News

End of Year Deadlines and Headlines

Physicians are reminded that December 31, 2019, is the last day to make changes to their Medicare participation status for 2020 as well as to finalize the transition to the new Medicare Beneficiary Identification (MBI) number. To learn more contact Cheryl Bradley at (213) 226-0338 or cbradley@cmadocs.org.

In 2019, Covered California, California's health benefit exchange, enrolled approximately 1.39 million individuals in qualified health plans. To help physician practices understand their participation status, which products are being offered and what changes to expect, CMA has published a new tip sheet, “Surviving Covered California: Preparing for changes in 2020.” The tip sheet is available free to members.

Let me know if you need assistance or visit the link below.

LACMA Welcomes Two New Group Members!

Big week as LACMA will be joining AltaMed Health Services CEO Castulo de la Rocha and AltaMed Institute for Health Equity leader, Dr. Efrain Talamantes at their Physician Holiday Reception. LACMA entered into a 3-year membership agreement with AltaMed as more than 150 physicians will be joining LACMA. LACMA will also be participating in this week’s grand opening of the Orthopedic Institute for Children Pavilion, the centerpiece of the hospital’s “Vision for Our Future” campaign, which will ensure that OIC’s surgeons, doctors, and nurses have the best facilities and equipment to care for the increasing number of children who come through its doors. OIC also entered into a 3-year membership agreement with LACMA impacting 10 physicians in 2020.

Read our full Press Release below!

Data Breaches Impact Practices Large and Small

LibertyID our data breach and identity theft restoration services partner (www.LibertyID.com/business/LACMA) advised us of a recent data breach led by an employee and that physicians, whether in private practice or large groups, should always be aware of the risk. Nebraska Medicine suffered a data breach after an employee accessed patients' medical records for almost three months without authorization or even the thinnest sliver of a legitimate reason. A routine audit of the medical record system conducted in October of this year revealed the gross violation of patient privacy, which occurred over the summer of 2019. The employee took their first digital stroll through patients' records on July 11. The unauthorized access then continued until October 1, when the audit was carried out. After discovering what was going on, Nebraska Medicine took steps to prevent any further unauthorized access from occurring. A particularly effective step was the organization's decision to fire the employee in question the day after the privacy violation was detected. Patients whose data had been compromised were notified by letter. Information accessed by the now former Nebraska Medicine employee included names, birth dates, addresses, medical record numbers, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, clinical information, lab imagery, and notes from physicians.

Nebraska Medicine privacy officer Debra Bishop wrote: "This individual no longer works for Nebraska Medicine and no longer has access to Nebraska Medicine systems. To help prevent something like this from happening again, we are continuing to regularly audit our electronic medical record system for potential unauthorized activity, and are retraining staff about appropriate access of patient information."

Nebraska Medicine operates two major hospitals and 40 outpatient clinics in the Omaha area and has an international reputation for providing bone marrow and stem cell transplantation services. In 2006, Nebraska Medicine performed the first "frozen elephant trunk" heart procedure, otherwise known as open stent grafting, in the United States.

LibertyID provides fully managed identity theft restoration solutions to individuals, couples, families, and businesses. LibertyID for Small Business provides cyber breach preparation and response solutions to businesses that collect and harbor confidential personal information on their clients or patients. LibertyID does not collect subscriber information and we will never sell or lease our restoration victims’ information. As practices close for the holidays, I will share tips provided by LibertyID on how to protect your business, your data and livelihood from cybercriminals.

If you would like more information on LibertyID, contact me or visit our preferred partner page below.

As a medical professional, your time and money are valuable. That is why one of our top priorities is to address the unnecessary risk that is present in the vast majority of physicians’ financial plans.

This webinar will walk through some of the latest advanced estate and tax strategies and how they work along some of the methods that have been around for ages.

With the one constant in life being change, it's critical for you, as a medical professional, to have a team of professionals who look after your balance sheet to optimize the protection and growth of your most valuable financial assets.

Most people would not go to their primary care doctor for open heart surgery, so why should you trust your unique planning needs to a generalist?

Watch this informative webinar replay by clicking the link below.

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