Edited by the College’s Washington, DC Governmental Affairs Division, the ACP Advocate is a bi-weekly, e-newsletter created to provide ACP members with news about public policy issues affecting internal medicine and patient care.
- New ACP Papers on Medicare Reform and Public Health
(May 4, 2012) - In this issue:
With Medicare Changes in the Air, ACP Urges Lawmakers to Tread Carefully; ACP Suggests Guidelines to Ensure Public Health and Safety; Medicare Notes 'Strong Start' for Two New Programs - New Recognition for Medical Home “Neighbors”
(April 20, 2012) - In this issue:
New Program will Recognize Suspecialists Ready to Work with Medical Homes; Americans Spending Less on Health Care; Hospitals Could Feel the Pinch From a Repeal of Health Reform Law - Update on the Supreme Court Arguments, MedPAC and the House Budget
(April 6, 2012) - In this issue:
Will Health Reform Law Stay or Go or Change Somehow?; Panel Suggests Fixing SGR by Freezing or Cutting Physician Payments; GOP Budget Proposal Could Be a Preview of What’s to Come - What’s Happening with the Independent Payment Advisory Board
(March 23, 2012) - In this issue:
Despite Congressional Attempts to Kill It, Medicare Board May Not Go Away; Federal Program Aims to Boost Number of Primary Care Doctors; 'Safety Net' Medical Coverage Cited as Aiding 50,000 People So Far - Problems with eRx Exemptions and News on the President’s Budget
(March 9, 2012) - In this issue:
Doctors Say They're Being Unfairly Penalized by Medicare; President's New Budget Earns Nod of Approval on Many Health Issues; Mandatory 'Labeling' to Start Soon on Health Insurance Policies - Problems with Version 5010; Updates on the SGR and the RUC
(February 24, 2012) - In this issue:
Medicare Billing Snafu Leaves Practices in the Lurch; Congress Puts Medicare Payment Cuts on the Shelf Till 2013; ACP Lauds Expansion of Panel that Advises Medicare on Physicians' Work - The State of the Nation's Health Care
(February 10, 2012) - In this issue:
ACP Exhorts Politicians Not to Hold Nation's Health Care Hostage; Missing from Obama's Speech? Much About Health Care; Early Reviews Favorable for Medicare's Innovation Center - The Latest Impact of the Health Care Reform Law
(January 27, 2012) - In this issue:
States May Get More Control Over Insurance Offerings; Continued Rollout of Health Care Law Includes New Provisions in 2012; Medicaid Change to Be Reviewed by Supreme Court - Medicare Cuts on Hold; New Presidential Candidate Analysis
(January 13, 2012) - In this issue:
Looming Medicare Cuts Put on Hold Once Again; ACP Analyzes Presidential Candidates' Stands on Health Care Issues; Medicare Begins Making More Physician Data Available - The Latest on Medicare Payments
(December 16, 2011) - In this issue:
No Resolution Yet for Looming Cut in Medicare Reimbursements; ACP Urgest Doctors to Get Schooled on eRx and PCIP; Government Sweetens the Deal on Electronic Health Records - What will the super committee failure mean for health care?
(December 2, 2011) - In this issue:
Super Committee Failure Leaves Physicians and Health Care Programs in the Lurch; Once Again, Physicians Face Prospect of Major Medicare Cuts; Fate of Health Care Reform Law Now Rests With Supreme Court - CMS Announces Final ACO Rule
(November 4, 2011) - In this issue:
New Accountable Care Guidelines Reflect ACP Concerns; Medicare Set to Test New Model for Primary Care; Federal Government Steps Away from Long-Term Care Program - Health IT & Privacy: A New Paper From ACP
(October 21, 2011) - In this issue:
ACP Suggests Ways to Maintain Patient Privacy in Techno Era; Above All Else, Make Premiums Affordable, New Report Says; States Slowly Moving to Establish Insurance Exchanges - MedPAC Proposes Fixing the SGR
(October 7, 2011) - In this issue:
ACP Voices Objections to MedPAC Plan to Change Physician Pay System; ACP Updates Internist’s Guide to Affordable Care Act; Young Adults Becoming More Common on Health Insurance Rolls - What ACP had to say to the Super Committee
(September 23, 2011) - In this issue:
ACP Recommends Cornucopia of Budget Cuts to “Super Committee”; Penalties Loom for Those Not E-Prescribing; Study Puts Rising Health Care Costs in Perspective - New College Policy Paper on GME; ACP Comments on Proposed Fee Schedule
(September 9, 2011) - In this issue:
ACP Wants Government to Consider Primary Care Shortage in GME Funding Debate; ACP Seeks Changes in New Medicare Fee Schedule; Quality Care at Low Cost? Not in the US, New Report Finds - Debt-ceiling Resolution Implications and Medical Home Builder Expansion and Update
(August 19, 2011) - In this issue:
For Health Care, Federal Budget Talks Raise Risks; ACP Expands and Updates Medical Home Builder - The AMA reaffirms support for insurance requirement and the latest on
the debt ceiling
(July 15, 2011) - In this Issue:
AMA Maintains Stance that All Americans Are Responsible for Getting Health Insurance; Efforts Underway to Target Patients Unlikely to Follow Doctor's Orders - The Latest on ACOs, eRx, and Pre-Existing Insurance Plans
(June 17, 2011) - In this Issue:
Medicare Urged to Adjust Its Accountable Care Program; E-Prescribing Rules may Be Eased Some; Government to Cut Premiums for Coverage of People With Pre-Existing Conditions - ACP's Leadership on Capitol Hill
(June 3, 2011) - In this Issue:
Physicians Talk Health Care Priorities With U.S. Lawmakers; Dr. Mark Mayer named ACP's Key Contact of the Year; ACP and Carter Center Collaborate to Reinvigorate Primary Care - What should be done about the SGR?
