ANA Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board call for public comment on 2 position statements closes on March 8, 2020 

February 19, 2020

ANA Center for Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board call for public comment on 2 position statements closes on March 8, 2020  

Nurses Professional Responsibility to Promote Ethical Practice Environments

The Ethical Use of Restraints: Balancing Dual Nursing Duties of Patient Safety and Personal Safety .

Please use this opportunity to contribute to ANA's focus on transparency and recognition of the important insights of public examination of its products. Please share this announcement with colleagues, students, healthcare consumers and other stakeholders. For questions regarding this position, please contact [email protected].

Submit comments at:  https://www.nursingworld.org/get-involved/share-your-expertise/call-for-public-comment/

Call For Volunteers Planning Committee for the 2020 Annual CNA Conference Theme: “Celebrate Nursing Now!”

February 17, 2020

Revised Evaluation and Management (E/M) Office Codes Final Rule

February 17, 2020

While it is only the second month of 2020, it is never too early to look to 2021, when the revised Evaluation and Management (E/M) office codes go into effect per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) CY 2020 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule. CMS first proposed the updated Medicare E/M codes July 2018 in the CY 2019 PFS proposed rule to address the common perception that the E/M codes were outdated and to achieve administrative simplification. What is changing?

• Deletion of code 99201 
• Revision of codes 99202-99215P
• Components for code selection 
• E/M level of service for office or other outpatient services can be based on:
  • Medical Decision Making (MDM); or 
  • Time: total time spent with the patient on the date of the encounter, including non-face-to-face services
• Creation of a shorter 15-minute prolonged service code 

Over the next few months ANA will take a deeper dive into these changes and will continue to share further guidance from CMS. These code changes are intended for increased simplicity and flexibility.  They eliminate the need for the clinician to redocument information, therefore reducing burden and “note bloat”. ANA encourages clinicians impacted to take the next eleven months to better understand how to use the updated codes. 

With code 99201 deleted; the Office or other Outpatient Services: new patient code starts with 99202. The updated code states: Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of a new patient, which requires medically appropriate history and/or examination and straightforward medical decision making. The components of history and examination are removed from this updated code. 

This continues for 99203, 99204, and 99205 but with the increase in MDM to low MDM, moderate MDM, and high MDM respectively. Codes 99211 through 99215 are for established patients following a similar pattern, except that 99211 will still be available in 2021 with an update of the time to spend performing or supervising the services. 

The updated modifications to the criteria for MDM remove ambiguous terms and defines previously ambiguous concepts (such as acute or chronic illness with systemic systems). To qualify for a level of MDM, two of three elements for that level of decision making must be met or exceeded. Starting January 1, 2021, the new MDM table looks like:

ANA will continue to provide updates and content as clarifications become available. Currently, The American Medical Association has a module to continue in your education on the updated E/M Office Codes and remember that these codes do not go into effect until January 2021.

Webinar: Everything You Need to Know About Investigation & Disciplinary Action by the SBON

February 11, 2020

Everything You Need to Know about

Your Responsibilities when Your Staff is

Under Investigation or Disciplinary Action by the SBON

A brand-new 90-minute ON-DEMAND webinar by Edie Bous.

Last Spring, over 23,000 RNs pre-registered for the ANA membership webinar for Nursing Leaders, "Managing the Legal Risks of Nursing Practice" led by Edie Brous. As you may have heard – these nurses were not disappointed!  91% of nurses surveyed gave the webinar at least a 9 on a 10-point scale! 

Did you know that nurses at all levels of practice are substantially more likely to be investigated and disciplined by the nursing board than they are to be sued for professional malpractice?

And, licensure discipline is more consequential than lawsuits because it effects a professional's ability to continue practicing.

Individual and Group* pre-registration is required.

Register in the next five days to receive a gift, the ANA e-book, "Moral Distress and You."

Registration closes on April 16, 2020, at 1 pm ET.  A link to the on-demand webinar will be emailed to all pre-registered people the next day.

Nursing leaders and managers in all practice settings need to understand their responsibilities related to SBON actions and the impact on their nursing workforce and on their institutions.

Register for this real-world oriented webinar led by Edie Brous, JD, MS, MPH, RN, and discover:

• The mission of state nursing boards, misconceptions about nursing licensure, the purpose of nursing regulation, and the implications for nursing leadership
• Common reasons nursing boards impose discipline and how this should inform your leadership practices
• Critical management responsibilities related to professional licensure
  • Staffing/scheduling/floating
  • Impairment/diversion
  • Hiring practices
  • Supervision and monitoring
  • Employee discipline and termination
• Key actions that help protect RN licenses from investigation and discipline and the critical need for professional liability insurance. 

This real-world webinar will provide concise, actionable information that you can apply immediately to improve your practice as a nursing leader.

Our presenter: Edie Brous, JD, MS, MPH, RN, combines her experience and passion for nursing and the law by representing, advising, educating and advocating in the interests of nurses. A highly-regarded speaker, Edie is well-known for her ability to present real-world information in a highly entertaining way.