ACMPE Flashcards

MGMA is excited to announce that they have new and improved digital ACMPE Flashcards! These printable Flashcards are a fun, interactive exercise to review areas of the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Executives as used on the ACMPE Board Certification exams.

ACMPE Flashcards

These and other study tools can be found on the ACMPE Study Resources page.

Going to MGMA Next Week? Join Us for Our Meet & Greet!

October 22 | 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Teddy’s Tavern | 104 Rep. John Lewis Way S. | Nashville, TN

We are hosting a North Carolina Meet & Greet on Sunday, October 22nd, for all the delegates from NC attending MGMA next week in Nashville. If you are coming to the Leaders Conference, stop by and get to know our members and learn more about NCMGMA.

Please RSVP to info@ncmgm.org.

Recording Available: MGMA Mid-Year 2023 Washington Update

To assist MGMA state affiliates with their advocacy efforts, and in lieu of in-person presentations this fall, the Government Affairs team has recorded a Washington Update presentation that can be shared. Should you have any questions about the content discussed within the recording, please feel free to email MGMA at govaff@mgma.org.

Access the Recording

A copy of the handouts is also available here.

April 24 Webinar: NC Medical Practice Salary & Benefits Survey Review

NCMGMA Medical Employee Salary & Benefits Survey Review

April 24 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm | Zoom

Data Matters. Join us on April 24th as we hear from Tracy Martin, CPA, with BRC detail out 2022’s North Carolina-specific salary survey highlights along with important KPIs, and year-over-year salary trends.

It is essential healthcare practices review their complete compensation package (wages, salaries, benefits), annually, to help attract and retain exceptional employees. By ensuring market-based competitiveness and maintaining internal equity, practices are more likely to retain their valued employees. Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, 2022 healthcare practices continued to witness shifts in historical compensation practices.

After completing this webinar, participants will:

• Hear the current state of healthcare compensation within North Carolina
• Use survey data to update and validate current compensation/recruitment practices for the following areas:
  • Salary Administration
  • Nursing, Mid-Level & Other
  • Benefits
  • Office Staff
  • Laboratory & Radiology
• Hear additional KPIs and year-over-year trends based on data gathered through NCMGMA’s highly respected annual Medical Employee Salary & Benefits Survey.

Register Today!

This webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. After you register, you will receive an email confirmation and an email reminder with webinar login instructions.

Register Today

Tracey Martin
CPA and Partner
Bernard Robinson & Company
Tracey is a CPA and partner in the Wilmington office of BRC. She applies her knowledge and practical ideas to meet client needs from both a business and tax perspective. Tracey works primarily with medical practices, professional service groups and high net worth individuals.

Tracey also leads BRC’s client accounting service line, focusing on providing outsourced accounting and CFO advisory services to clients. With over 30 years of experience, Tracey enjoys working with healthcare clients to address the ongoing challenges they face – delivery system consolidation, increased transparency, increased regulatory requirements and physician transition.

Thank You to Our Sponsor

Questions

For questions, please contact the NCMGMA offices at info@ncmgm.org.

Biden Administration to End COVID-19 PHE on May 11

Originally published in the February 2, 2023, issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection
Reprinted with permission from MGMA

The Biden Administration announced that it plans to end the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. This decision comes after multiple renewals over the past three years. MGMA appreciates that the Administration heeded our call to provide at least 90-days’ notice prior to concluding the PHE. The end of the PHE will have ramifications for a variety of flexibilities afforded by the pandemic over the last several years, such as HIPAA penalty waivers, controlled substance prescription waivers, and COVID-19 testing and treatment coverage.

For more information on the flexibilities that will conclude along with the PHE, download MGMA’s member-exclusive resource.

NC Practice, Magnolia Place, Featured in MGMA Connection

The January issue of MGMA’s Connection magazine features an article titled “Laying the Foundation for Behavior Health Integration.” The article, written by Christian Greene, MA, discusses the increasing rise of behavior health conditions in patients and the opportunity our industry faces to integrate behavior care with existing expertise in medical practices. Magnolia Place Obstetrics, Gynecology & Wellness, in Greenville, NC, led by NCMGMA board member Carrilee Andreu-Neel, CMPE, is blazing the integration trail and is featured in the article for their “self-designed hybrid model of care.”

Carrilee Dale Andreu-Neel, Practice Success Administrator for Magnolia Place Obstetrics, Gynecology & Wellness, reads the January issue of MGMA’s Connection.

