Rheumatology advocacy involves several branches of government and various agencies. ACR advocates to Congress, federal agencies, and others by writing or signing on to various policy letters.
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congressional Leaders to Maintain the 3.75% Increase to the Conversion Factor through 2022 and 2023 to Support Providers Still Dealing with the Impact of the Pandemic and Facing Sequester and "Pay As You Go" Cuts to Medicare Reimbursement for Services at the End of 2021 - 7/23/2021
ACR Thanks House and Senate Leaders for Introducing the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act to Support IMGs in Serving American Patients - 6/22/2021
ACR Congratulates New CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Confirmation - 6/16/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Increase Reimbursements for DXA Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 5/25/2021
ACR Leads Letter to CMS on Excluding Self-Administered Formulations in Part B Payment Calculations - 5/12/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to Prevent and Treat Mental Health Conditions Impacting the Medical Workforce - 3/25/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 to Fund 14,000 Additional GME Training Positions (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 3/24/2021
ACR Endorses Dr. Janet Woodcock as Permanent FDA Commissioner - 3/23/2021
ACR Sends Congratulatory Letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra - 3/19/2021
ACR Leads Rheumatology Letter Urging Congressional Leadership to Extend the Medicare Sequester Moratorium - 3/19/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking for $54 million for the CDC Arthritis Program (additional letter also sent to Senate leadership) - 3/16/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Supporting Designation of May 2021 as Spondyloarthritis Awareness Month - 3/15/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Fund the Pediatrics Subspecialty Loan Repayment Act (which was reauthorized in the CARES Act but not funded for operation; additional letter also sent to the House leadership) - 3/2/2021
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Thanking Congress for Adding 1,000 new Medicare-supported Graduate Medical Education (GME) positions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act - 1/27/2021
ACR Comments on Most Favored Nation Interim Final Rule with Comment - 12/29/2020
Physician Specialty Letter to Congress on Most Favored Nation Model - 12/21/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Take Action on The Safe Step Act - H.R. 2279/S. 2546 - 12/4/2020
ACR Joins Letter of Support for the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act - H.R. 6788/S. 3599 - 12/1/2020
ACR Leads Provider Letter with 61 Signors Asking Congress to Support Implementing Evaluation & Management Code Improvements and H.R. 8505 to Offset Budget Neutrality Cuts - 11/16/2020
ACR Comments on ICE Proposed Rule on Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students - 10/26/2020
ACR Comments on CMS CY21 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program Proposed Rule - 9/30/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Fund the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program Included in CARES Act - 8/25/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Urging Emergency Supplemental Funding for NIH - 8/6/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter on Part B Drug Access in Medicare Advantage - 7/29/2020
ACR Joins AMA Letter Asking Congress to Address Surprise Billing Separately from COVID-19 Recovery Legislation - 7/20/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Asking Congress to Include the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (HR 1763/S 348) in Next COVID-19 Package - 7/9/2020
ACR Joins Coalition Letter Urging CMS to Follow Through with E/M Increases, Documentation Improvements - 6/30/2020
ACR Writes to Thank House and Senate Leaders for Introducing the Workforce Resilience Act (HR 6788/S 3599) - 6/15/2020
ACR Joins AMA to Ask House and Senate Leaders for Liability Protections for Healthcare Providers in Next COVID-19 Legislative Package - 6/9/2020
ACR Signs Coalition letter to CMS Asking for Guardrails on the Use of Step Therapy - 5/29/2020
Coalition Open Letter to All Health Plans Calling for Suspension of Prior Authorization - 5/18/2020
ACR Signs Coalition letter Requesting Funding for Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program in COVID Relief Legislation - 5/13/2020
ACR Comments on CMS Interim Final Rule on Policies Related to COVID-19 Public Health Emergency - 4/27/2020
ACR Signs Coalition Letter to Congress to Restrict Step Therapy Use During COVID-19 - 4/20/2020
ACR Signs Coalition Letter Requesting Inclusion of Support for Physician Practices in any Economic Stimulus Package - 3/25/2020
Joint Statement on Hydroxychloroquine Access During COVID-19 Crisis - 3/23/2020
32 Veterans Service Organizations Join ACR to Urge Congress to Dedicate DoD Funding to Researching Arthritis in the Military - 3/12/2020
ACR Signs Coalition Letter Requesting Labor-HHS Report Language on Researching Musculoskeletal Disease in Intersectional Populations - 3/11/2020
ACR Comments to Congress Supporting HR-5741 - Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act - 3/11/2020
More Than 140 Patient, Provider, Retiree Organizations Urge Congress to Erect Safeguards Around Medicare, Medicaid Demonstration Projects - 3/10/2020
ACR Signs Coalition Letter to Congress to Support Safe Step Act - 3/6/2020
ACR Comments on 2021 HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters - 3/2/2020
ACR Signs Coalition Letter to CMS Supporting E/M Valuation and Complexity Code Policies - 2/10/2020