Physicians for a Smoke-Free SD!
Physicians have a special role in advocating passage of a smoking ban on behalf of the health of your patients and the health of the residents of South Dakota. A “Yes” vote on Referred Law 12 will make all workplaces, bars, restaurants, video-lottery establishments and Deadwood casinos smoke free, meaning that no worker in South Dakota will have to choose between their life and a livelihood that exposes them to the known dangers of secondhand smoke.
We need your help to make SD smoke free! Please click on the link below to discover some ways you can help ensure South Dakota becomes the next indoor smoke free workplace state. We would like to secure your support by August 15, 2010, in order to be ready for the fall campaign.
Please click here for information on how you can get involved.
2011 Member Directory Updates!
The September 15 deadline for changes to how SDSMA members are listed in the SDSMA's 2011 Member Directory is fast approaching. If you or your staff has not submitted changes for the 2011 edition, please send any changes to Donna Toay at (P) 605.336.1965, (Fax) 605.274.3274 or dtoay@sdsma.org.
Save the Date! Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
The South Dakota State Medical Association Political Action Committee (SDSMA PAC) will be hosting a Gubernatorial Forum featuring Democratic candidate Scott Heidepriem and Republican candidate Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard on Thursday, October 7. The event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Sioux Falls and is open to all SDSMA members and guests. Dr. Bob Burns, distinguished professor emeritus of political science from SDSU, will be moderating the event.
Along with SDSMA PAC, the event will be co-sponsored with generous support from the following organizations: SDSMA; SDSMA PAC; SD Academy of Family Physicians; SD Chapter, American College of Physicians; SD Osteopathic Association; Seventh District Medical Society; the Black Hills Medical Society, the Brookings/Madison District Medical Society; the SDSMA Alliance; the SD Psychiatry Association; the Yankton District Medical Society; and the SD Medical Group Management Association..
More details on the forum will be featured in South Dakota Medicine, eNews and here at sdsma.org. Mark your calendars today! The event starts with a social at 7 p.m., followed by the forum at 7:30.
Please RSVP to the SDSMA office by September 29 by calling 605.336.1965.
SD MEDX Update
As you know, the Department of Social Services (DSS) is replacing the current Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) with a new system called the South Dakota Medical Electronic Data Exchange (SD MEDX). Below are dates related to implementation of the new system. A select group of providers will be conducting preliminary re-enrollments prior to the dates identified below, to ensure the system is functioning properly.
- August 30, 2010: SD MEDX Provider Re-Enrollment begins. Billing Agents will be the first to enroll. Other provider types will follow and will be notified prior to their specific re-enrollment period.
- August 30, 2010: SD MEDX Provider Enrollment and Re-Enrollment training begins. Training will be provided in three ways: face-to-face, conference calls and online through training modules, quick reference guides and checklists. Type of training, time and location will be specific to your provider type. The DSS will notify you when it is your time to begin the SD MEDX training.
- September 7, 2010: SD MEDX New Provider Enrollments accepted.
You will continue to receive direction and correspondence from our department regarding provider enrollment, re-enrollment and training. Please use the SD MEDX website located at http://dss.sd.gov/sdmedx/ as a resource for the most recent updates and information.
Changes affecting payment from the South Dakota Medical Assistance program:
- Change in the Pay to Address
- Change in the Servicing Address for Primary Care Providers only
- Change in the Electronic Funds Transfer Information in cluding the ABA routing information
- Change in the Billing or Servicing NPI
If you need to make any of these changes to complete timely claims filing please contact the SD MEDX Provider Response Team at 1.866.718.0084 or SDMEDXgeneral@state.sd.us.
Medicare Reimbursement "Fix" Finally in Place
During the evening hours of Thursday, June 24, the House passed H.R. 3962, which provides a 2.2 percent Medicare fee schedule update for physician services through November 2010. The bill passed by a bipartisan vote of 417 to 1. Since the same legislation passed the Senate last week, the bill was sent promptly to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.
The 2.2 percent update provided by H.R. 3962 would replace the 21 percent Medicare cut currently in effect, and it will be applied retroactively to claims for services provided on or after June 1. The SDSMA will continue to update its membership as well as members of the SDMGMA with any details on procedures the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will use to retroactively adjust June claims that have already been paid at the lower rate.
South Dakota Medicine Special Issue 2010
- Click here to read The Burden of South Dakota's Four Major Cancers: Colorectal, Female Breast, Lung and Prostate, our special issue on the major cancers that affect South Dakotans.
- Individual copies of this special issue are also available for purchase by contacting Megan Myers at 605.336.1965.
Visit the SDSMA Health System Reform Page
Congress and President Obama have passed health system reform legislation that will affect you and your practice. We've compiled health system reform information from the SDSMA, the AMA, Congress and the Obama administration for our members.
Click here to view the SDSMA's framework for implementation of the health system reform law.
Click here to visit the SDSMA Health System Reform page, where the latest information can be found.
Swine (H1N1) Flu Information and Survey
The South Dakota Department of Health (SDDOH) is conducting an after-action survey of its response to H1N1 influenza. Your input is important and will provide the SDDOH with valuable information regarding the recent response and help improve future responses. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by clicking on the link below. Thank you for your survey responses and for your part in the response to H1N1.
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, 2009, in Sioux Falls, welcoming several speakers on health system reform, including American Medical Association (AMA) President J. James Rohack, MD.
Couldn't join us? Please click here to view presentations from the Annual Meeting.
Medicaid Reimbursement
The SDSMA offered public testimony in August 2009 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.
SDSMA "For The Media" Page
Looking for contact information or recent news releases from the SDSMA? We've compiled information for the media.
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.
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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