The Iowa Medicaid Drug Utilization Review (DUR) Commission is seeking physician feedback on proposed changes to clinical prior authorization criteria. The proposed changes affect the following:
Oral Constipation Agents
Long-Acting Narcotics
Multiple Sclerosis - Oral Agents
Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonists
Details of the proposed changes are...
During the entire month of June, The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is offering four weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the form of patches and gum to Iowa smokers who choose to make a quit attempt using Quitline Iowa. Quitline Iowa offers tobacco cessation coaching services...
The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced that the state will continue to move forward with its previously announced public comment schedule for a Medicaid 1115 Waiver to extend health coverage to low income Iowans. The state had originally released a draft waiver application to implement the Governor’s...
In 2014, a Medicare payment penalty of 2 percent will be applied to individual eligible professionals or group practices participating in the Electronic Prescribing Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) if they are not successful electronic prescribers. CMS will automatically exclude from the penalty...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cites longstanding AMA policy that minors need to be protected from the dangers of tanning beds in its new proposed regulations for sunlamps. The proposals are intended to enhance government oversight of these devices and require warnings aimed at discouraging young people under the age of 18 from using them....
This is the fifth year the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) director has designated suspected or confirmed cases of exposure to microcystin (a toxin produced by blue-green algae) as a reportable disease in Iowa to study its occurrence and epidemiology in the state. This designation is in place...
The AMA Wire says a bill in Georgia is the first piece of legislation “to ensure physicians can exercise their clinical judgment without running afoul of medical liability claims based on new federal regulatory guidelines, including those in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).” The law was based...
If you are a student leader and could use some help paying for your medical education, the Iowa Medical Society would like to invite you to apply for a Leadership Award Scholarship through the Iowa Medical Society Foundation (IMSF).
All eligible candidates must be student members of the Iowa Medical...
Physicians, medical students and clinic and hospital administrators gathered in Coralville for a weekend of education and networking at IMS 2013: Shape Your Future. The Saturday session included presentations by the Dean of the Carver College of Medicine, Debra Schwinn, MD; Iowa Representative Chip...
The Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME) has released the results of its second ICD-10 Provider Readiness Survey which was launched in February of this year. Intended to gauge how prepared providers are for transitioning to the ICD-10 code set on October 1, 2014, the survey found a slight increase in...