Senate Resolution 518 Introduced !

http://www.prweb.com/releases/cmsa/national_cm_week/prweb12053913.htm

Great News! We hope this Senate Resolution will pass. Thank you Senator Pryor and Senator Boozman for your support in this important resolution.

Insurance Plans Limitations

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/26/obamacare-health-plan-limits-insurers/13172133/

If you recently changed insurance plans, it would be wise to look at your policy limitations. You could be surprised to find out what used to be covered is no longer . From this article I think one can write a letter to legislators if needed about the possibility of having more primary care doctors so patients can be seen within 10 days after their discharge. Proper hand off is so important in achieving positive outcome for our patients.

July Public Policy Updates!

http://cmi.informz.net/InformzDataService/OnlineVersion/Ind/bWFpbGluZ0luc3RhbmNlSWQ9MzQ1MjU4MyZzdWJzY3JpYmVySWQ9Nzc2MDkwMjc1


H.R. 4762 Medicare Transitional Care Act was finally introduced by Congressman Blumenauer- (OR), which supports transitions of care from Hospital setting to home. To learn more about this Bill, Click here.

Mood Spectrum In Elderly: Home Visits for Psych Patients

Speaker Experience Highlights:

Dr. Weisblatt received his medical degree from SUNY Downstate and completed his residency in Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He served for fifteen years on the psychiatric teaching faculty at Einstein and for eight years on the faculty at SUNY Downstate. He is boarded in General and Geriatric Psychiatry and served on the Consultation Liaison Service, consulting on elderly medical and surgical patients while at Einstein.

He has spoken widely on the topic of accurate diagnosis and effective treatments especially in complicated patients with mood disorders. He is an active member of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He originated and authored the “Clinician’s Corner” column in Bipolar Magazine and has served as an expert consultant to the federal government in both the U.S. and Canada as well as state and local governments and healthcare organizations throughout North America. He maintains offices in Greenwich, CT and Pocono Pines, Pa.

Action Alert! Please support the National Nurse Act!

We urge you to support H.R. 485, The National Nurse Act of 2013, which would establish a National Nurse for Public Health. What does this mean to us? This means, The National Nurse will serve as our voice in advancing the nursing profession in areas of research and career development and recrutiment.The National Nurse will have a duty equivalent to the Deputy Surgeon General. That's a good thing!
To show your support contact your legislators now.
 http://www.house.gov/representatives/ and http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

April Public Policy Update

http://cmi.informz.net/InformzDataService/OnlineVersion/Public?mailingInstanceId=3195520

Here are some nice reads! Stay informed!

Two Midnight Rule Extended

https://www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh/highlights2014/369038/020714cmsextendstwo-midnightdelayandissuesnewguidanceoninpatient.html

Here's a great find! This article shows the new guidance explains residents, PA and NP's can act as a proxy as long as they are meeting the requirements. That's a good thing!

Pfizer ArchiTools Now Available!

http://cmi.informz.net/CMI/archives/archive_3097188.html

Take advantage of this great resource! It's robust and very informative. I think you will love it. 

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	Pfizer ArchiTools Resource Now Available
	New resource available to CMSA Members

CMSA is pleased to present ArchiTools, a specially-designed platform for building improved healthcare developed by Pfizer.  This unique, evolving, and centralized resource helps case managers deliver value-driven healthcare.  ArchiTools offers a comprehensive grouping of information and resources such as interactive training modules, actionable tools you can download, annotated articles, and a robust set of relevant external links. ArchiTools provides a breadth of educational tools and resources which enable case management professionals to: Facilitate care that is more efficient, safer and more effective with easily accessible resources related to patient engagement, care coordination, team-based care delivery and healthcare reform. Assist with achieving more positive outcomes for individual patients’ healthcare needs with ideas, programs and tools focused on health education, patient empowerment, and reducing modifiable risks, as well as helping patients monitor health conditions and adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Discover cost-efficient methods of care delivery with best practices and quality measurement tools focused on making common care delivery functions more efficient and effective. Further professional knowledge and career opportunities with in-depth training and information on the most current models and innovative reforms in the healthcare continuum. ArchiTools contains three resource centers, and two interactive training rooms. Read an overview of each resource center and training room below: Team Based Practice Resource Center: This resource center provides an interactive overview of team-based care, and shares tools and best practices that support team-based care delivery. Care Transitions Resource Center: This resource center provides resources and information designed to help improve the coordination and continuity of care as patients transfer between locations and levels of care. Prevention & Wellness Resource Center: This resource center provides information and materials that can enhance patient knowledge,self-management and engagement in their care. Health Information Technology Training Room: This interactive training room provides an overview of HIT and the role it plays in healthcare reform. It also reviews some ways in which HIT can make common care delivery functions more efficient and effective. Payment Reform Training Room: This interactive training room explores the driving forces behind payment reform as well as how the concept has evolved over time. It also provides a summary of key payment reform mandates and describes some of the quality measurement systems being used in payment reform initiatives.

Access the ArchiTools resource now! Log into your CMSA profile to navigate to the Pfizer ArchiTools website and create your profile. Don't have a CMSA profile? Click here to create one. CMSA is able to present this resource to its members and community in a partnership with Pfizer, Inc, a global, research-based pharmaceutical firm whose mission is to apply innovative science to improve health and well-being for individuals throughout the world.

CMSA All Member Call

CMSA All Member Call       View our on-demand Webinar anytime!   Dear alma, Thank you for attending the All Member Call. We hope you enjoyed this discussion. Feel free to review the recorded link for information you might have missed or share it with others that were unable to make today's call. Be sure to answer the quick survey about your experience today, and the information presented. Reminder: This is not a CE program. For additional questions, comments or feedback, email: mlee@cm-innovators.com. Please take a moment to respond to our brief survey. You are welcome to view the recorded Webinar at any time. You will needWindows Media Player 9 or higher to view the presentation.

InPatient Vs OutPatient Status

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/06/frustrating-medicare-catch-who-in-patient-at-hospital-and-who-under-observation/

This inpatient vs outpatient status has been a hot topic lately. We as Case Managers have the role to identify these patients and an obligation to let our patients know if they are not meeting the inpatient criteria. In relation to this issue, there is a bill out there introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, S. 569, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013, this bill will hopefully include patients who are receiving outpatient observation services to have those days count toward the 3 day inpatient hospital requirement prior to transfer to a skilled nursing facility. So, if you agree with this Bill, call your representative and let them know you care. Track this bill by clicking here.