FW: Montgomery Cares e-Bulletin - July 20, 2012
Dr. Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera MD PhD
FYI
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Anna Maria Izquierdo-Porrera MD PhD
Executive Director & Co-founder
Care for Your Health, Inc
Phone 240 844 2552
Fax 240 254 0842
"Don't ever let injustice go by unchallenged."
Help us make our community healthy -> http://www.care4yourhealth.org/wanttohelp.php
From: Tara Clemons [mailto:tara_c...@primarycarecoalition.org]
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 2:33 PM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Montgomery Cares e-Bulletin - July 20, 2012
Montgomery Cares e-Bulletin – July 20, 2012
Contents:
1. News Article: HHS Announces State Health Care Innovation Initiative
2. News Article: New Health Care Law Will Create 27,000 Jobs in Maryland
3. News Article: The University of Maryland Goes Smoke-Free
4. HHS Holding Forums on Health Insurance Exchanges
5. MCMS – Education Program Dinner and Open Forum
6. Health Enterprise Zone – Public Forum
7. Mary Center Dental Cruiser Launch
8. Job Posting: 3 Positions at Proyecto Salud
1. News Article: HHS Announces State Health Care Innovation Initiative
States can start sending in applications to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to join its new State Innovation Models initiative that will help fund and support individual state efforts toward Medicare and Medicaid care.
Through this initiative, states will work with a broad coalition – including employers, insurers, community leaders and service organizations, health care providers, consumers, tribal governments – to design or test multi-payer payment and delivery system improvements to health care systems for Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries while eliminating unnecessary spending. Given the broad scope of these multi-payer models, successful innovations are expected to benefit both privately and publicly insured residents of participating states. CMS says that states also need to be willing to develop transformative payment and delivery reforms.
States can apply for either Model Testing awards to assist in implementing their already developed models, or Model Design awards that will provide funding and technical assistance as they determine what type of system improvements would work best for them. Up to five states will be chosen for the initial round of Model Testing awards and up to 25 states will be chosen for Model Design awards. Up to $275 million is available in funding, including for $50 million for Model Design and $225 million for Model Testing.
For more information on the State Innovation Models initiative and to learn more about how states can reform health care payment and delivery, please visit: innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/State-innovations.
2. News Article: New Health Care Law Will Create 27,000 Jobs in Maryland
The federal health insurance law, upheld by the Supreme Court last month, is expected to boost the number of medical-related jobs in Maryland by about 27,000 through 2020, according to a new report.
The employment boost is coming from expanding insurance coverage to more people, requiring additional physicians and other health care personnel, plus more workers needed to administer the state's new insurance exchange and the expansion of Medicaid, among other factors, according to a report by the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Gene M. Ransom, CEO of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, said that he hadn’t heard of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prompting many physician practices to hire more yet. “It’s logical that the act will create some jobs,” Ransom said. “I would expect to see some hiring when [accountable care organizations] are formed. Also, the expansion of Medicaid will increase the need for more physicians and practitioners.”
Hilltop researchers estimate the law will drive down the state’s unemployment rate from 6.8 percent currently to 4.1 percent by fiscal 2017. The jobless rate would be 4.5 percent in 2017 without the new law, they say. The law will spark $3.3 billion in additional economic activity in Maryland by 2020, the report says.
The Maryland Hospital Association supports the Affordable Care Act, saying it already is helping Maryland residents and promises better coverage and care for generations. The Hilltop report “illustrates Maryland's determination to remain a leader in health care reform,” said Jim Reiter, a spokesman for the association.
3. News Article: The University of Maryland Goes Smoke-Free
This week, the University System of Maryland (USM) announced that smoking would no longer be permitted on any of the 12 USM campuses, including the flagship University of Maryland at College Park.
The policy, which will take effect on June 30, 2013, prohibits smoking on campus grounds, outdoor structures, and in school vehicles. Each university president, however, will be able to designate a “very limited area” where smoking may occur without interfering with the health of others.
