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Frequently Asked Questions (February 03, 2009)
Frequently Asked Questions (March 16, 2006)
What is my CMA membership status?
As a member of your county medical society, you are also a member of the California Medical Association. In order to renew your membership and check your membership status, please start by contacting your county medical society. If you have further questions or if you have lost your membership card please contact CMA at (888) 233-2937.
How can I update or change my contact information (i.e. address, phone, e-mail etc)?
Call CMA's membership hotline (888) 233-2937 or e-mail sromine@cmanet.org.
How can I register or change my password for the members-only website?
Click here to register for the members-only website. You will need your CMA ID and your medical license numbers. If you do not know your CMA ID, please contact CMA and someone will look it up for you. If you need immediate assistance, please call our member help line, (888) 233-2937.
If you have already registered for the website, and have forgotten your username or password, please call (888) 233-2937 for assistance.
Where can I find CMA’s policy on an issue?
The Policy Compendium is a searchable online database of all current CMA policies, including House of Delegate resolutions, Board of Trustee minutes, and other adopted policy. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to access the compendium.
How do I find out CMA’s ethical opinion on a particular issue?
CMA defers any ethical opinions to those published and decided by the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. For more information, visit http://www.ama-assn.org.
How can I get involved in shaping CMA policy?
CMA relies on the involvement of members to communicate the physician vision of medical care: to the public, to lawmakers, and to the regulators who determine how medicine is practiced in California and the United States. CMA policy is set by its members and is voted on by physician representatives, who are elected to serve in the House of Delegates (HOD) or on the Board of Trustees.
The most direct way for members to get involved is to submit resolutions to the HOD. As the association's legislative body, the HOD meets once a year to establish CMA policies on key issues that affect the practice of medicine, from medical ethics to critical matters of public health. With 450 delegates representing 11 geographic districts, 30 medical specialties, and all modes of practice, the delegates embody the diversity of California's physicians. Any CMA member may author a resolution. Only a delegate, alternate delegate, component medical society, or specialty delegation may submit the resolution to the HOD. Members can also participate in the resolution-making process by testifying before reference committees, which debate and make recommendations on resolutions before they come to a vote at the HOD. Click here for more information.
How do I verify my California license number as well as get information on renewing my license?
Contact the Medical Board of California License Verification and License Renewal section at (916) 263-2382 or at http://www.medbd.ca.gov.
How do I obtain a fictitious name permit for my practice?
Contact the Medical Board of California Fictitious Name Permits section at (916) 263-2384 or visit http://www.medbd.ca.gov/fictitiousname.htm.
How do I renew, register for, or update my DEA license?
Information concerning the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license can be obtained by contacting your local California DEA offices at (888) 304-3251 for Northern California; (888) 415-9822 for Central California; (800) 284-1152 for Southern California below Los Angeles, or by contacting the DEA Registration Center at (800) 882-9539.
How do I get information on licensure for foreign medical graduates?
Contact the Medical Board of California at (916) 263-2344.
How do I contact Medicare for claims, billing, or enrollment inquiries?
For Medicare Part B inquiries from NHIC Corp, which administers Medicare in California, regarding claims status, deductible status, eligibility, check status and some general information, call the IVR line at (877) 591-1587 for Northern California or (866) 502-9054 for Southern California. To talk to a Customer Service Representative about procedures, provider enrollment, policies, legislation, and regulations call their physician and provider customer service line at (877) 527-6613.
How do I get information on resolving a dispute with a health plan?
Contact the Department of Managed Health Care’s (DMHC) toll free provider line at (877) 525-1295 or visit their website at http://www.dmhc.ca.gov.
How do I make a complaint against a hospital?
Contact the Joint Commission on Accreditation of health care Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO, along with CMA's Institute for Medical Quality, conducts surveys to be sure that hospitals are providing quality care. Ask them to investigate your complaint. You can call them at (630) 792-5000. In addition, the government agency responsible for licensing and regulating hospitals is the California Department of Health Services (DHS). To file a complaint, you need to contact the district office in the area where the hospital is located.
How do I get information on having a survey of an acute care hospital for accreditation and licensure?
Contact the Institute for Medical Quality, a CMA subsidiary, for information on their Consolidated Accreditation and Licensure Survey (CALS) Program, performed jointly with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of health care Organizations and the Department of Health Services. Contact Leslie Ann Iacopi, the CALS Program Administrator for at (415) 882-5167 or liacopi@imq.org.
How do I get someone to come to my hospital to perform a peer review consultation?
Contact the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) for information on their Peer Review Consultation Programm, which provides objective peer review. IMQ can be reached at (415) 882-5151.
How do I get information on preparing my medical staff for JCAHO and DHS accreditation?
Contact the Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) about their educational seminars and programs that help physicians and health care organizations meet regulatory and accreditation standards and provide better care. IMQ can be reached at (415) 882-5151.
How do I get information or a consultation to make my office OSHA compliant?
Contact the Cal/OSHA Consultation Service at (800) 963-9424 or InfoCons@dir.ca.gov.
How do I order CMA’s HIPAA Compliance CD-ROM Toolkit or inquire about any technical problems I am experiencing with the CD-ROM?
Contact PrivaPlan Associates to order the CD-ROM Toolkit or to ask any technical questions you may have regarding the CD-ROM. PrivaPlan may be reached at (877) 218-7707 or support@privaplan.com.
How do I get the text of a California legislative bill or statute?
Go to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.
Where can I find out more information about CMA's CME certification/tracking program for physicians?
CMA's Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) has for years offered a continuing medical education (CME) tracking service, which certifies physicians' CME activity for credentialing purposes to the Medical Board of California, as well as to hospitals, health plans, specialty societies, and others. Member pay $29 a year for this service. The nonmember rate is $49. Click here for more information.
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