Please note the Benefits and Services, and Additional Services sections with topics listed vertically to the left below each.
Select a tab below to view the information.
- Member Benefits and Services
- Membership Additional Services
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| A Message | An important message from your colleagues in
ISMA leadership. . . The Indiana State Medical Association defends the medical profession every day — on your behalf — whether through legislative advocacy, interventions with federal and state agencies, or negotiations with commercial payers and other entities attempting to negatively influence health care. We are your physicians…your colleagues…your friends. Our ranks include well-established physicians and others new to the healing arts. We originate from Indiana and from places all over the globe. We are men and women who know that together we can continue battling to maintain the autonomy we believe is critical to the care of our patients. Alone, we will lose our independence rather than gain it back from those who seek to take it away. Divided we will fail to maintain our scope of practice, surrendering it to those less qualified to care for our patients. Ours is — and always will be — a never ending struggle that easily can be lost if we do not remain vigilant. Advantage can be gained, but only through our collective strength and determination to meet each new challenge. We are you and you are the ISMA. Thank you for your support of organized medicine. | ||
| Advocacy | Advocacy Legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly and the U.S. Congress directly affects how you practice medicine. With your membership, ISMA physician leaders and staff professionals represent you 365 days a year and send you legislative updates weekly during the Indiana legislative session. You can join the fight for better laws and policies impacting your medical practice by becoming part of the Key Contact program. You’ll work at the grass-roots level to shape effective health care legislation and educate lawmakers about its importance. Call the ISMA for more information. Addressing issues of concern to you and your patients, Key Contact physicians and the ISMA affect change on such issues as:
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| athenahealth, Inc. | athenahealth, Inc. Teaming with athenahealth, Inc., a leading physician billing, practice management and electronic medical record vendor, the ISMA now can help members access state-of-the-art billing services. athenahealth also allows access to the country’s largest database of payer rules. Plus, you may be eligible to enjoy a 6 percent discount off the monthly athenaCollector fee when all physicians in your practice are members in good standing of the ISMA. To learn more, visit here. | ||
| Atlantic Health Partners | Atlantic Health Partners Atlantic Health Partners works directly with Sanofi Pasteur and Merck to obtain the most favorable pricing and purchasing terms for a wide variety of pediatric, adolescent, adult, flu and travel vaccines. Members of the Atlantic program make purchases directly from Sanofi and Merck (as you may do now) but typically receive lower prices. Atlantic also offers savings on medical supplies and injectibles, and there is NO COST to join! To learn more, visit here. | ||
| Claims and Reimbursement Assistance | Claims and Reimbursement Assistance Resolve billing and reimbursement problems involving Medicare, Medicaid and commercial carriers with help from ISMA practice advisors who are available to you daily. Or you may attend regular meetings with the carriers. Bimonthly updates are published for members following each meeting with Medicare, Medicaid and their contractors. Also, the ISMA regularly provides members news about changes and solutions to issues with the large commercial plans. Physician members and their staffs bring questions to these meetings, which are open to all ISMA members and practice employees. For claims assistance contact Jeri Biedenkopf at (317) 261-2060 or (800) 257-4762. | ||
| Coding Assistance | Coding Assistance For better or worse, codes determine your reimbursement. Correct coding also keeps the auditors away. The ISMA Coding Hotline is available to members for clarification of CPT, ICD and HCPCS coding issues by calling (800) 257-4762 or (317) 261-2060. | ||
| Complaint Form Regarding Health Plans | Complaint Form for HIPAA and Health Plans
The ISMA and the American Medical Association (AMA) offer a tool to help you with the frustrating day-to-day administrative hassles of managed care. The AMA Health Plan Complaint Form can be used to detail the types and severity of the problems you face. The AMA and the ISMA use the information to identify trends, facilitate discussions with national health insurers and coordinate organized medicine’s legislative and regulatory agendas. You can use the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Complaint Form to inform the AMA about health plans and other payers out of compliance with the HIPAA electronic transaction and code set standards. Membership in the AMA is not required. |
