Welcome to The ACP Advocate,
The 2016 proposed fee schedule for paying physicians who treat Medicare patients includes 800 pages of policies, rates and provisions. ACP’s Washington staff is preparing an extensive response to the changes proposed by CMS, which will be submitted by Sept. 8.
Today’s first article, however, looks at three areas of particular concern to internal medicine doctors identified by ACP: payment for advance care planning, chronic care management codes, and implementation of the new value-based payment system enacted by Congress earlier this year.
Our second article today examines ACP’s recent position paper, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, that urges doctors and policymakers to do more to protect an especially vulnerable population -- those with mental illness.
Though acknowledging that the Affordable Care Act has brought badly needed attention to disparities in the health care system's approach to mental illness, ACP's position paper,'The Integration of Care for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Other Behavioral Health Conditions into Primary Care,' notes that there's still much more to do.
The paper calls for a variety of reforms, including the elimination of payment problems and barriers, better training and a battle against stigma. The College also is encouraging more integration of mental health into primary care.
Until our Sept. 4 issue – which will feature a look at ICD-10 implementation with less than a month to go – and 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 the news |
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ACP Weighs In on New Medicare Fee Schedule
Advance care planning provision gets a positive reaction, but chronic care proposals need tweaking, College officials say
The government's proposed fee schedule for paying physicians who treat Medicare patients includes 800 pages of policies, rates and provisions, but the American College of Physicians has honed in on three ar... (read more)
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| 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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| In focus |
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Apply now for the 2016 ACP Health Policy Internship |
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ACP is now accepting applications for the 2016 Health Policy Internship for Residents/Fellows and Medical Student Members in Washington. This internship presents a unique opportunity for one Resident/Fellow Member and one Medical Student Member to attend ACP’s annual Leadership Day and develop legislative knowledge and advocacy skills through working directly with the College’s Washington office staff. Applications for the 2016 internship will be accepted through Oct. 30 and the internship will begin on May 2. |
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CMS Introduces Contingency Plans for ICD-10 Transition |
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On July 6th, CMS introduced a set of contingency plans for the transition period from ICD-9 to ICD-10, which is set for implementation on October 1st of this year. Physicians had expressed concern about coding errors that may lead to audits or denial of claims during the transition. Therefore, ACP appreciates that CMS has directed entities including the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) not to reject or deny claims based solely on an error due to the lack of accuracy or specificity within the appropriate code family during this transition. CMS will also be allowing flexibility in quality measure reporting and advance payments to physicians whose claims are delayed during processing due to administrative issues. |
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