Monday Rx | April 15, 2019 | How Can Our Recent Partnership With ACap Help Your Practice? April 17, 2019 Tag 1011 Our New Partnership With ACap Today is tax day. For some, this is a challenging time of year and for others, it's a nightmare. This is why LACMA has a new partnership with ACap Accountants and Advisors, who were referred to us by LACMA members. ACap provides comprehensive, unbiased financial advice, with a specialty in advising physicians and medical professionals; they are trusted financial experts. More than 90% of ACap's clients are physicians so they have the experience to work with practices. Whether the members goal is to pay off education loans, save for the purchase of a home, establish or manage investment accounts, minimize taxes, or ensure existing portfolios are balanced and in line with goals, ACap works to maximize profits and eliminate anxiety through personalized, fee-only financial planning and accounting services. As such, we will be launching a new webinar series with ACap and need member input first. Answer The Survey Here Your input will help us produce relevant webinars on topics that matter to you. On the Federal Front On March 25th, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed HR 1839 "Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act." The bill—sponsored by California physician Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Palm Springs/Coachella Valley)—would extend several expiring Medicaid programs, create a new Medicaid option for states to establish coordinated care health homes for children with complex medical conditions with an enhanced federal match, and increase penalties on drug manufacturers that misclassify outpatient drugs for rebate purposes. Among the expiring programs, the bill would extend the "spousal impoverishment" program that protects families when one spouse requires expensive home or community-based care. CMA and other organized medicine groups supported the bill. It now moves to the Senate where it also receives bipartisan support. Here's a brief summary of the bill. HR 1839: Establishes a coordinated care "health home" program for chronically ill children through an optional state plan amendment with additional federal matching funds. It helps physicians coordinate a child's medical care across all health care settings. Establishes large civil monetary penalties on drug manufacturers for the misclassification of outpatient drugs for the Medicaid rebate program. Extends the existing Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment Program through September 2019. Extends the existing Community Mental Health Demonstration Program through June 2019. Extends the "Money Follows the Person" program that provides funding to seniors and disabled individuals who are able to move from assisted living back into their communities. Extends the third-party liability period for child support services. Denies federal Medicaid funding for certain expenditures related to vacuum erection systems and penile prosthetic implants that are not medically necessary. Government Affairs Outreach Last week, I joined Dr. Abraham, Dr. Booth and Dr. Horowitz as we attended a meet and greet with California State Senator Holly Mitchell. The event was hosted by L.A. Care CEO John Baackes. Later in the week, LACMA president-elect Dr. Sion Roy joined me and Henry Rogers, LACMA's new government relations consultant, as we met with Lena Gonzalez, a candidate seeking election to the California State Senate to represent District 33. Ms. Gonzalez is running in the general special election on June 4, 2019, after advancing from the primary on March 26, 2019. She currently serves as the District 1 member of the Long Beach City Council. Partnership Platform LACMA is also in discussions with LibertyID, a unique identity theft and data breach planning and response solution specifically designed for the small to medium-sized medical practices. They provide members with pre-data breach templates to help get policies and procedures in place. They also provide members with a reference guide for new policies and procedures so members can quickly access them when needed. They provide practices with a step-by-step checklist to take in the event of a data breach, who to call first, etc. Stay tuned for more details, but I would love to hear from members if this is a valuable resource or how it compares to LifeLock. The Newest LACMA Team Member Today, we welcomed a new member to our team, Eve Canton. Eve is joining LACMA as our new Membership and Marketing Manager. Eve comes from the legal world, where she managed marketing, advertising and public relations for various law firms. In her new position with LACMA, Eve will be responsible for helping us grow membership, and manage campaigns designed to engage new members while supporting our current membership. Welcome Eve! Participate in Survey About Physician Attitude on Race and Sexual Orientation Lastly, Alexa Beacham, a very bright student at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, is doing an honors research project which focuses on physician attitudes about racial color blindness and sexual orientation blindness and how this affects patient care. She is currently recruiting practicing physicians to participate in a survey on these issues. If you or others in your networks are interested in participating in the survey, please contact Alexa directly. Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association "If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me." EVENTS AND COMMUNITY Registration is now open for the 45th annual California Medical Association Legislative Advocacy Day. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss health care with legislators at the Capitol. Meetings are scheduled and coordinated by local county medical societies. This unique event is free of charge to all CMA (and LACMA) members. Plan to join more than 400 physicians, medical students and resident members in educating legislative leaders as champions for patients and the practice of medicine. 45TH ANNUAL CMA LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY WHEN: Wednesday, April 24, 2019 WHERE: Sacramento Convention Center 1400 J St., Sacramento, CA 95814Click here for full details. What's New With Town & Country Join Town & Country for an exclusive event where you'll learn what's new with Regent Seven Seas: Fleet enhancements and a brand new ship Town & Country's hosted sailings Go Local tours All-inclusive luxury WHEN: Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 (Wine and Mediterranean-inspired appetizers will be served) WHERE: Sunland Vintage Tasting Room 1321 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362RSVP: Email or call (805) 495-9888