A Message From Your President...
Hi Everyone,
I am beginning to feel slight optimism that our state is turning the corner with the COVID-19 virus. I am hopeful that we will continue to see a decrease in new cases and hospitalizations over the next 10-14 days. And hopefully, with the plans laid out by our government and given the right set of circumstances, we can begin to see the start of some businesses open back up. I wish I could predict with confidence when we will all see some level of normalcy.
We as Podiatrists are considered essential workers. Many of us perform diabetic foot care. This is essential and necessary care. In the past I have suggested we limit our care to urgent patients only (ie. injuries, infections, wound care) This still good advice, but we must also provide care that will prevent infection injury and wounds. Many of us have put off seeing the at-risk foot care patients. It is reasonable to begin to see some of these patients to prevent more serious problems.
If you are seeing or beginning to see these at-risk foot care patients, PLEASE follow CDC guidelines of social distancing and proper use of PPE. This will require extra work. Doctors, staff, and patients must all wear masks. Proper cleaning of exam rooms between patients is necessary. Waiting rooms must adhere to the 6-foot distance rule. Anyone with recent exposure or current symptoms should be reappointed. Many patients are elderly and/or have added comorbidities. You must access the risk prior to appointing these patients.
As we know the number of COVID cases is very high in some nursing homes. The care of the nursing home patient is also essential for this at-risk population. It is up to the nursing home to allow you to begin providing care to these patients. In my opinion, proper PPE should include a face shield in addition to the N95 mask and proper attire.
If you bring staff with you, they also must be protected. COVID testing for you and your staff is also a must, in my opinion, prior to entering the nursing facility. This is not an easy decision, trying to protect, you, the staff, and the patients we treat.
Most of us should have received the HHS stimulus check by direct deposit. If you have not received these funds please contact HHS and ask them to perform an inquiry. You should also ask them to contact you with the results.
HHS HOTLINE 866-569-3522. If this is not successful, please contact our state attorney Mr. Matthew Feldman- his email
MFeldman@feldmankieffer.com.
I would like to thank Dr. Larry Santi and Dr. John O'Hanlon for informing me that the advance medicare payment program has been suspended. This is a loan from medicare on future earnings that must be paid back to medicare. I will contact NGS our Medicare carrier for more details.
I had the pleasure of attending the Tappen Zee virtual ZOOM division meeting on May 5th. Past NYSPMA President, Dr. Don Feldman, organized the meeting. It was very enjoyable to be apart of the meeting. It was great to see so many people. It made my day. I would suggest every division meet using ZOOM or similar technology in the near future.
I would like to remind everyone that the association is delaying the first quarter dues invoices- discounting annual dues by 25% this year. You will not receive an invoice for the new fiscal year until about July 1st. If anyone is in a position to pay the full dues, it would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, NYSPMA is excited to announce that its Fall Prevention Protocol, part of our population health initiative, has been accepted by the IRB of the Northwell Health system in New York. NYSPMA has been working with Lenox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for the past year to implement the study to see if patients coming into the ER for a fall have fewer return visits for a subsequent fall if they are seen by a podiatrist to coordinates their treatment for the fall to include podiatric care. The Fall Prevention demonstration project will be headed up by Dr. William Spielfogel, Chief of Podiatry at Lenox Hill, and is expected to start later this year.
Dan Keating DPM
President NYSPMA
[New Benefit!] Student Loan Consolidation for NYSPMA/PICA Members in Partnership with MassMutual and Commonbond.
We are excited to announce a new program with PICA, CommonBond, and MassMutual. The NYSPMA Board approved this program back in January after working on it with PICA over the past year. This exciting new pilot program is open to members of NYSPMA and PICA policyholders and allows them to refinance their student loans at a lower rate. Please CLICK HERE to talk directly with a financial advisor about your loan or CLICK HERE to view your rates.
NYSPMA PPE Drive
NYSPMA is calling on its membership to help save lives. If you have any PPEs that are not vital to your practice (even a few boxes) CLICK HERE for information on how to donate. If you or your hospital is in need- please reach out to staff member, Sonia Lunn, at slunn@nyspma.org. Unopened boxes are preferred, but the situation is dire and our partner organization, PPE2NYC, is now accepting open boxes as well (open boxes with remaining UNUSED supplies). Supplies needed at this time include masks, gloves, gowns, eye protection, face shields, thermometers, or hand sanitizer. Thank you for helping us protect our membership and the NY healthcare provider community in this unprecedented time.
NYSPMA Legal Tip: COVID Resources
By: Matthew S. Feldman, Esq., General Counsel
New York State Podiatric Medical Association
Read Matthew Feldman's summary & comments on the details of Gov. Cumos 4/28/2020 press conference regarding "unpausing".
- Access this legal tip by visiting our COVID-19 provider resource page and looking under the legal resources tab.
- There are 12 critical steps for each region in NYS to follow.
Additional Resources from Mathew Feldman:
Mr. Feldman is available for legal consultation if needed and can be reached by phone at (716) 852-5875 or by email at MFeldman@feldmankieffer.com
Weekly CPR Billing and Coding Tip of the Week: CMS' Interim Final Rule-COVID-19
CPR Tip by: Hoda Henein
CMS’ Interim Final Rule-COVID 19
CMS distributed a new interim final rule (IFR) on April 30 that entailed more regulatory waivers and rule changes. These changes are meant to increase access to care and provide added flexibility to providers in delivering that care.
