Medicare Posters Have Arrived
November 18, 2009
Urge your patients to contact Congress to ensure access to health care! The ACR has Medicare posters for your offices that will guide patients in contacting Congress to express support of fair physician reimbursement. If you would like an Ensure Access to Your Physician Medicare Poster e-mail your address and the requested number of posters to .
Attend Representative Allyson Schwartz’s Heath Care Update at the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia
October 7, 2009
Are you interested in health care reform? If so, plan to attend Representative Allyson Schwartz’s health care update at the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) will discuss the latest developments in health care reform on Monday, October 19 from 2:00 to 3:30 PM in room 105 of the Philadelphia Convention Center. As a key member on the House Ways & Means Committee, Rep. Schwartz continues to be influential in the development of health care reform legislation. Rep. Schwartz will explain the proposals Congress is considering and take questions from the audience. As rheumatology professionals, she will be interested to hear your thoughts and opinions on the current proposals. Plan to attend this important session to get the most up-to-date information on health care reform developments. If you have any questions about the event of health care reform please contact the ACR’s government affairs department at (404) 633-3777 or .
ACR Meets with White House Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
September 22, 2009
The ACR remains actively engaged in health care reform discussions. ACR leadership met with Nicholas Rathod, Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House, and Kavita Patel, MD, MSHS, who works for the President’s Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, on Tuesday, September 15. Click here to read the follow-up letter sent from the ACR to Mr. Rathod highlighting the main points discussed in the meeting.
What Impact Will Elimination of Consultation Codes Have On You, Your Practice And Your Patients?
July 31, 2009
The elimination of consultation codes and decreased infusion reimbursement would severely hamper the ability of rheumatologists to recoup costs associated with caring for patients with arthritis, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
ACR Opposes the Removal of Consultation Codes and Cuts in Payment
July 15, 2009
On July 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed physician fee schedule for 2010, which includes a removal of consultation codes and a 1 percent cut in Medicare payments for rheumatology services. This cut is on top of a scheduled 21.5 percent reduction to the Medicare conversion factor due to the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
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While Congress has indicated a willingness to provide a fix to the SGR to avert the 21.5 percent reduction, it is unclear how or when this would happen. Even without the Medicare payment reduction, the 1 percent cut in overall payment and the removal of consultation codes would severely hamper the ability of rheumatologists to recoup costs associated with caring for patients with arthritis, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
The ACR will be sending letters to CMS and to Congress opposing these cuts and the removal of consultation codes. Additionally, the ACR is working with other medical specialty groups to ensure that these proposed changes do not take place.
The ACR will continue to provide updates on the proposed physician fee schedule for 2010. If you want to contact your members of Congress about this issue, visit the ACR Legislative Action Center. If you have any questions about ACR’s efforts to counter these proposed payment cuts and the elimination of consultation codes, or would like to receive the ACR’s Calls to Action, contact the Government Affairs Department at 404-633-3777 or .
Rheumatology AMA Delegates Hear President Obama Speak
June 16, 2009
President Barack Obama addressed the American Medical Association yesterday and spoke on the urgency for health care reform. As a member of the AMA’s House of Delegates, ACR AMA Delegate, Gary Bryant, MD, and Alternate Delegate, Eileen Moynihan, MD, witnessed this historical speech live in Chicago.
President Obama addressed a number of important issues, which will be on the table in health care reform discussions. The president and Congress are committed to creating comprehensive health care reform this year and to having House and Senate bills passed by the August recess.
ACR Urges Congress to Ensure Patient Access to DXA Scans
June 16, 2009
On June 9 and 10, the ACR and other members of the DXA Sister Society were on Capitol Hill urging members of Congress to co-sponsor the "Medicare Fracture Prevention & Osteoporosis Testing Act" (H.R 1894/S.769). This legislation would restore reimbursement for DXA scans to the 2006 level and ensure that patients at risk for osteoporosis have access to this essential procedure.
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DXA reimbursements were $140 in 2006 and have since fallen to $88. With these cuts, rheumatologists and other physicians are ceasing utilization of DXAs. This forces patients to go to hospitals or not receive the necessary procedure at all. Restoring reimbursement for this procedure would improve access to care and save lives AND health care dollars.
Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Michael Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are fighting for DXA to be included as a key preventative test in health care reform. Contact your members of Congress and encourage them to remove barriers that prevent access to this necessary procedure.
Take Action to Ensure Access to DXA by:
Making a quick phone call to ask your members of Congress to "Support H.R. 1894/S.769." Call toll-free using the AMA Grassroots Hotline at (800) 833-6354. Enter in your zip code to reach your Representative and Senators.
Writing an e-mail and making it personal. Short anecdotes allow congressional staff to put the issue in perspective. Using the ACR Legislative Action Center makes this easy!
