Welcome to The ACP Advocate,
Check out today’s first article for what you need to know about draft guidelines on the use of prescription opioids for chronic pain, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They have prompted more than 4,300 submitted comments from individuals and organizations, including ACP.
ACP supports the guidelines in general but is pushing to make sure the extensive recommendations aren't too rigid. You’ll see that it's far from a simple situation.
In our second story today, we examine how President Obama's executive order aimed at lowering the toll of U.S. gun violence has elicited positive reactions from ACP. Dr. Wayne J. Riley, ACP president, says more work still needs to be done, though. ACP’s priorities are cited in the article.
Earlier this month, President Obama gave his final State of the Union address, calling for "a moonshot" on cancer. As you’ll see in today’s final article, he also gave attention to and support for Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and efforts against HIV/AIDS.
In our Feb. 12 issue, look for coverage of ACP's new presidential election pages on its website, and recent letters to CMS and the Senate Finance Committee. 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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CDC Wants Physicians to Shift to Prescribing Fewer Opioid Painkillers
Proposed guidelines need to ensure that patients can get the appropriate therapy, ACP expert notes
Draft guidelines on the use of prescription opioids for chronic pain, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have prompted more than 4,300 submitted comments from individuals and organiza... (read more)
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Presidential Action on Firearms Meets With Approval From ACP
Steps to address health consequences of gun violence are in sync with College policies, officials note
President Obama's executive order aimed at lowering the toll of gun violence in the United States has elicited positive reactions from the American College of Physicians.
"The president's actions ... (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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ACP Submits Comments to Chronic Care Working Group |
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On Jan. 26, ACP submitted comments to the Senate Finance Committee's Bipartisan Chronic Care Working Group policy options document. ACP expressed support for many of the recommendations and made additional recommendations to improve chronic care. |
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ACP Sends Comments to CMS on Reporting Requirements |
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On Jan. 27, ACP sent a letter to Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), responding to CMS’s request for information (RFI) on the certification frequency and requirements for reporting of quality measures under CMS programs. |
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Open Enrollment Winds Down |
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Health care providers are on the frontlines and are trusted sources of health information for communities — including information on how to enroll in and retain quality, affordable health coverage. ACP provides resources for physicians to use when discussing enrollment options with patients. This Sunday, Jan. 31, marks the final day of an enrollment period that has seen 8.9 million sign-ups through HealthCare.gov and 2.7 million through state marketplaces so far. |
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