Congress passes fee fix, avoids 27% physician pay cut - Providers are safe from the impending 27.4% cut to their Medicare payments set to hit March 1 thanks to Congress passing a temporary ‘doc fix’ through the end of 2012. The vote to keep the current $34.0376 conversion rate through Dec. 31 comes on the heels of intense debate among Congress members as to whether preventing the pay cut was fiscally sound. The $150 billion bill failed to include deeper cuts requested by GOP Congress members but remained largely budget neutral. Congress originally approved a two-month fix that was set to expire Feb. 29. Once signed into law, the new fee fix will be good through Dec. 31.… Read More
Conferees reach agreement on short-term SGR patch … Read More
Fix Medicare pay formula for good… Read More
The Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) is due to go operational on 2/6/12. … Read More
Legislative Alert - Contact your Legislators TODAY… Read More
December, 2011 Monthly Epidemiology Newsletter
Pinellas County Health Department
Epidemiology is a branch of science that deals with the study of the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population. The Bureau of Epidemiology directly supports the first goal of the Department of Health to "Prevent and Treat Infectious Diseases of Public Health Significance" and works to protect the health of all people in Florida. The Bureau of Epidemiology monitors the prevalence of diseases and conditions that affect public health, provides expertise and analysis of communicable and chronic diseases, investigates disease outbreaks, and makes recommendations pertaining to case management and control of future disease outbreaks.
Epidemiologists improve the public's health by monitoring, identifying causes of, and developing solutions for health problems. When diseases occur, epidemiologists conduct investigations to determine the cause. They take biological samples, analyze charts and graphs, interview those with the disease, conduct surveys for linkages and long-term costs, and consult with other public health authorities on strategies for controlling and avoiding future outbreaks.
… Read More
Physician Medicare Payment Update....
Slight Delay in 2012 Medicare Claims Payment
… Read More
Florida's PDMP is called E-FORCSE. E-FORCSE is a database that can collect and store schedule II, III and IV controlled substance dispensing information.… Read More
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
Laws and Regulations… Read More
Your feed to Florida's Health IT Programs....… Read More
International Board of Medicine and Surgery
Certifying the finest healthcare providers in the world… Read More
Doctors do surgery on DOH’s drug-dealing bill | Top Story | Health News Florida… Read More
Congress extends 2011 Medicare rates for two months… Read More
Please welcome and congratulate the 2012 PCMA Executive Board.… Read More
FCSO Part A&B (Electronic Data Interchange) eNews… Read More
The PCMA is proud to announce we have upgraded our payment processing platform to Heartland payment systems for the processing of all PCMA transactions....… Read More
Our site, http://www.findthefunnow.com/, is designed to give people in Pinellas the opportunity to find active recreation and fresh foods by ZIP Code, neighborhood or budget. In December, we’re adding a smartphone app for Apple and Android. … Read More
Breaking the Cycle of Addiction at St. Petersburg General Hospital...… Read More
Data on Substance Exposed Newborns (SEN)
A spreadsheet was recently distributed displaying newborn withdrawal trends (2005-2010) by county. There have been questions to the Department of Health as to from where the data came; therefore the spreadsheet has been revised (attached) to reflect the source, measure, drugs included and the ICD-9 CM Code used.
… Read More
**IMPORTANT REMINDER/UPDATE**
ACCESS TO PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAM BEGINS TODAY
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) today reminds prescribers, dispensers and practitioners that beginning Monday, October 17, 2011, access to the Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), known as E-FORCSE, begins....… Read More
Florida Board of Medicine - Mailman System
Instructions for Joining the Board of Medicine's Mailman System...… Read More
The FMA and PCMA has received many calls from about the new Medicaid requirement for providers to have their fingerprints done. AHCA has recently sent out a memo on the requirement, however, the FMA is concerned about the impact on physicians who would be renewing their provider applications and has requested a meeting with AHCA to further discuss this issue.
We do want to clarify a statement in the notice sent out by AHCA. It states:
… Read More
FCSO Part B (General Information) eNews- Provider Education… Read More
STATE SURGEON GENERAL ISSUES A SUPPLEMENTAL ORDER TO PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DECLARATION -
Supplemental language suspends requirement for practitioners to use counterfeit proof prescription pads
for 60 days
… Read More
The Pinellas County Sheriff's office has created a new email address to report prescription drug abuse.… Read More
Please welcome and congratulate the 2011 PCMA Executive Board.… Read More