(May 20, 2011) - In this Issue:
Might the Sustainable Growth Rate Be on Its Last Legs?; Primary Care Bonus Payments Start Small But Should Grow, ACP Says; No States Opt for New Medicaid Health Home Program; ACP Supports Legislation Targeting Safety of Indoor Tanning - CMS Releases Proposal for Accountable Care Organizations
(May 6, 2011) - In this Issue:
Federal Proposal on ACOs May Limit Some Internists' Participation; Initiative Aims to Minimize Preventable Patient Injuries; Do High-Deductible Health Plans Ensure Adequate Care? - New policy papers on immigrant health care & Medicaid reform
(April 22, 2011) - In this Issue:
ACP Calls for New Federal Stance on Immigrants' Health Care; ACP Suggests Reforming Medicaid in a Way That's Equitable for Physicians and Patients; New Reports Share Ideas, Experiences on Patient-Centered Medical Homes - What did MedPAC tell Congress about Medicare payments?
(April 1, 2011) - In this Issue:
Medicare Commission Suggests a 1 Percent Increase in Physician Fees; Monitoring the Monitors of Patient-Centered Medical Homes; Study Forecasts Problems for Primary Care in Keeping Up With Medicaid Growth - Are you ready for ICD-10?; and, staffing changes in Washington
(March 18, 2011) - In this Issue:
States Gain Presidential Nod to Flexibility in Health Care Reform; Major Change Nears in Coding Procedures; ACP Names New Director of Regulator Affairs - Health Care and You: A new resource
(March 4, 2011) - In this Issue:
New Web Site Aims to Untangle Health Care Law; New Presidential Budget Gets Mixed Review From ACP; Malpractice Reform Moves Forward on Capitol Hill - Challenges facing the Affordable Care Act and News on the PCMH
(February 18, 2011) - In this Issue:
Attempts to Repeal Health Reform Hit a Wall, But Don't Go Away; Affordable Care Act Faces Legal Challenges, Too; New Standards Put More Focus on Patients for PCMH Accreditation - Report from ACP: The State of the Nation's Health Care
(February 4, 2011) - In this Issue:
ACP Urges Americans to Pull Together to Move Health Care Forward; Calling for a Rational Discussion of Health Care Resources; 'Fix What Needs Fixing and Move Forward," Obama Says of Health Reform - House votes to repeal health care reform. What's next?
(January 21, 2011) - In this Issue:
Vote to Repeal Health Reform Marks Start of Piecemeal Attack on the Law; Delaying Electronic Prescribing Could Prove Costly; Worksite Wellness Gets a Boost From Health Reform - What's new with Medicare? and 112th Congress Convenes
(January 7, 2011) - In this Issue:
New Year Brings Changes to Medicare; Physicians Increase Their Ranks in Congress; National Health Service Corps Gets a Boost
Archives
Policy Highlights
- Strengthening the Public Health Infrastructure
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(April 2012) - Reforming Medicare in the Age of Deficit Reduction (April 2012)
- The Role of Performance Assessment in a Reformed Health Care System (November 2011)
Public Policy References
ACP Policy Compendium 2011
A summary of ACP's public policy positions.
Public Policy Virtual Library
The Public Policy Virtual Library (PPVL) is a repository of ACP's current and historic policies.
ACP Services, Inc.
ACP Services is committed to providing additional advocacy efforts on behalf of internists.
