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. |
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Welcome to The ACP Advocate
I'm pleased to tell you about the Physician and Practice Timeline in our first article this issue. It's a new tool ACP created to help members successfully address the growing number of regulatory changes and deadlines affecting them and their practices.
Today's second story lets you know how both houses of Congress are now seeking a solution to the Medicare payment dilemma. ACP is cautionsly optimistic about efforts to repeal and replace the the SGR. Take a minute to check out the story and see if you agree that there may be some "light at the end of the tunnel" this year.
Today's third story is about how ACP is seeking more patient protection in a dispute between hospitals and Medicare. The point of contention centers on the use of the observation status and the fees that go along with it.
And, finally, our last article is a piece from the National Journal. A year ago today, "when the Supreme Court decided the health care case, its ruling was seen as a huge win for President Obama. His administration had fended off a challenge that would have dismantled the entire reform effort; it lost on only a small issue to which few people had paid much heed. A year later, it's increasingly clear that the minor loss is punching a major hole in the law's primary ambition--expanding health insurance coverage to most of the 49 million Americans who lack it."
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 |
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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. |
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