Sending a fax. Again, make it personal. You may locate fax numbers for your member through the ACR Legislative Action Center.
For questions or more information, please contact ACR Government Affairs staff at (404) 633-3777 or .
ACR Comments on the Senate Finance Committee’s First Paper Addressing Health Care Reform
May 22, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee has released three White Papers addressing various aspects of health care reform. The first paper entitled: Transforming the Health Care Delivery System : Proposal to Improve Patient Access to Care and Reduce Health Care Costs was released on April 29. The ACR submitted comments to the Senate Finance Committee on May 15.
The ACR will post comments on the two remaining papers as they are submitted.
Contact Congress and Urge Support of the Arthritis Act
May 12, 2009
The Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act (H.R. 1210/S. 984) was introduced in the House by Rep. Anna Eshoo and Rep. Fred Upton and in the Senate by Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Kit Bond and Sen. Edward Kennedy. This legislation would create programs to prevent, treat, and care for adults and children with arthritis and associated rheumatic diseases and ensure that patients are guaranteed access to rheumatologists and appropriate health services for their disease.
Contact Congress here to urge support for the Arthritis Act
American College of Rheumatology: The Future of Health Care in the United States
March 27, 2009
The current health care system is in crisis. It faces the triple threat of uneven quality, unsustainable cost, and increasing numbers of uninsured and underinsured. Over 47 million Americans have no health insurance, and 25 million are underinsured.
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Eshoo and Upton Introduce Bill to Provide Relief for Millions with Arthritis
March 2, 2009
ATLANTA, Feb. 27, 2009 – A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives today will strengthen efforts to prevent, control and cure arthritis – the nation’s most common cause of disability. The bi-partisan legislation introduced by U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.), will address a disease that impacts more than 46 million adults and nearly 300,000 children.
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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
February 17, 2009
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1) Tuesday, February 17. The ARRA (a.k.a. Economic Stimulus Package) has a number of provisions that will affect the rheumatology community.
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These provisions include:
$10 billion for the National Institutes of Health
$2 billion for health information technology grants, training, and infrastructure
$1.1 billion for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for comparative effectiveness research
Expansion of COBRA eligibility
Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R.2) Signed by President Obama
February 6, 2009
President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act into law on Wednesday, February 4, 2009. This legislation renews and expands the program to cover 11 million children. This legislation will become effective April 1, 2009.
Economic Stimulus Package to Include Health Related Provisions
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
February 6, 2009
Congress intends to approve the economic stimulus package by President's Day Recess (February 15). There are a number of health care related provisions that could be included in this package.
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Expansion of COBRA
Sixty-five percent COBRA premium subsidy for workers who have been involuntarily terminated between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009.
Incentives for the Development, Implementation and Adoption of a Nationwide Health Information Technology (HIT) Infrastructure
Codifies the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) within HHS.
Establishes HIT Policy and Standards Committees that are comprised of public and private stakeholders (e.g., physicians) to provide recommendations on implementation, standards, and certification criteria for electronic exchange and use of health information.
HHS would adopt through the rule-making process an initial set of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria by Dec. 31, 2009.
ONCHIT would be authorized to make available an HIT system to providers for a nominal fee.
Provides financial incentives through the Medicare program to encourage physicians and hospitals to adopt and use certified electronic health records (EHR) in a meaningful way (as defined by the Secretary and may include reporting quality measures). Authorizes ONCHIT to provide competitive grants to states for loans to providers.
Federal privacy and security laws (HIPAA) would be expanded to:
Protect identifiable health information
Restrict certain disclosures and sales of protected health information
Require an accounting of disclosures
Increase civil monetary penalties for violations
Authorize state attorneys general to enforce HIPAA privacy and security laws
Increase Funding for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) by $1.1 billion
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) would receive $700 million for CER; AHRQ must transfer $400 million to NIH to conduct or support CER.
The Secretary would have the discretion to allocate $400 million for CER to accelerate the development and dissemination of research assessing the comparative effectiveness of health care treatments and strategies.
General Appropriations
Prevention and Wellness
Provides funding for wellness and prevention programs.
Community Health Centers
To increase the number of uninsured Americans who receive quality health care.
To renovate clinics and make health information technology improvements.
Training Primary Care Providers
To address shortages by training primary health care providers.
To assist with medical school expenses for students who agree to practice in underserved communities through the National Health Service Corps.
Indian Health Service Facilities
To modernize aging hospitals and clinics and make health care technology upgrades to improve care.
NIH Research and Facilities
Additional funding for new research grants and renovations at the NIH’s campuses.
Additional funding for universities conducting NIH-sponsored research for renovation of their laboratories.