Read the complete article online here or you can access a digital copy of the January issue of Connection here.

Next Week is National Medical Group Practice Week

Next week is National Medical Group Practice Week (NMGPW)! From all of us at NCMGMA, we say thank you to all the healthcare professionals, industry partners and students for your drive, your commitment to excellence and your passion for providing and supporting exceptional healthcare in North Carolina.  Your hard work does not go unnoticed!

COVID-19 PHE Renewed

Originally published in the January 12, 2023, issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection
Reprinted with permission from MGMA

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) yesterday. This renewal extends the PHE through mid-April 2023 and has implications for Medicare telehealth, COVID-19 testing, and other waivers. HHS has reiterated its promise to give a 60 days’ notice before letting the PHE expire.

While many telehealth flexibilities are tied to the PHE, it is important to note that the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, does ensure certain ones will remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2024, regardless of PHE status.

More information may be found in MGMA Government Affairs’ newly updated telehealth resource.

Congress Releases Year-end Legislation, Addressing Medicare Cuts and Telehealth

Originally published in the December 22, 2022, issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection
Reprinted with permission from MGMA

Earlier this week, Congress released the text of their year-end spending package, which contains a handful of healthcare provisions that will impact medical groups.

Medicare physician payment: The legislation averts 6.5% of the scheduled 8.5% reduction to physician reimbursement in Medicare, resulting in an approximate 2% cut to the Medicare conversion factor for 2023. By way of background, in 2021, CMS shifted funds in the physician fee schedule to pay for an increase in work RVUs, which raised reimbursement for office visits. This shift resulted in a decrease to the conversion factor due to a statutorily mandated budget neutrality adjustment. Congress provided funds to offset the adjustment in 2021 and partially offset it again in 2022. Going into 2023, we expected a cut of 8.5%, resulting from both a decrease to the conversion factor (4.5%) and PAYGO cut (4%). For the third year in a row, we’ve urged Congress to address the de facto cuts — this year in the form of adding 4.5% back into the fee schedule and waiving PAYGO. Unfortunately, despite 10,000 letters from MGMA members, Congress did not have the appetite to fully waive budget neutrality requirements to address the slated 4.5% cut. Instead, Congress will only partially mitigate it by allowing a 2% cut in 2023. This is in addition to legislation waiving the 4% PAYGO for 2023 and 2024. MGMA has voiced its disappointment that Congress is allowing a 2% cut to occur in 2023 and will continue working to find a more sustainable and comprehensive solution.

Alternative Payment Models (APMs): The 5% incentive bonus is set to expire at the end of this year. The legislation would extend the bonus for an additional year, through 2023, at 3.5%.

Telehealth: Many telehealth waivers, including being able to treat a patient in their home, were extended through 2024. This is positive development supported by MGMA to ensure continuity from pandemic-era telehealth policies.

Lab cuts: Pending the passage of this legislation, practices will receive a one-year reprieve from the laboratory cuts of up to 15% that would have gone into effect in January 2023. This provision was also supported by #MGMAAdvocacy.

We expect Congress to pass this legislation into law by Friday. We will let you know if Congress modifies the current text.

Act Now: Only 17 Days Until Medicare Cuts Take Effect

Originally published in the December 15, 2022, issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection
Reprinted with permission from MGMA

With only 17 days remaining in 2022, time is rapidly running out for Congress to act to avert the 4.5% reduction to the Medicare conversion factor set to effect on Jan. 1. We know from our members that the impact of this cut, especially in light of current inflationary pressures and workforce shortages, will be devastating for medical groups nationwide.

As the Medicare physician fee schedule is the only Medicare payment system without an annual inflationary update, the 4.5% reduction will only exacerbate current financial concerns and is frankly untenable. Should these cuts take effect, medical groups may be forced to make difficult business decisions including reducing the number of Medicare patients served, limiting the number of services provided, laying off staff, and even selling their practices.

MGMA continues to advocate against this detrimental reduction and for permanent payment reforms. If you haven’t done so already, join in #MGMAAdvocacy today by sending a letter to your members of Congress to pass legislation to stop the full 4.5% payment reduction from taking effect.

Already sent a letter? The time is now to pick up the phone. Call your members of Congress immediately and implore them to protect beneficiary access to care by passing legislation to #StopTheFullCut. Already asked your colleagues to take action? Now is the time to ask your friends and loved ones — the health of our nation’s seniors depends on it.