Dear Colleague,As a Connecticut physician, you are well aware of the extent to which health insurance companies rate, rank, and categorize you and your practice.CSMS would like to offer you an opportunity to rate Connecticut’s health insurance companies. This brief survey will ask for your perspective on topics such as patient impact, timeliness of payments, claims denials, accuracy of information, and other important issues.Click here to take the surveyWe hope you’ll take a few minutes to complete the survey. Please feel free to forward the link to your colleagues – the more physician responses, the stronger our case will be.Thank …

The CDC has released new guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers managing patients with Ebola virus.This guidance contains the following key principles:1. Prior to working with Ebola patients, all healthcare workers involved in the care of Ebola patients must have received repeated training and have demonstrated competency in performing all Ebola-related infection control practices and procedures, and specifically in donning/doffing proper PPE.2. While working in PPE, healthcare workers caring for Ebola patients should have no skin exposed.3. The overall safe care of Ebola patients in a facility must be overseen by an onsite manager at all times, …

This letter to the editor by CSMS Vice Chair Steve Wolfson, MD was published in today's New Haven Register. The letter discusses physician concerns with current approaches to telemedicine.Click to read the full letter.

Effective for dates of service October 1, 2014 and forward, the Department of Social Services (DSS) will allow reimbursement for procedure code 90688 (Influenza virus vaccine, quadrivalent, split virus, when administered to individuals 3 years of age and older, for intramuscular use) under the physician office and outpatient fee schedule.Since procedure code 90688 is currently not supplied through the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Connecticut Vaccine Program (CVP), providers should use the appropriate vaccine and procedure code that is available through the CVP for HUSKY Health members 18 years of age and younger. Please refer to the Immunization Home Page …

The CDC has released a new Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory with Ebola recommendations for health professionals.The HAN Advisory provides background information, as well as information about the clinical presentation and clinical course of Ebola, infection control, patient management, and diagnostic testing. To view the full advisory, which includes downloadable clinical guidelines, please click here. 

The Hartford Business Journal interviewed CSMS President Robert Russo, MD and CSMS Councilor Bollepalli Subbarao, MD about the changes in Connecticut's Medicare Advantage (MA) landscape following last year's abrupt and significant cuts by United Healthcare.Read the full story here.

In today's New Haven Register, the story Plan aims to aid patients waiting for liver in New England features a quote from CSMS member David Mulligan, MD.Dr. Mulligan is the head of the committee and professor in chief of transplantation and immunology at the Yale School of Medicine.

Nominations are open for the Hartford Business Journal's 2014 Healthcare Heroes Awards.These awards identify outstanding leaders in the healthcare industry who are the epitome of a "hero," and recognizes their excellence in helping others. The Health Care Heroes Awards identifies outstanding leaders in the health care industry who are the epitome of a "hero."Whether they are doctors, nurses, specialists or managers, join us in recognizing those individuals who embody the word "hero" and prove their excellence in helping others.In addition to an awards event on December 2, winners be recognized in a special issue of the Hartford Business Journal on …

Earlier this year, The Physicians Foundation, a non-profit group of physician and medical society leaders, conducted its third national survey of America’s physicians. The PF survey is instrumental in conveying physician opinions about the current state of the medical profession. National survey results Connecticut-specific resultsMany thanks to the CSMS members who participated in the survey, which was taken by over 20,000 physicians across the country.

The Connecticut State Medical Society joined more than 110 state and national specialty medical societies in signing a letter opposing H.R. 5304.H.R. 5304 is a bill that would inappropriately allow audiologists to have direct access to Medicare patients without a physician referral.It would also amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include audiologists in the definition of "physician."The letter was delivered to Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi yesterday. The full text of the letter is available here. 

