Advocacy
Spotlight
College Releases Guide to Health Care Reform Law
New from ACP is a practical resource guide for physicians about the newly enacted health care reform law. In addition to providing internists with an in-depth explanation of the coverage, workforce, and delivery forms that will affect them; the guide also contains a one-page summary designed to be used by physicians for patient education.
An Internist’s Guide to Understanding Health System Reform (PDF)
SGR Reprieve Effective Through Nov. – action is retroactive to June 1
On June 24, by a vote of 417-1, the House approved a bill (H.R. 3962) that calls for a 2.2 percent Medicare fee schedule update for physician services through November 2010. The update replaces a 21-percent cut, and will be applied retroactively to claims for services provided on or after June 1. The bill passed in the Senate on June 18 by unanimous consent.
The President signed the bill into law on June 25.
While the six-month reprieve addresses the immediate cut and is retroactive to June 1, ACP strongly believes that it is inexcusable that Congress allowed the cut to go into effect in the first place. The six-month reprieve does not move any closer to a long-term SGR solution.
Clearly, the cut has caused untold havoc for practices. Both political parties share responsibility for what has occurred.
CMS instructed its Medicare contractors to hold off on processing claims for physician services furnished beginning June 1 through June 17. CMS intended for this tactic, which is consistent with the Medicare statute that prohibits contractors from paying electronic claims before 14 days after they are submitted, to provide enough time for Congress to enact legislation to retroactively avert the cut. CMS instructed contractors to start to pay claims at the rate reflecting the 21% cut on June 18. It is unclear how many claims have been paid with the 21% cut. Contractors will automatically adjust the claims paid at the reduced rate to pay physicians the additional amount provided by the retroactive fix; physicians will have to take no action. CMS has stated that physicians will not be expected to try to collect co-payment amounts associated with the additional payments generated by the retroactive adjustment. All claims for services furnished June 1 and beyond that have yet to be paid--whether before or after the date of the legislative fix--will be paid at the rate specified by the fix.
The College has indicated support for an approach that would guarantee no cut in payments for at least three-and-a-half years while beginning a transition to a better permanent system for determining annual Medicare payment updates. Additional information on specific legislative efforts—including whether the College is urging members to contact Congress—is available on the Legislative Action Center.
Getting Answers to Your Questions About Health Care Reform
Find information about the College’s top priorities for health care reform, our latest analysis of legislation and information about outside resources that can help you better understand the issues.
Where We Stand - The Latest
Workforce & Medical Education
- Joint letter commenting on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) March 2010 draft policy language
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, “Assuring Quality of the Healthcare Practitioner Workforce: An Essential Ingredient of a High Quality Health System.” (30-July-10) - ACP letter commenting on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) March 2010 draft policy language, “Assuring Quality of the Healthcare Practitioner Workforce: An Essential Ingredient of a High Quality Health System.” (29-July-10)
Access to Care
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, Updated 2010, ACP Policy Paper (July 2010)
Medicare
- Medicare physician pay schedule (25-June-10)
Health Information Technology
- Letter from Dr. Tooker to Drs. Berwick and Blumenthal with the College's reaction to the Meaningful Use Rules (July 15, 2010)
Additional Issues
- Joint Letters to House and Senate regarding funding for the Title VII, Section 747 Primary Care Training and Enhancement program; Letters to: Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor-HHS-Education (24-June-10)
Medicare Issues
- ACP's letter of support for Medicare coverage of advance care planning discussions between a patient and a physician; Letter to: Congressman Earl Blumenauer (3-Aug-10)
- Joint Letter Supporting the Nomination of Donald Berwick, M.D. as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Letter to all Senators. (14-June-10)
- Joint Letter Urging the Senate to use a different conversion factor for primary care services when addressing the sustainable growth rate formula. Letter to All Senators. (9-June-10)
Advocacy in Action
- ACP Advocate Newsletter:
An e-newsletter, edited by the College's Washington, DC governmental affairs division, created to provide you, our members, with succinct news about public policy issues affecting internal medicine and patient care. - Join the Key Contact Program:
Become an advocate for fellow Internists, patients and medical students. ACP depends on over 5,600 Key Contacts to communicate with their members of Congress on issues of importance. We have the tools you need to develop and maintain relationships on Capitol Hill. - Advocacy Events:
Find out more about ACP’s Annual State of the Nation’s Health Care event, ACP Services’ Leadership Day, and other advocacy events.
PCMH Advocacy Efforts
- H.R. 1898, the Life Sustaining Treatment Preferences Act of 2009; Letter To: Congressman Blumenauer (5-May-09)
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Policy Highlights
Public Policy Virtual Library
The Public Policy Virtual Library (PPVL) is a repository of ACP's current and historic policies and the Policy Compendium.
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ACP Services is committed to providing additional advocacy efforts on behalf of internists.