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| Directory of Physician Members | Directory of Physician Members The ISMA membership directory is now available online and contains information on the nearly 8,000 physician members of our organization. The data are consistently updated and available for physician referrals or for patients seeking a new doctor. The Membership Directory can show a physician's: geographic location, education, contact information, specialty area, hospital affiliation, languages spoken, Medicare/Medicaid acceptance. Our online directory benefits members as an outstanding referral source. | ||
| Education | Education (discounted member benefit) Change is constant and professional development never ends. Sharpen your business acumen and help your staff stay abreast of changes by participating in ISMA seminars and workshops. Some seminars will offer online real-time meeting participation. Education is available for you through two venues:
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| Field Services | Field Services The ISMA field staff assigned to northern and southern Indiana serves your interests and acts as liaison between the ISMA and its members. The field staff representatives provide legislative updates and other key information through county medical society meetings, hospital staff meetings and personal contact with the physician community. They strive to increase the number of physicians joining and retaining membership, and enhance participation at all levels of the association. Please contact your ISMA field representative at (800) 257-4762 to refer a colleague who is not a member. | ||
| In-Office Education Services | In-Office Education Services The ISMA In-Office Education Services can give you peace of mind. After spending time with our staff, you’ll know you are complying with governmental guidelines and receiving proper reimbursement. Plus, you’ll enjoy improved cash flow and increased patient satisfaction. These educational activities include compliance training, office administration enhancement, HIPAA compliance review, Medicare/Medicaid claims regulation review, and superbill or encounter form set-up and review. | ||
| Insurance | Insurance Choose from a multitude of medical insurance plans with flexible benefit designs for you, your family and staff. Let knowledgeable ISMA support staff act as your advocate with the insurer to help you get the most from any plan. Protect yourself, your family and your future with life and disability insurance. More information on these products is available at www.ismaia.com. | ||
| Legal Information and Resources | Legal Information and Resources Obtain legal assistance and referral services from ISMA’s in-house legal staff. Also, the ISMA Legal Department can help you make sense of the documents you must sign by reviewing provider agreements, managed care contracts, employment contracts and more. A multitude of documents summarizing legal information is also available in the Legal Resources section on the ISMA Web site. | ||
| Medical Business Specialist Certification | Medical Business Specialist (MBS) Certification As an ISMA member, you can reap the benefits of providing your management and staff with extensive training in policies and procedures critical to office operation. You can improve their communication skills and the significance of their contributions to the success of your practice. The ISMA offers programs needed for development of skills as a certified Medical Business Specialist. For more information call the ISMA office or visit the MBS page. | ||
| Office Supply Program- OfficeDepot® | Office Depot and Tech Depot Program The ISMA has teamed up with national retail chain Office Depot® to offer ISMA members special discounts on office supplies. You can also take advantage of TechDepot’s special account manager to determine physician technology needs in both large and small offices – plus discounts on computer equipment, software and supplies. | ||
| Patient Education Materials | Patient Education Materials Educate your patients using ISMA educational resources on such topics as domestic violence, patient satisfaction, obesity and flu shots. Find the handouts here. | ||
| Physician Assistance Program | Physician Assistance Program The ISMA Physician Assistance Program (ISMA PAP) addresses the needs of physicians impaired by chemical dependence, psychiatric disorders and physical disability, as well as the disruptive physician. Title 844 of the Indiana Administrative Code allows substance abusing and/or psychiatrically impaired physicians to obtain help confidentially, provided they follow the guidelines. For more information, contact the ISMA or visit the physician assistance page. | ||
| Physician Practice Opportunities | Physician Practice Opportunities The ISMA has developed two methods to help you find new practice opportunities. One is offered through the ISMA’s classifieds. The other is a fully automated system called Opportunities in Medicine in Indiana at www.OMIonline.org, where you can post a CV and access hundreds of potential opportunities. | ||
