Welcome to the ACP Advocate,
As the GOP leadership of Congress and the Trump administration continue to bounce around ideas about how to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, ACP has entered a watchful waiting mode. Today's first article examines how ACP stood firmly against the American Health Care Act, and why we oppose the changes that GOP officials began floating after the bill died.
Today's second article describes a position paper ACP released last week, published in the March 28 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, that outlines a comprehensive framework for analyzing physicians' administrative tasks. The paper -- "Putting Patients First by Reducing Administrative Tasks in Health Care" -- also offers an extensive analysis of how an overwhelming paperwork burden can affect costs and patient care.
Patients are supposed to be the top priority of physicians, but the immense burden of paperwork can become a time-hogging distraction. Now, ACP is pointing the way forward with a road map for change.
Our final article today tells about an ACP position paper, "Health and Public Policy to Facilitate Effective Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Involving Illicit and Prescription Drugs," published in the March 28 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
As the death toll associated with the opioid epidemic rises, ACP is calling for a multi-pronged approach to improve access to care for people with substance abuse disorders, decrease addiction risk and rein in these preventable deaths. To improve access to treatment, ACP calls for the expansion of access to naloxone and medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction. For this to happen, it says, health insurers need to start covering evidence-based treatment of substance abuse disorders.
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 Charts the Way to Putting Patients Before Paperwork
New position paper calls for major, rather than piecemeal, overhaul of physician's administrative tasks
April 7, 2017 (ACP) -- Patients are supposed to be the top priority of physicians, but the immense burden of paperwork can become a time-hogging distraction. Now, the American College of Physicians is point... (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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Leadership Day 2017 Set for May 23 & 24 |
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Leadership Day, ACP's annual two-day advocacy event in Washington, enables members from across the country to bring ACP's issues to U.S. lawmakers. It's a great opportunity for ACP and its members to bring policy priorities to Congress and try to influence the legislative process on behalf of internal medicine. The registration deadline is May 1.
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New ACP Resource to Help Navigate QPP/MACRA |
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ACP's new Quality Payment Advisor (QPA) is a free members-only resource to help clinicians navigate CMS' new value-based payment system, the Quality Payment Program (QPP) or MACRA. Starting with determining who is eligible for the QPP, which reporting pathway is best, as well as quality measure/activity selection and implementation; the Quality Payment Advisor provides a systematic approach to preparing for the new program.
Each question offers information and resources to guide the user through the algorithm toward an understanding of which pathway is most appropriate for their practice. The modules provide guidance and resources to select and implement measures and activities. |
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Help Support the April 22 March for Science |
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ACP encourages members and all internists, as part of the scientific community, to support the March for Science on April 22, 2017 in more than 400 cities worldwide. The March is in support of scientific research, evidence-based policies, and the critical role of science in today's world. Click on the headline above for online registration and information about March for Science locations. |
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