About this newsletter
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The ACP Advocate is 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. To learn more about ACP's Advocacy, go to www.acponline.org/advocacy
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Welcome to The ACP Advocate.
This week ACP released a new policy paper about the role of Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care. In this issue you’ll find details about ACP’s new policies and what impact they might have on the practice of primary care medicine.
To the right of this Welcome section you’ll notice information about a webinar the College is hosting to let members know about the Patient-Centered Medical Home. This is the second in a series of webinars that ACP is hosting. At the website we’ve linked to you’ll also find information on upcoming sessions about Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative and health care reform.
Also in this issue you’ll find coverage of the economic stimulus legislation that President Obama signed into law this week, and what the health care related provisions will mean for you. And, you’ll find a story about a recent federal court decision that prevented physicians’ Medicare claims data from being released publically.
For more on health care reform and other health policy issues, check out my blog, The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty . I hope you’ll join me over the course of this year, as I discuss ACP’s efforts in guiding health care reform.
Please send your feedback and suggestions on this newsletter to: TheACPAdvocate@acponline.org.
Yours truly,
Bob Doherty
Senior Vice President
Governmental Affairs and Public Policy
American College of Physicians
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In the news
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ACP Seeks Greater Collaboration with Nurse Practitioners |
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But advanced practice nursing cannot replace physician care, it says
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HealthDay News -- To meet the complex needs of patients amid a worsening shortage of primary-care physicians, the American College of Physicians is calling for greater collaboration with the nation's nurse practitioners.
"As trained health care professionals, physicians and nurse practitioners share a commitment to providing high-quality care," the ACP noted in a policy monograph released Fe... » Click to read the full article
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Health Gets a Boost in Economic Stimulus Package |
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Advocates see the measure as a down payment on health reform |
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HealthDay News -- Part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package President Barack Obama signed this past week contains programs that health advocates see as stage-setters for broader health reform.
"I think it's a recognition that both community and clinical prevention interventions are going to be a central component of health reform," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for Am... » Click to read the full article
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Appeals Court Blocks Release of Medicare Claims Data |
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But narrow ruling could open door for future disclosure cases |
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HealthDay News -- A federal appeals court has blocked a consumer group from obtaining Medicare data on individual physicians.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a split decision, ruled Jan. 30 that disclosing the data would not serve any Freedom of Information Act-related public interest. The ruling reverses a lower court decision ordering the... » Click to read the full article
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In focus
Upcoming ACP webinar on the Patient-Centered Medical Home
On Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7pm, Eastern Time, the College will host a webinar about the Patient-Centered Medical Home. The presentation, hosted by Dr. Michael Barr, ACP’s vice president of Practice Advocacy and Improvement will include an overview of the topic and answer the question of how a practice becomes a medical home. The registration fee is $25. Further information and registration instructions are available by following the above link and clicking on the Upcoming tab. |
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