“There was a consensus among the [USM] presidents that it was beneficial to the health of all the campus communities for the system to adopt a policy that would ban smoking on university property and otherwise promote smoke-free campus environments across the system,” said USM spokesman Mike Lurie.
In addition to banning smoking on institution campuses, the new policy will also ban the on-campus sale of tobacco and smoking-related products in addition to encouraging smoking cessation assistance for students and university employees.
4. HHS Holding Forums on Health Insurance Exchanges
The US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) is holding a series of forums in various U.S. cities next month to give states and stakeholders a chance to learn more about the state-based health insurance exchanges that are called for in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The first forum will take place in Washington, DC on Aug. 14, followed by forums in Atlanta, Aug. 15; Chicago, Aug. 21; and Denver, Aug. 22. These revised dates represent a change in the dates previously issued by HHS. Each forum will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Affordable Care Act calls for states to establish two health insurance exchanges: one for individuals who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid and another for eligible small firms to help them provide group plans for their employees. HHS leaders conducting the forums will explain the various steps in creating and sustaining the exchanges. The forums also will give state representatives and other stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions about the exchanges.
If you would like to attend, please register at Implementation Forum Registration.
5. MCMS – Education Program Dinner and Open Forum
The Montgomery County Medical Society (MCMS) is sponsoring an open forum titled, Should Physicians in Montgomery County Form an ACO?
Date: Thursday, July 26, 2012
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Location: Bethesda Marriot, 5151 Pooks Hill Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814
ACO’s will participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program to provide better care to patients while reducing costs. Each ACO will strive to achieve CMS’ three part goal: better population health, better individual outcomes, and lower costs. In return for the increased accountability, Medicare will share a portion of the savings generated with the ACO - and its participating providers.
There is no financial commitment or risk for participating physicians. Each physician will receive minimum of $25 per beneficiary per year plus portion of shared savings. Participation is voluntary and a participant can withdraw at any time. Preferential opportunity to participate in other managed care directives.
The forum is open to all physicians regardless of membership in MCMS. RSVP is required, please see the attachment for details.
6. Health Enterprise Zone – Public Forum
Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, the Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene, Joshua Sharfstein, and Commissioner of Health, Oxiris Barbot are coming to Long Branch to discuss Maryland’s new Health Enterprise Zone Program (HEZ).
Date: Thursday, July 26th
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Location: 8700 Piney Branch Road, Social Hall B, Silver Spring, Maryland
HEZ’s are designed to reduce health disparities among Maryland’s racial and ethnic groups and between geographic areas, improve health care access and health outcomes, and reduce health care costs by providing a variety of incentives to defined geographic areas with high rates of disparities.
Takoma Park and Long Branch are a federally designated medically underserved area and may be able to qualify to be a health enterprise zone. Please come to learn and show your support for a place based health improvement process in our community!
For more information about Health Enterprise Zone, please see the website: DHMH HEZ.
7. Mary Center Dental Cruiser Launch
The Mary's Center Dental Cruiser is coming to Prince George's County Middle Schools and is hosting an open-bus celebration!
Date: Wednesday, July 25th
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Mary’s Center, 8908 Riggs Rd., Adelphi, MD
Attendees will be able to:
- Tour the new dental bus
- Take home toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, and more
- Enroll your child to receive dental care on the Mary's Center Dental Cruiser
- Learn about affordable dental insurance options in Maryland
For more information, contact Dental Bus Coordinator Yezica Diaz yd...@maryscenter.org (301) 422-5934.
8. Job Posting: 3 Positions at Proyecto Salud
Proyecto Salud, with locations in Wheaton and Olney, is recruiting two Full-Time Medical Assistants or LPN’s and a Development Director.
Please see the attached job description for details.
Visit the Primary Care Coalition website for past editions of the e-Bulletin and other PCC publications.
To be added to or removed from this distribution list, please send a message to tara_c...@primarycarecoalition.org.