Happy New Year to you and your family! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. It is truly hard to believe it is 2024 already. We are very enthusiastic to be back as the team and I have jumped right into the development of AROC 2024! As you have might heard by now, we will be offering MOC credits for the very first time including for ABIM. We are currently working on the AROC 2024 and the CME Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, January 8^th but some of the topics we will be offering are in:

• Neurology- Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurology- Headache Disorders 
• Maintaining Cognitive Performance in Geriatric Patients
• Physician Burnout 
• Cardiology Track 
• Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine- NEW FOR THIS YEAR: Will be part of Track One with a lecture on billing and coding as well as a hands-on workshop
• State Mandates- Including for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Maryland and Delaware! 
• Much more to be shared soon….

We hope you will be able to join us earlier this year: April 10 to 13, 2024 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City! As the conference develops, all information will be posted to our website which you can access by clicking here which include the hotel information. 

To download the registration form, please click here and to register online, please click here.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead. To all of our northern New Jersey members, please enjoy this weekend’s winter storm for the rest of us in the southern part of the state!

George Scott, DO, DPM

President, 2023-2024, NJAOPS

Tajma Kotoric 

Chief Executive Officer, NJAOPS 

As the New Year approaches - we want to be sure that we keep the upcoming AROC season top of mind.

We will be updating this section of our weekly newsletter to keep you posted on planning, events and programs as they unfold. We will remind everyone of important deadlines, specific sessions and speakers of interest, as well as special events that will be scheduled that week. Keep an eye out for updates and let us know if you ever have any questions.

The main page on our website for Attendees is: https://www.njaops.org/aroc-attendee-information and here is where you will find credit information and registration forms, among other details...

Discount Code for Hard Rock Hotel: GARC24z

Phone: Call 609-449-6860

Online: https://book.passkey.com/go/garc24z

Happy New Year! We begin with the telemedicine parity bill signed into law. An achievement made possible by your membership.  As the end of the lame duck session approaches on January 8, stay tuned for the full update next week.

Looking forward to reporting VERY GOOD NEWS!

TELEMEDICINE PARITY EXTENSION SIGNED INTO LAW

New Law Extends Pay Parity for Telehealth and Telemedicine Providers through the End of 2024

A new law, sponsored by Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., and Senator Vin Gopal to extend pay parity for telehealth and telemedicine providers until the end of 2024was signed by Governor Murphy on December 21. 2023. Under the new law, P.L. 2023, c. 199, reimbursement payments for providers using telemedicine and telehealth will continue to be equal to or no less than the reimbursement received for in-person consultations through next year.

Many health providers began offering telehealth services to their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government through the CARES Act stipulated pay parity for Medicare and Medicaid, and many private insurers followed suit. Pay parity rates are set to expire at the end of this year, and the federal government has not yet decided to further extend pay parity or to make it permanent. This legislation aims to ensure that important telehealth services are not lost at the end of the year.

During the previous legislative session, Governor Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed telehealth pay parity legislation and directed the Department of Health to access the costs and impacts of the practice in New Jersey. The DOH expects the study will be ready next year. By extending pay parity through the end of 2024, the new law provides legislators the time to review the data once the study is complete to make informed recommendations.

Have you renewed your membership? Have you contributed to JOPAC?

Thank you in advance.

We need your help…

JOPAC Contributions Helping to Make Connections

NJAOPS’ President, George Scott, DO, DPM with Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-6). Your support is needed and appreciated!

Click here to help make a difference for DOs in

New Jersey!

Healthcare Headlines

• Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans
• States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
• F.D.A. Issues First Approval for Mass Drug Imports to States From Canada
• Wegovy, Ozempic not linked to increase in suicidal thoughts, US study finds
• Hydroxychloroquine could have caused 17,000 deaths during Covid, study finds
• Respiratory illnesses are on the rise after the holidays
• Philadelphia confirms at least 4 measles cases, warns about addition exposures at day care and hospitals
• States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
• Mask mandates return at some US hospitals as COVID, flu jump
• End-of-life immunotherapy on the rise for patients with metastatic cancer
• Private equity in health care tops practice management discussions of 2023
• 'There is still work to be done': ABIM maintenance of certification program faces scrutiny
• FDA Warns of Toxic Oleander in Supplements
• UnitedHealth Group accuses 2 former execs of stealing trade secrets
• Eli Lilly to sell weight loss drugs directly to consumers; warns against 'cosmetic' usage
• 'Alexa, Titrate My Insulin': AI App Boosts Glycemic Control in Randomized Trial
• The digital divide in access to broadband internet and mental healthcare
• Exposure to Residential Green Space and Bone Mineral Density in Young Children
• Hospitals won't see a 'V-shaped recovery'
• Why Is TikTok Parent ByteDance Moving Into Biology, Chemistry And Drug Discovery?
• Could 'Early Birds' Be at Higher Risk for Anorexia?
• Breastfeeding may reduce later MS risk for people with family history
• 'If you seek help, you risk your career': Physician suicide needs solutions, not silence
• Q&A: 2024 physician fee schedule means 'untenable payment cuts for family physicians'
• Tuberculosis outbreak tied to bone grafts underscores shortcomings of testing

Outbreak Investigations & Safety Advisories

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 

The following is an update from FDA of concern: Investigation of Elevated Lead Levels: Cinnamon Applesauce Pouches

In FDA’s testing of the recalled products and the cinnamon collected from the Austrofoods facility, the agency has found chromium. People who ate recalled products, especially if they had elevated blood lead levels, may have been exposed to chromium and should inform their healthcare provider so they can monitor health and provide supportive care, as needed. Healthcare providers can refer to CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA Now) announcement for information for additional guidance.

Chromium is a naturally occurring element. It is an essential trace nutrient important to the diet that exists predominantly in two forms, chromium (III) and chromium (VI). Chromium (VI) is more toxic than chromium (III). Due to limitations in available testing methods, FDA was not able to definitively determine the form of chromium in the cinnamon apple puree sample (i.e., whether the chromium present is chromium (III) or chromium (VI)). The lead-to-chromium ratio in the cinnamon apple puree sample is consistent with that of lead chromate (PbCrO₄) (which contains chromium (VI)), but this is not a definitive indicator that lead chromate or chromium (VI) (the more toxic form of chromium) was present. Information on the health effects of eating food contaminated with chromium (VI) are limited. The chromium in lead chromate may also be converted to chromium (III) (the less toxic form of chromium) due to the acidity of the applesauce and the stomach.

Additional FDA Laboratory Results Indicate Chromium Contamination:

After additional analysis of both recalled cinnamon apple products and the cinnamon collected from the manufacturer in Ecuador, FDA has determined that, in addition to lead, the cinnamon and recalled products also contained a high level of chromium. The level of chromium detected in the two samples of cinnamon yielded 1201 and 531 parts per million (ppm). Because of the limited amount of cinnamon used in the finished product, the level of chromium detected in the reanalysis of FDA samples of the recalled WanaBana Cinnamon Apple Puree product yielded 0.590 and 0.566 ppm.

FDA also conducted testing for arsenic and cadmium, but those elements were not detected above trace levels in the cinnamon collected from the Austrofoods facility in Ecuador or in the recalled product. As part of this investigation, some state partners also conducted testing for toxic elements and only detected elevated levels of lead and chromium.

Read the full update