Welcome to the ACP Advocate,
Today's first article tells how representatives of ACP and five allied medical organizations recently took to Capitol Hill. The group, representing more than a half-million physicians and medical students, carried a firm and unyielding message to two Republican senators and staff members representing five more GOP senators: "Don't ravage the U.S. medical system by passing the AHCA."
Our second article today tells about the results of the budget agreement to keep the government running until Oct. 1. The legislation includes funding for various programs that ACP considers crucial to American health. As you'll see, the results have earned mixed reviews from ACP.
Today's final article is another in our series on practice transformation. ACP has help available to guide physicians through mandated changes in the Medicare reimbursement process. CMS launched a program, called the Transforming Clinical Practice initiative (TCPi) in 2015 to help doctors get ready for the changes put in place by MACRA. That legislation shifted physician payment to reward value and quality over volume with the creation of the QPP.
Look for the next issue of the Advocate to be distributed on June 9, when we plan to look at a Religious Exemption Executive Order issued on May 4 to weaken protections against LGBT discrimination.
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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Federal Funding of Health Care Programs Gets Mixed Review
Some programs see increases, others decreases in overall 'tight' funding, ACP notes
May 19, 2017 (ACP) -- Just a few months before the current fiscal year ends, Congress finally approved funding for federal government programs of all types, including those related to health care. The results... (read more)
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Worried About Practice Transformation?
ACP has help available to guide physicians through mandated changes in the Medicare reimbursement process
May 19, 2017 (ACP) -- Times are definitely changing for internists, who are now tasked with implementing new payment models to be eligible for Medicare reimbursement. However, in alignment with the Centers f... (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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CMS Webinar: Quality Payment Program Participation Criteria |
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On Monday, May 22, 1:00 PM ET, CMS will host a 1-hour overview webinar on the participation criteria used to determine inclusion in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs).
The CMS webinar will include an overview of MIPS participation requirements for individual clinicians and groups, participation requirements for Advanced APMs and MIPS APMs, a new tool that allows clinicians to check if they are included in MIPS, and the recent participation letter sent to clinician offices.
The audio portion of this webinar will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers. If you cannot hear audio through your computer speakers, please contact CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com. Phone lines will be available for the Q&A portion of the webinar.
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Are You Included in MIPS? CMS Notifying Clinicians |
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CMS is in the process of letting practices know which clinicians need to take part in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) under the Quality Payment Program/MACRA. Clinicians can check their status by going to the MIPS Participation Look-up Tool and entering their National Provider Identifier (NPI) to check their status. Each practice will also receive a letter from its Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) that outlines the status of each clinician associated with the practice’s TIN. If the lookup tool indicates a different participation status for you as an individual and group, check with your practice administrator to see which option applies to your practice. |
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Senate Finance Committee Continues Consideration of CHRONIC Care Act |
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The last issue (May 5) of The Advocate featured an article about a bipartisan bill that promises to dramatically boost chronic care in the US and has earned the support of ACP. See the latest action on the bill by clicking on the headline above. ACP continues to closely follow the proposed legislation. |
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