  • A.1741-A (Gottfried)/S.5299-A (Rivera), Ban on Copay Accumulators, which will prohibit health insurers from preventing their insureds from applying the benefit of a prescription discount card to meet their deductibles. Governor Hochul has until Friday, December 23rd to act on this bill, as well, so please lodge your support for her to sign into law through the GAC: End Copay Accumulators A1741-A/S.5299-A (p2a.co)
  • A.879 (Gottfried)/S.8113 (Cleare) This bill would ensure that those who make “medical necessity” determinations on behalf of a health insurance company are appropriately qualified to make those decisions. It would also require that the reviewing physician have a license to practice medicine issued by New York State. The bill has not been sent to the Governor for consideration, but it will be soon, so we urge you to let her know you support her signing it into law when it reaches her desk here: Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Legislation Requiring Health Insurers to Have Appropriately Trained Reviewers (p2a.co)

MSSNY teamed up with numerous statewide patient and physician advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society (ACS), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the New York State Bleeding Disorders Coalition, the Mental Health Association of New York State (MHANYS), National Association of Mental Illness of New York State (NAMINYS) and its specialty society partners, throughout the legislative session, as well as post-session, on these issues. These partnerships have been invaluable in advancing legislation for each of these issues.

2022 MIPS Hardship Application Deadline
The AMA is reminding organizations that the deadline to submit a 2022 MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception application is Jan. 3, 2023.  We are concerned that practices that need the relief will miss the opportunity to file a MIPS exception application, especially since the EUC deadline coincides with the upcoming holidays, continued COVID PHE, and the severe staffing shortages. As a result, we have reached out to CMS requesting CMS once again automatically apply the automatic EUC for 2022 MIPS reporting. Alternatively, at a minimum, requesting CMS extend the 2022 MIPS EUC deadline until the end of the 2022 data submission period, which is March 2023. If the policy changes to provide additional relief from MIPS, we will let you know.

In the interim, physicians interested in requesting a 2022 MIPS EUC and avoiding a 2024 payment adjustment may do so by going to the CMS MIPS EUC Exception application page until 8 p.m. ET on January 3, 2023. Suppose you believe you’ve been affected by an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance (such as the public health emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic). In that case, you can apply whether reporting traditional MIPS or the APM Performance Pathway (APP).

Learn more about  COVID-19 flexibilities.

Niagara Gazette Article Spotlight’s MSSNY’s Stance on Wrongful Death
MSSNY’s position on the pending Grieving Families Act legislation was featured in yesterday’s Niagara Gazette article Hochul hears from all sides in fight over wrongful death payouts. MSSNY stated that if the bill is signed without amendments “we risk hospital, emergency room, primary care and urgent care closures. These consequences will most severely impact safety net care providers in underserved communities, placing those with below average access to quality care at risk and compromising the social equity the bill’s proponents seek to achieve.” The article also ran in The Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Healthcare Issues on the Holiday Plate in Albany and Washington
Listen to MSSNY’s December 16 podcast as MSSNY’s Senior Vice-President & Chief Legislative Counsel Moe Auster updates us on the current legislative issues in both Albany and Washington.

Virtual Credit Cards, Know Your Rights
Insurance companies have been trying to utilize virtual credit cards as payments for many years. As we all know, some fees are associated with using these. The law states that there must be a free option for payment delivery. Please view the information provided by the AMA as a reference.

If you have questions or are struggling with an insurance company, please contact our Director of Physician Payment and Practice, Heather Lopez, for assistance at 518.465.8085 X332.

Planning For the Future Can Be Hard
Altfest Personal Wealth Management is the preferred wealth management provider for members. For over 35 years, Altfest has managed comprehensive financial and investment plans for physicians and their families. Your benefits include a complimentary consultation with an Altfest advisor. Educational content, videos, and guides on timely financial topics. Invitations to educational events and webinars. Contact Altfest or call (212) 406-0850 and ask for Jesse Frehling.


Classified Ads Available for:

Physicians’ search services • allied medical placements • locum tenens • practice valuation • practice brokerage • practice consulting • real estate

For help, information or to place your ad, call Roseann Raia at 516-488-6100
ext. 302
For the MSSNY 2022 Ad RateSheet, please click here.

NYC – Flatiron District Medical Office Sublet – New Construction
We are a physical medicine office looking to sublease space in the heart of the Flatiron district. Beautiful brand-new build out with opportunity for two examination rooms with reception area. Space is exceptional with tall ceilings, hardwood floors, in an elevator doorman building. Space is located in between 5th and 6th Avenues below 23rd street and above 14th street. Perfect for Orthopedist, Physiatrist, Primary care, Podiatrist, etc…For questions please contact Christopher Anselmi. Cell: 917-301-7206, Email:[email protected]|

 

Downtown Financial District Boutique Medical Suite
Brand new office space.

Conveniently located to 2,3,4,5,6,J,M,Z subway lines. Boutique commercial office building with door attendant. Newly renovated, spacious, high ceilings, with new cabinetry and flooring (1,400 sq./ft. Approx). One to two exam rooms, part-time to full-time with shared waiting room. Full use of kitchen/pantry, reception space, and 24-7 access with security. Free high-speed WiFi and utilities. Immediate availability.

Perfect for MD’s of all specialties including plastic surgeons, dermatologists, internists, urologists and OB-GYNs, physical therapists, podiatrists, aestheticians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, nutritionists.

Reasonable rates. Flexible usage.

Please text or call Office Manager Lauren for more info at (646) 601-5954 or email [email protected]

Concierge Practice for Sale  Boca Raton Florida
FOR SALE: Established Independent Concierge Internal Medicine Practice in Boca Raton, Florida. Stable turnkey operation in a pleasant work environment. Ideal for someone with the desire to transition to a better approach to medical practice. Financing available.
Contact [email protected].

Rheumatology Practice Sublet – Great Neck, NY
Sublet opportunity available at an established medical office in Great Neck, NY. Prime location near LIJ, Northshore University and St. Francis Hospitals. Fully equipped office with onsite parking and proximity to mass transit. Contact 516-972-2986/[email protected] for more info.

Medical Office for Share in Medical Park with Free Big Parking Lot in Westchester County
Medical office for sublet in Medical Park with free big parking lot, located at West Harrison, border of White Plains in Westchester County. Office includes a big waiting room with a kitchen, doctors office, exam room, and reception area. All rooms are available for whole days of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Thursday (Thursday full day on every 1st and 3rd week and Thursday morning on every 2nd and 4th week each month, or we can discuss more options). Monthly rent $600 for once a week usage, $1100 for twice a week usage, $1500 for three-day a week usage. Newly renovated and fully furnished. Text May if you are interested 646-338-4803


Rendr – Transforming Healthcare – Leadership Opportunity: Associate Chief Medical Office, SVP of Population Health, Bilingual English and Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) preferred
Job Position: Associate Chief Medical Office, SVP of Population Health in this role, you will lead and provide a wide range of support through population health, quality measures, practice transformation, Rendr360 department, House Calls, and other projects. Please send resumes [email protected]. We are offering leadership opportunities to Physicians who are interested in providing high-quality clinical care to our patients in the diverse communities that we serve. As a rapidly growing network, we provide a supportive environment for our physicians to practice medicine under the guidance of dedicated medical leadership. www.rendrcare.com.

Categories: PulsePublished On: December 16th, 2022Tags: ,

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