About this newsletter
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 and to access the ACP Advocate archives, go to www.acponline.org/advocacy. |
|
|
Welcome to The ACP Advocate
I'm pleased to report to you that we had another successful Leadership Day event a few weeks ago. You can read more about it in our first article this issue. ACP members brought to the attention of their members of Congress the need for Medicare payment reform and other issues. I'm pleased by the reception we got from congressional offices and I believe they heard our messages.
Today's second story lets you know about the winner of this year's Richard Neubauer Advocate for Internal Medicine Award. Dr. Richard Rieselbach from Wisconsin has long been involved in advocating for internists, both at the state and national level. Take a minute to check out the story and see why Dr. Rieselbach believes it's important for all physicians to be involved and informed about health policy.
Today's third story is about a new smoking cessation campaign from the CDC. The "Talk With Your Doctor" initiative encourages physicians to begin the conversation with their patients who smoke about how they can quit. The CDC has made available resources that can support you in this discussion. Read the article for more information about what you can do.
And, finally, our last article is a piece from the National Journal all about a dramatic slowing of the rate of increase in health care spending. Read for more about why this may be happening and what it means for health care.
For more coverage of what's happening in Washington take a look at my award-winning blog, The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty. You can also follow me on Twitter @BobDohertyACP.
As always, 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 |
In the news
| » |
Are Health Care Costs Healing Themselves? |
| |
No one knows why, but health spending has been growing at record-low rates. If it keeps up, it could have major implications for one of the hottest debates in Washington.
|
| |
From the National Journal publications, May 15, 2013
A mysterious shift in health spending patterns could have major implications for the fiscal policy debate--if only experts could figure ... » Click to read the full article
|
|
|
In focus
ACP can help you with the new transitional care codes
The ACP website has available detailed resources that can help you figure out the new CPT codes for transitional care management. Click on the link about to find a list of articles with discussion about the care components of the codes, the time constructs for the post-discharge contact with the patient, the face-to-face visit, and the 30-day care period. |
Contact your state Medicaid office to qualify for enhanced primary care payments
Primary care and related specialty physicians will see an increase in their Medicaid payments this year to make them at least equivalent to Medicare payments. To ensure that you receive this increase, you must contact your state Medicaid office. Each state has a different timeline and procedure for physicians to fulfill an 'attestation' requirement to receive the payment increases. In some states, physicians may still be able to qualify for payments retroactive to the beginning of the year; however, you need to start the attestation process as soon as possible. Additional information about the enhanced payments is on the College's website. |
|
|