September 12, 2014 (New Haven, CT) -- The Connecticut State Medical Society presented U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) with the CSMS Legislator of the Year Award at its 2014 Annual Meeting.Since first being elected to Congress in 1990, Rep. DeLauro has consistently focused on improving the quality of life for her constituents, and she clearly understands that there is a direct relationship between her constituents’ quality of life and the quality of our healthcare system. More importantly, she understands that physicians need the ability to care for their patients without inappropriate intrusions from government or from health insurers who seek …

CSMS Presents 2014 Maloney Distinguished Service Award to Richard Torres, MD September 12, 2014 (New Haven, CT) -- The highest honor CSMS can confer upon a member, the Paul K. Maloney, Jr., MD Distinguished Service Award was established to honor the life and work of Dr. Maloney, an eminent physician known for his exemplary service, active engagement, and dedication to the community.The 2014 Maloney Award winner is Richard Torres, MD, of Bridgeport. The award was presented to Dr. Torres by CSMS President Michael Saffir, MD at the 222nd Annual Meeting of the Connecticut State Medical Society.Dr. Torres was selected as this …

CSMS Presents 2014 Healthcare Leader/Innovator Award to David Hass, MD September 12, 2014 (New Haven) -- The Connecticut Medicine Health Care Leader and Innovator (HLI) Award is presented to a physician at any stage of practice who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to leadership and innovation at a time of significant changes in the practice of medicine.The winner of the 2014 HLI Award is David Hass, MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine’s Division of Digestive Diseases, and a practicing gastroenterologist. Dr. Hass currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Fair Haven Community Health …

The September edition of Connecticut Medicine is now available online. Click here to view the digital edition. 

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (CT DSS) has released a new provider bulletin: PB 14-60: Reimbursement for Practitioner Services Rendered in a Facility Setting. If you provide care for patients in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP), please review the bulletin for changes in reimbursement for practitioners based on the facility type code/place of service (FTC/POS) in which the service is rendered. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a final rule allowing more flexibility in using certified EHR technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use (MU) reporting requirements for 2014. The change is expected to result in greater provider participation, and more will be able to meet MU objectives such as electronic prescribing, drug interaction/drug allergy checks, and reporting on key public health data and quality measures.Final rule highlights include: Eligible Providers (EPs) can use the 2011 Edition CEHRT or a combination of 2011 and 2014 Edition CEHRT for an EHR reporting period in 2014 for the Medicare and …

"In 1846, the world was forever changed by a dentist from Hartford."Join Hartford Stage for the East Coast premiere of Ether Dome, an original play based upon the discovery of anesthesia in 1846 by Hartford’s own Horace Wells. This riveting play highlights the struggle between the earnest Wells and his manipulative protégé, William Morton, who eventually betrays him.The play not only wrestles with 19th century medical history and the politics of the innovation in a time when biological science was fast emerging as a controversial force, but it also stands at the juncture of medical history that spans three centuries. …

Nominated by HealthyCT CEO Ken Lalime, CSMS EVP/CEO Matt Katz stepped up to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.Click here to see Matt's #IceBucketChallenge.Cold, wet, yet undaunted, Matt in turn has challenged CSMS member Steve Fleischman, MD and Ohio State Medical Association CEO Brent Mulgrew to support the ALS Association in its efforts to find a cure for ALS.

The AMA has issued a nationwide survey to gather information from physicians about their experiences registering for the Open Payments (Sunshine Act) system and reviewing their data.Please click here to take the brief advocacy survey. The AMA wants to know what you think about the Open Payments System. The deadline to complete the survey is COB Monday, August 18. You can also email your stories/anecdotes to OpenPayments@ama-assn.org.NEW 8/15/14: CMS announced that the deadline for physicians and teaching hospitals to review their records has been extended to September 8, 2014. The public website will be available on September 30, 2014.BACKGROUNDAs the …

Today's Hartford Courant ran a common-sense editorial on the need to reconsider liability for physician volunteers.Connecticut needs an Access to Health Care Act similar to Florida's. Imagine the improvement in care for poor people if one were to be passed.