Visit the SDSMA Health System Reform Page
Health system reform discussions have kicked into high gear in Washington, D.C., as the issue looks to be a very high priority in 2009 and beyond.
We've compiled health system reform information from the SDSMA, the AMA, Congress and the Obama administration for our members so you can be informed and speak your mind on the various plans proposed by the Obama administration and Congress.
Click here to visit the SDSMA Health System Reform page, where the latest information can be found.
2010 Annual Meeting - Save the Date!
The 2010 SDSMA Annual Meeting will be held on June 3 & 4 at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Sioux Falls. Mark your calendars and check back here for more details.
Sign up to be the SDSMA Doctor of the Day in Pierre
Join the advocacy efforts of the SDSMA by volunteering for this important program. If you've been a Doctor of the Day in the past, you know that the services provided are appreciated by our state's legislators. Plus, if you've never been to Pierre during session, it's an invaluable educational experience that will offer you an inside look at our state's legislative process.
Swine (H1N1) Flu Information and Updates
Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection are widespread throughout South Dakota and nationally.
Click here for the latest comprehensive swine flu information and guidance from the SD Department of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
South Dakota residents with questions about flu can contact the department’s call center at 1.800.592.1861 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
South Dakotans looking for information about H1N1 vaccine opportunities can call a new state hotline, 1.866.320.2740.
SDSMA 2009 Annual Meeting
The SDSMA held its 2009 Annual Meeting on October 1 and 2 in Sioux Falls, welcoming several speakers on health system reform, including American Medical Association (AMA) President J. James Rohack, MD.
Couldn't join us this year? Please click here to view presentations from the Annual Meeting.
Medicaid Reimbursement
The SDSMA offered public testimony in August in Pierre to a committee of state legislators on how the current Medicaid reimbursement structure in South Dakota affects physicians in the state. The committee’s purpose is to study the structure and adequacy of the Medicaid reimbursement formula, as well as explore opportunities to raise revenues and increase matching federal funds.
SDSMA CEO Barb Smith's testimony offered information regarding Medicaid rates and provider participation; South Dakota’s Medicaid population; Medicaid reimbursement and its direct impact on physician participation and access to care; how Medicare’s fee schedule determines the Medicaid fee schedule; the ethical dilemma many physicians currently face regarding Medicaid and Medicare patients; and whether or not a provider tax would be a viable option to generate more federal matching funds that could be used to bolster the Medicaid program. Much of Ms. Smith’s testimony highlighted points made by a report, “Medicaid Reimbursement,” prepared by the SDSMA that was hand-delivered to members of the committee.
Red Flags Rule
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)will delay implementation of the Red Flags Rule until June 1, 2010.
The AMA will utilize this time to convince the FTC and Congress that physicians are not "creditors" and therefore should not be subject to this rule. many physicians will be required under federal law to assist the government in detecting, preventing and mitigating "red flags" of identity theft.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) implemented the so-called Red Flags Rule, which will impose certain duties on financial institutions and "creditors" with the goal of curtailing the growing issue of consumer identity theft.
2010 Payment Rule Removes SGR Drugs, Uses New Practice Expense Data
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the 2010 Medicare physician payment schedule proposed rule, including a long-awaited announcement that the Obama Administration will change the definition of physician services under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) to exclude physician-administered drugs.
The drug costs will be removed retroactive to the 1996/97 base year of the SGR formula, which will greatly lessen the forecast SGR cuts in future years, although there is still a 21.5 percent cut scheduled for 2010. This action will substantially reduce the legislative cost of congressional proposals to reform physician payments makes a permanent solution to SGR disaster much more feasible.
Click here to learn more about the new rule.
SDSMA Introduces "For The Media" Page
Looking for contact information or recent news releases from the SDSMA? We've compiled information for the media on a new page.
South Dakota Medicine Special Issue 2009
- Click here to read The Next Vital Sign, our special issue on tobacco cessation and the dangers of secondhand smoke. Individual copies of this special issue are also available for purchase by contacting Megan Myers at 605.336.1965.
SERV SD
The goal of the Statewide Emergency Registry of Volunteers in South Dakota (SERV SD) is to create a database that will enable health professionals to be mobilized immediately in response to a large-scale disaster or emergency.
- Click here to learn more about SERV SD and how you can volunteer.
New to the SDSMA?
The SDSMA has a number of benefits that help foster personal and profession development for its physician members.
- Click here to see how the SDSMA's member-driven focus is at work for you!
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