| Publications | Publications Stay on top of health care news that impacts you and your practice with ISMA Reports , a biweekly newsletter in print and e-Reports , its e-mail version. Learn how the ISMA protects your interests with Legislative News updates published weekly during the Indiana General Assembly. Ensure that your concerns with Medicare and Medicaid are reviewed and resolved when you present them to the carriers at Medicare/Medicaid Coalition meetings. Results are reported to all ISMA members through the bimonthly Medicare/Medicaid Coalition Report. Stay informed on issues and resolutions to problems involving member practices and commercial health plans through the annual Commercial Payer Report. |
| topic | content |
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| Commercial Payer Meetings | Commercial Payer Meetings An annual session held each June allows you and your staff to meet with commercial payers. The meetings help resolve problems, explain complex regulations and provide answers to your questions. If you are interested in attending or submitting a question, contact the ISMA at (317) 261-2060 or (800) 257-4762 . Annual reports are published as a free service to members. |
| Medicare/Medicaid Coalition Meetings | Medicare/Medicaid Coalition Meetings This bimonthly coalition meets with Medicare and Medicaid representatives to discuss issues forwarded by physicians and members of the coalition. Coalition representatives assist in reconciling and clarifying reimbursement concerns as well as procedural, medical policy and systems problems. If you are interested in attending or submitting a question, contact the ISMA at (317) 261-2060 or (800) 257-4762. Bimonthly reports are published as a free member service |
| Indiana Medical Political Action Committee (IMPAC) | Indiana Medical Political Action Committee (IMPAC) IMPAC is the ISMA’s nonpartisan political action committee. IMPAC participants are either physician members of the ISMA, spouses of physicians or medical residents. Membership dues are $250 (physician only), $500 (physician and spouse), $365 (Dollar-A-Day Program), $500 (Five-Star) and $20 (resident). |
| Commission on Medical Education | Commission on Medical Education The Commission on Medical Education consists of physicians who survey and accredit organizations to offer continuing medical education. This commission is the only continuing medical education accrediting body in the state and has been in existence for more than 30 years. Anyone interested in becoming an accredited organization should contact the ISMA at (317) 261-2060 or (800) 257-4762 or visit the CME providers page. |
| Physician Recognition Award (PRA) | Physician Recognition Award (PRA) The ISMA recognizes ISMA members who have received the AMA Physician Recognition Award. In 1968, the AMA established the PRA certificate and the related AMA PRA credit system to recognize physicians who, by participating in CME activities, demonstrate their commitment to staying current with advances in medicine. |
| Medical Student Society (MSS) | Medical Student Society (MSS) The Medical Student Society was established in 1985. Members are dedicated to promoting organized medicine and helping each other through the challenges of medical school. All medical students in Indiana are automatically ISMA members and exempt from all dues. MSS supports:
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| Resident & Fellow Society (RFS) | Resident & Fellow Society (RFS) The Resident and Fellow Society was established in 1984. As physicians in training, RFS members are aware that the health care system is dynamic in nature and that its members must help protect their future in the healing arts for the good of patients RFS supports:
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| Young Physician Society (YPS) | Young Physician Society (YPS) The Young Physician Society was established in 1995. The YPS is eager to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of physicians and seeks to protect their ability to provide the best care possible to patients YPS supports:
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| Committee on Family Violence | Committee on Family Violence The ISMA’s Committee on Family Violence distributes a guide outlining an eight-step process to assist physicians in helping patients who may have suffered domestic violence. In addition, the committee developed regional, business-sized resource cards to discretely provide victims telephone numbers of shelters and support groups, and outline a safety plan. Find support materials here. |
| Specialty Societies | Specialty Societies The ISMA provides administrative support and meeting management services for the specialty societies of dermatology, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology, neurology and surgery, as well as for the Association of Indiana Directors of Medical Education and the Indiana State Medical Association Alliance. |
| HIPAA and Health Records | Click on a topic to view the information: |
| Billing Information for Medicare | Claim Filing Guidelines
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| Medicaid and Managed Care Information | Medicaid and Managed Care Information |
