Activity Description

A one hour self-paced web based learning module focusing on how fraud, waste or abuse affects physicians and patients. Co-sponsored by the Physician Assessment and clinical Education Program (PACE) and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), the module increases physician awareness of how haste, poor documentation or momentary poor judgment can increase vulnerabilities to fraud, waste and abuse. The program also discusses how waste impacts patient care, and how physician impairment can increase susceptibility to fraud schemes. In addition, this eLearning provides learners with additional resources for more information.

Target Audience
The target audience for this course includes physicians and osteopaths, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who refer and prescribe for Medi-Cal patients.

Method of Participation
The estimated time to complete this activity is one (1) hour.  This activity is presented via the Medi-Cal Learning Portal. Users must create an account and pass the connection test

Educational Objectives
Following completion of this educational activity, learners should be able to:

• Describe how fraud, waste, and abuse harms their patients and their practice
• Identify those behaviors which can involve them in fraud, waste, and abuse
• Use professional resources available to avoid or reduce the potential of becoming a victim or unknowing participant in fraud, waste, and abuse

Statement of Need
Medi-Cal providers (physicians, osteopaths, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) have limited awareness about the impact that fraud, waste and abuse can have upon their patients and their practices. The size and scope of fraud, waste and abuse within the healthcare system has significant medical, societal, and monetary impacts upon physicians and patients. This web-based training will educate physicians about some of the causes and effects of fraud, waste and abuse. It will reinforce the role of documentation as an integral part of the practice of medicine. In addition, it will provide physicians with additional resources to address and correct errors and vulnerabilities within their own practices.

Release Date: June 1, 2015
Expiration Date: November 20, 2021

 Faculty

Course Director
William Norcross, M.D.
Executive Director
Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE)
University of California, San Diego

Presenters
William Norcross, M.D.
Executive Director
Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE)
University of California, San Diego

Eugene (Gene) Beed, M.D.
Medical Consultant I
Medical Review Branch
California Department of Health Care Services

Karen Johnson, CPA
Chief Deputy Director
California Department of Health Care Services

Tom Stahl, Esq.
Assistant United States Attorney
Chief, Civil Division, San Diego Office

David Bazzo, M.D.
Director, Fitness for Duty
Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE)
University of California, San Diego

Sharon Levine, M.D.
Immediate Past President
California Medical Board
Associate Executive Director
The Permanente Medical Group

Planning Committee

David Bazzo, M.D.
Director, Fitness for Duty
Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE)
University of California, San Diego

Donna Gray-Bowersox
Health Program Manager III
Medical Review Branch
California Department of Health Care Services

William Norcross, M.D.
Executive Director
Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE)
University of California, San Diego

Disclosure
The following faculty, planning committee members, and project staff have indicated they have no financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to the content of this activity:

• David Bazzo, M.D.
• Donna Gray-Bowersox
• William Norcross, M.D.

The CME staff, meeting planners, editorial staff, planning committee, and CME committee reviewers do not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Off-label Disclosure: This educational activity may contain discussion of unlabeled and/or investigational uses of agents that are not approved by the FDA. Please consult the prescribing information for each product.

The views and opinions expressed in this activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of California, San Diego.