CAOA Government Affairs Weekly
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Inside this issue
  State budget proposal released  
  California's governor released the revised 2017-18 budget this week that does not include money for increased provider rates under Medi-Cal or restoration of Medi-Cal vision benefits. In response, COA released the following statement from President, Dr. Sage Hider:

 "With federal health care funding in jeopardy, California can't afford to retreat from our investment in prevention-oriented health care that saves lives and reduces costs.

"To that end, California's doctors of optometry are leading a multi-pronged initiative with Medi-Cal health plans and clinics to reverse an epidemic of diabetes that robs Californians of their sight, health and dollars. We were encouraged that the summary of Governor Brown's budget revision released today recognizes the role of dental care in overall health, but disappointed that it does not include restoration of eyeglass benefits under Medi-Cal.

"The ability to obtain eyeglasses to work, drive, or go to school is a primary reason Californians visit the eye doctor for crucial comprehensive exams that are often the first place signs of diabetes or hypertension are observed. Restoring the vision benefit will connect more Californians with the comprehensive care they need for earlier diagnosis of diabetes, and save lives and dollars in the long run.

"We encourage Governor Brown and legislators to uphold the will of Prop 56 voters, who supported a tobacco tax increase to strengthen health care, by bringing provider rates up from near-worst in the nation."
 

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  Optometrists attend local fundraiser  
  Last week, Drs. Minh Le, Art Low and Brent Chinn from the COA Santa Clara County Optometric Society attended a fundraiser for Assembly Member Ash Kalra. Assembly Member Kalra represents Assembly District 27, which encompasses Santa Clara County. Assembly Member Kalra previously represented the 2nd District on the San Jose City Council.


Dr. Minh Le, Assembly Member Kalra and Dr. Art Low
 

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  Can you text your patients?  
  It depends. Text messages are generally not secure because they lack encryption, and the sender does not know with certainty the message is received by the intended recipient. Also, the telecommunication vendor/wireless carrier may store the text messages.

However, you can text protected health information after implementing a risk management strategy or using a third-party messaging solution that incorporates measures to establish a secure communication platform that will allow texting on approved mobile devices. Read more about the five steps organizations can take to manage mobile devices when they are used by health care providers.
 

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  Medicare payment reforms - what you need to know  
  As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) begins the new Quality Payment Program (QPP) this year, AOA is working to support our doctors to protect future reimbursement and maximize incentives. AOA has made available a host of tools and a June 12 webinar to assist doctors and their staff in this critical area.

Just last month, CMS began sending out letters to all Medicare doctors to indicate whether the doctor has qualified for one of the exclusions under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). CMS also developed an online NPI look up to check participation status. With this information, doctors can now best prepare themselves for MIPS participation. To equip doctors of optometry with the information needed to successfully participate in the program, AOA has developed a number of resources, including:
While these are all great resources, we know that many doctors are still unsure of the path forward when it comes to these program changes. AOA wants to do more to support you. Please join us on June 12 at 6 p.m. Pacific time for a webinar that will offer the opportunity to ask your specific MIPS questions. The webinar will be presented by Dr. Zachary McCarty, chair of the AOA's Quality Improvement and Registries Committee, and Dr. Jeff Michaels, immediate past chair of the AOA's Quality Improvement and Registries Committee. Register here. If you have a specific question you would like addressed on the webinar, please email Kara Webb, the AOA's associate director of coding & regulatory policy, at kcwebb@aoa.org.
 

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  Earn continuing education credit by being a Subject Matter Expert  
  The California State Board of Optometry is looking for Subject Matter Experts to contribute to the profession of optometry by participating in exam workshops. During these workshops, Experts have the opportunity to meet and work with other licensed optometrists from around California on the development, review, and grading of the California Laws and Regulations Examination.

Many experts find the experience very rewarding and choose to return year after year. In addition, each Subject Matter Expert will receive an hour of continuing education credit for each hour they attend the workshop.

The next workshop is June 26, 2017.

If you, or an optometrist you know, are interested in participating in one of the workshops listed above please contact Kellie Flores at Kellie.Flores@DCA.CA.GOV or (916) 575-7171 for more information.
 

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