Welcome to the ACP Advocate,
There's BREAKING NEWS on a couple of fronts about which I want to bring you up-to-date before we get to this week's Advocate.
Yesterday, the Senate released its version of the American Health Care Act, the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. By the day's end, ACP reacted quickly in opposition to the Senate version's many harmful policies, which would result in lost coverage and benefits for millions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hopes to put the bill up for a vote next week, before the July 4 congressional recess. ACP is intensifying our already extensive efforts to defeat the bill, but to succeed, we need your help, now. For the latest advocacy news on the AHCA and how you can help, please visit the ACP Legislative Action Center.
On Tuesday, CMS released a QPP Proposed Rule. After an initial review, ACP released a statement of reaction.
Today's first Advocate article explores ACP's 2017 Leadership Day, when some 400 ACP members converged on the nation's capital in late May to meet with senators, representatives and their aides with a united message: You must improve the health care system, but don't leave patients unprotected. Leadership Day is an annual event that brings ACP members to Washington, D.C., to advocate for patients and physicians.
This year, the focus was on halting the bid to dismantle the ACA while still working to dramatically improve upon Obamacare. The article details other priorities, too. Those are covered in the article.
Our second article notes that when it comes to health care, it has seemed at times as if Congress has been navigating without a map. Now it has one, courtesy of ACP. The recommendations, called "A Prescription for a Forward-Looking Agenda to Improve American Health Care," urge Congress and the White House to get past what ACP calls "the stale, divisive and ultimately unfruitful debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act."
Today's final article recalls that there was no singular "aha!" moment that compelled Dr. Stuart Henochowicz to throw his hat into the advocacy ring. Instead, striving to make positive changes for doctors and patients has always been part of this self-described policy lover's core. Because of his advocacy efforts on behalf of the ACA, Henochowicz received the Richard Neubauer Advocate for Internal Medicine award at ACP's Leadership Day in Washington, D.C., on May 23. Check out Dr. Henochowicz's words on the importance of being involved in ACP advocacy.
Look for the next issue of the Advocate to be distributed on July 21, when we plan to look at the 2018 Physician Fee Schedule, the new MACRA rule, and an update on Senate action on the AHCA legislation.
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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Dr. Stuart Henochowicz Recognized for Advocacy Efforts
'Use your voices to enact change,' he urges other internists
June 23, 2017 (ACP) -- There was no singular "aha!" moment that compelled Dr. Stuart Henochowicz to throw his hat into the advocacy ring. Instead, striving to make positive changes for doctors and patients ha... (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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Watch a video highlighting ACP's Advocacy year in the news. |
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Watch the 3:35 piece by clicking on the headline. |
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eClinicalWorks to Pay Fine in False Claims Settlement |
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One of the major cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) vendors, eClinicalWorks (eCW), will pay $155 million dollars to settle recent False Claims Act allegations. eCW is a widely adopted EHR within the US ambulatory health care market and has upwards of 115,000 physician customers. As part of the settlement, eCW is required to notify existing customers of certain obligations they have to them including free software upgrades and free data transfers. |
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Participate in QPP Feedback Research, Earn $150-200 |
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CMS is offering medical professionals the opportunity to provide feedback on their efforts to include a streamlined system for administrative staff to manage information for providers and practices on their Quality Payment Program (QPP) website. Participants will receive $150-200 for their time.
CMS is looking for physicians who look at Medicare feedback reports. They also seek office managers and administrative staff who interact with Medicare systems and complete tasks related to Medicare quality data submission.
In order to participate, CMS requires that professionals be part of a small to medium practice (15 or fewer providers); work for a practice that intends to participate in the Quality Payment Program for 2017; and be familiar with Medicare feedback reports (previously known as QRURs) or plan to review Quality Payment Program feedback.
The feedback sessions will last one hour and will take place either by phone or online meeting platform.
Interested in participating? Email: Partnership@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line 'Participation for QPP Feedback Report Research.' CommunicateHealth (an authorized contractor for CMS) will follow up. |
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