The changes that impact podiatrists:
- Payment for Audio-Only Telephone E/M Services—CMS is increasing payment for audio-only telephone E/M services (99441–99443) by cross-walking the work RVUs and direct practice expense inputs for codes 99212–99214 to the audio-only codes, on an interim basis for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- RVUs Increase—CMS is raising the RVUs of CPT 99441(0.48), CPT 99442 (0.97), and CPT 99443 (1.5) to equal 99212, 99213, 99214, respectively.
- Hospital Outpatient Departments (HOPDs)—If an HOPD has to relocate off-campus due to COVID-19 (e.g., to free up space on campus), it can continue to be paid under the OPPS fee schedule (extraordinary circumstances relocation exception). Providers can also be paid as if in the HOPD under these circumstances.
Upcoming Webinars!
SHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training- 1 CME
Please join us on May 12 at 7pm CT for our upcoming webinar, “OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training”, presented by Dr. Michael Brody, DPM. In this webinar, you will learn about understanding what healthcare workers should do to minimize the chance of exposure to a bloodborne pathogen, as well as the steps an employer must take to protect healthcare workers from exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
APMA Online CECH: Dermatologic Manifestations of COVID-19
May 7th REGISTER HERE
Tracey Vlahovic, DPM will review dermatologic manifestations of viral diseases, including those recently associated with COVID-19. Dr. Vlahovic will discuss the current scientific literature related to dermatologic manifestations and how they are related to podiatric medicine.
Strings Attached: What Doctors Need to Know About The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payments [PICA Webinar]
Please join us on May 6 at 7 pm CT for our webinar, “Strings Attached: What Doctors Need to Know About The CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Payments”. This webinar is being presented by Kevin West, a senior healthcare attorney with extensive experience representing healthcare providers. You will learn about the various provider relief programs, the terms and conditions of each, and how to avoid liability for fraud and repayment to the federal government.
Note: This webinar is not available for continuing education credit, nor is it available for a risk management discount.
CMEonline COVID Webinars
Use the code "NYSPMA" for $20.00 off registration fees.
"Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has broadened access to Medicare telehealth services so that beneficiaries can receive a wider range of services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. "
There are some important points that you need to know about providing, documenting, and billing telehealth services.
The webinar on Sunday will go over all of these points and will end with a round table discussion with what should be a very lively Q and A session.
Not receiving helpful weekly tips from NYSPMA yet?
Your NYSPMA team sends out weekly texts including helpful content such as practice management tips, legal tips, CPR tips, association news, legislative updates, and more. You can always opt-in and opt-out at any time!
Text "NYSPMA" to 8449476386 to sign up!
[FREE] NYS-Compliant Opioid Prescriber Training
DPMs who took this 3-year training in 2017, when this new training requirement was introduced, will need to re-train in 2020
Complete your minimum of three (3) hours of course work or training in pain management, palliative care and addiction for prescribers with online courses through the University of Buffalo or Boston University - free of charge. Use the links below for the course work.
Check out the NYSPMA Fall Prevention Program! Earn 1 CME, FREE to NYSPMA Members
Our fall prevention webinar is ready to be viewed. I am encouraging everyone to view this course for free CME, as we are doing this in cooperation with the Department of Health, as partners in the prevention agenda. Please take advantage of this member benefit, and help advance podiatry and add this important service to your practices. ACCESS THE WEBINAR HERE.
Tickets at Work
Helping Employees During the Coronavirus Pandemic
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Tickets at Work is establishing new partnerships daily to provide your employees with discounts on everything they need during this difficult time, including 50% off on:
- home technology
- grocery and wine delivery
- television streaming services
- health and wellness subscriptions
- financial resources
- and so much more!
If you haven't signed up yet for an account yet, you can enroll for free using our company code: NYSPMA0617
And to support you personally, we’ve pulled together a comprehensive list of resources the Human Resources community is using to effectively sustain operations, as well as information that can be shared with employees to help them through their unique situations. Our first topic of the series is: COVID-19 Resources for Businesses and their Employees - Mental, Physical, and Financial Health
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Featured Member Partner Programs-
Updated Medical Insurance Plans for 2020-New Medicare Supplement!
NYSPMA through Creative Wealth Planning (CWP) offers a variety of medical, dental and eye care insurance with excellent customer service. CWP has just announced a new Medicare Supplement Plan, which can be viewed at www.creativewealthplanning.com/medicaresupplement . Other CWP plans for NYSPMA members can be viewed at www.creativewealthplanning.com/nyspma Creative Wealth Planning, LLC. CWP is an independent insurance brokerage firm with over 35 years of experience, specializing in group and individual medical insurance. CWP can design coverage for you, your dependents, and staff, as well as options for those covered by Medicare. CWP works directly with members to tailor plan options that are best suited to your needs.
NYSPMA: Connect on Facebook & Twitter
NYSPMA has a Facebook page and is now on Twitter. These pages provide Association announcements and updates. We are always looking for great news stories to share on our pages. If you’ve recently been quoted in the media, received an award, launched a new project or have relevant news to share, please email info@nyspma.org.
Poster for Your Office: We have developed an 8 1/2 x 11 Full-Color Poster/Flyer that can be displayed in your office to encourage your patients to visit our consumer site, www.nyfoothealth.com, to stay up to date on the latest foot health news and get updates on diabetes, bunions, heel pain...and more.
