Welcome to The ACP Advocate,
The Physician Fee Schedule for 2016, recently finalized by CMS, gets a mixed review from ACP. Today’s first article gives a “thumbs-up” to some changes, while it pledges to continue pushing for more reform in others.
Among the hundreds of pages devoted to payment policies and rates for physicians who treat Medicare patients are five areas of special interest to internists. You’ll want to check out the details on those five areas and more.
Our second article today examines the two-year budget deal passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in early Nov. It ended months of uncertainty for the nation as a whole and physicians in particular.
ACP sees positives on health care issues. Challenges remain, though, to achieve adequate funding and an extension of Medicare’s primary care bonus. Be sure to see both the good news and what we still need to do.
Earlier this week, ACP released a position paper exploring the factors driving the growth of “concierge” and other “direct patient contracting practices” (DPCPs) and the “limited” evidence on their impact on patient care. The paper, Assessing the Policy and Patient Care Implications of ‘Concierge’ and Other Direct Patient Contracting Practices, found that growing physician interest in DPCPs is based on the premise that access and quality of care will be improved if patients have a greater responsibility to pay directly for services provided by physicians and other health professionals in the practice, without third-party payers imposing themselves between the patient and the physician.
While providing nine recommendations, ACP also notes that there is little in the way of high quality, independent research on the impact of DPCP models on quality and access.
Until our December 4th issue – which will feature a look at ACP's response to CMS on its request for input on dozens of questions on how to design and implement the new Medicare value-based payment system which was passed by Congress earlier this year – 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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A Report Card for the 2016 Physician Fee Schedule
ACP gives a 'thumbs-up' to some changes, while pledging to continue pushing for more reform in others
The Physician Fee Schedule for next year, recently finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gets a mixed review from the American College of Physicians.
"As is often the case, ... (read more)
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ACP Sees Positives for Health Care in New Federal Budget Agreement
Challenges remain, though, to achieve adequate agency funding and extension of Medicare's primary care bonus
The two-year federal budget agreement, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in early November, ended months of uncertainty for the nation as a whole and physicians in particular, according to Am... (read more)
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Trending in Primary Care: Concierge Medicine
As a growing number of physicians change their practice style, ACP weighs in with a new position paper
In places like New York City and Los Angeles, concierge medicine is quickly becoming the new normal for those who want their doctor available on demand and have the financial means to achieve that.
<... (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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Round 3--ACA Open Enrollment Season |
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Open enrollment for 2016 in the ACA is underway and ACP members can play important roles. The ACP website has resources for physicians to help their patients enroll through the ACA marketplace. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offers a fact sheet about consumer-oriented changes to the healthcare.gov site and a pocket guide for physicians and other health professionals. |
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It's Also Medicare Open Enrollment Season |
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CMS has provided this Q&A for details about this year's Medicare Open Enrollment. It may provide answers you and many of your patients are seeking. |
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