New Year, New ACMPE Updates

Incentives to Join MGMA-ACMPE

• Possible “New Year, New You” campaign: January 14-31st, $50 off certification and Fellowship applications.

ACMPE Volunteer Opportunities: Opening Soon

• MGMA will be introducing a new volunteer portal; however, they are recruiting for the ACMPE Fellowship Submission Committee, the Examinations Committee, and the Body of Knowledge Standing Committee. Visit the volunteer opportunity web page soon for more details.

MGMA Website Updates

• MGMA has launched the new website and they are working daily to optimize the user experience.
• The ACMPE claiming of continuing education has been launched under “Manage My Account.” New features will continue to be added including export and transcript details.
• Information on Board Certification and Fellowship can be found under “Career Pathways.”

Offering ACMPE credit for state educational programs

For an activity to meet the criteria for ACMPE continuing education credit hours, it must:

• Be relevant to the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management.
• Be delivered in a structured learning environment.
• Have an element of interactivity.

What the 2019 Changes Mean

For Nominees:
If you do NOT hold a bachelor’s degree or have 120 college credit hours by Dec. 31, 2018 you will need to:

• Complete and pass both examinations by the Dec. 1-15 exam cycle. Exam results expected late January.
• Log all 50 hours of continuing education (CE) hours under the current CE requirements, starting 30 days prior to their acceptance date. If your exams are passed, you will receive a 6 months extension to complete your 50 hours by June 31, 2019 under the 2019 continuing education requirements.

If you have a bachelor’s degree, 120 college credits or are currently in the process of completing your degree, you will remain as a nominee and will need to begin working toward the following starting on Jan. 1, 2019:

• Earn your CMPE credential within three years. If accepted before Jan. 1, 2019, you will have until Dec. 31, 2021 to complete the program.
• Log 50 hours of CE credit under the new 2019 CE requirements.

For CMPEs pursuing Fellowship:
If you have a bachelor’s degree AND seven years of healthcare management AND two years in a leadership role; OR if you have a master’s degree with five years management, AND two years in a leadership role, you will need to begin work on the following starting Jan. 1, 2019:

• Complete Fellowship within two years of your application date. If accepted before Jan. 1, 2019, you will have until Dec. 31, 2020 to complete.
• If you have a paper outline submitted and accepted prior to Jan. 1, 2019, you may continue working on your paper manuscript up until two years from your outline approval date. Starting in 2019, business plan submissions will be the only acceptable submission if no outline is previously accepted.
• Log 50 hours of continuing education (CE) every three years following the new 2019 CE requirements. These CE requirements also apply to maintain your current CMPE credential in 2019.

Study Groups

• Fellowship Preparation Series is available on-demand presented by Lee Ann H. Webster, FACMPE and Nina Chavez, FACMPE.
  • Session 1 – ACMPE Fellowship: Requirements and the Submission Process
  • Session 2 – Developing a Fellowship Manuscript or Business Plan
• ACMPE Board Certification Study Group Series
  • Registration is open for on-demand, For CE credit, you must also register for the post assessments for each session.
    Topic:
    • Board Certification Program Overview
    • Financial Management
    • Operations Management
    • Risk and Compliance Management
    • Human Resources Management
    • Organizational Governance and Patient-Centered Care

Upcoming Exam Dates

• March 9-23, 2019
  Exam registration: January 22 – February 7, 2019
• June 8-22, 2019
  Exam registration: April 22 – May 6, 2019
• September 7-21, 2019
  Exam registration: July 22 – August 7, 2019
• December 7-21, 2019
  Exam registration: October 21 – November 4, 2019

 

Cyber Security and HIPAA

2017 Alliance Sponsor feature article by MedMal Direct

Cyber Threats have become a serious issue in healthcare IT over the past few years. Every day there are attempts to break into secure computer environments in order to either ransom the owner’s information to themselves or just to steal that information and sell it to someone else. Medical records go for about $60 per record (that’s what the hacker is paid by the buyer) whereas simple credit card records go for about $10 per record. The reason that medical records are so valuable is simple – the information doesn’t change. A person cannot turn off their medical record or change their birth date, however we can cancel a credit card and render it useless.

HHS and OCR have provided guidance on the topic of breaches and response to breaches and requires covered entities to have a breach notification and response policy and procedure in place. This policy must include the following:

1. Definitions
2. Notifications in the event of a breach
3. Discovery
4. Content of Notifications
5. Methods of Notification
6. Arrangements with Business Associates in the event of a breach by BA
7. Law Enforcement Delays
8. Administrative Requirements

In the event of a suspected breach it is imperative that the organization conduct an assessment to identify the exact nature of the breach. Some organizations are capable of conducting the initial assessment themselves and others may need an outside consultant to assist. OCR rule 45 CFR 164 includes specific guidance on what is required in order to investigate, mitigate, and remediate a breach.

Organizations must develop clear privacy and security guidelines in order to avoid the risk of a true breach. These policies must include how an organization secures its data. Guidelines are provided in the rule for the specific methods that are acceptable for encryption of data and OCR relies on NIST as the expert to provide the standards for which an organization must meet.

A Covered Entity can purchase insurance to protect itself in the event of a breach. This ‘risk transfer’ shifts the financial burden of a breach from the CE to the insurance carrier who also is then responsible, under most policies, for the investigation, notification, remediation, and fines or penalties (see your policy for exact details on coverages).

Guidance on policy and procedure is available to insureds through MedMal Direct’s Risk Management Department and increased limits for cyber liability coverage can be purchased at the request of the insured.

Activities for Which ACMPE Credit Hours are Granted

Printed with permission from MGMA

Continuing education encourages you to keep learning, improving and seeking best practices while also demonstrating personal and professional development and keeping abreast of changes in the medical practice management field.

How do you earn it?
MGMA recognizes that numerous activities contribute to your professional growth and management effectiveness. Continuing education hours are granted for programs that include relevant content aimed at improving your management competence and medical practice management knowledge.

Follow the link below to view the activities for which ACMPE credit hours are grants:

http://www.mgma.com/education-certification/education-resources/acmpe-continuing-education-requirement