Health Care in the Tax Bill, ACP Testifies to Congress, and ACP on Patient Safety

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December 01, 2017

Welcome to the ACP Advocate,

Our first story today is about the Senate tax reform legislation and the effect it would have on health care. As of Thursday afternoon the bill has not come up for a final vote. If, by the time you're reading this, the bill has passed in the Senate, they will still need to confer with the House to come up with a compromise bill that balances the two different versions of the legislation that passed in each chamber. We'll continue to follow the health care implications and update you as the legislation moves forward.

In our second story we let you know about testimony that an ACP member recently delivered at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.  Dr. Louis Friedman was there to tell the subcommittee about his practice's experience with an alternative payment model, participating in the CPC+ program. Take a look at the article for more about what Dr. Friedman had to say at the hearing.

Finally, we end this issue by telling you about a new policy paper that the College released in November.  Patient Safety in the Office-Based Practice Setting calls attention to the need for more to be done to prevent medical errors in the ambulatory setting.


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

In the news
» Tax-Reform Legislation Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effect on Health Care, ACP Warns

College works to protect physicians, patients and medical students from significant cuts

Dec. 1, 2017 (ACP) -- As tax-reform bills work their way through the House and Senate, the effect they could have on health care for millions of Americans could be devastating, warns the American College of P... (read more)

» ACP Member Offers Physician's Insight at Congressional Hearing

Testimony gives nod to improved care through new programs but notes added administrative burdens, too

Dec. 1, 2017 (ACP) -- Dr. Louis Friedman, an American College of Physicians member from New Jersey, brought a simple but powerful message to a recent congressional hearing: When it comes to patient care, the ... (read more)

» ACP Calls for Efforts to Improve Patient Safety in Outpatient Settings

New policy paper says focus should expand beyond hospitals to doctors' offices and clinics

Dec. 1, 2017 (ACP) -- Though there's been much ado about reducing medical errors in hospitals in recent years, less attention has been focused on preventing such errors in the ambulatory setting -- something ... (read more)

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.
In this issue
» Tax-Reform Legislation Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effect on Health Care, ACP Warns
» ACP Member Offers Physician's Insight at Congressional Hearing
» ACP Calls for Efforts to Improve Patient Safety in Outpatient Settings

In focus
» ACA Enrollment Open Now!
With the shortened enrollment season this year, it’s more important than ever to do what you can to help patients who may need information about enrolling in ACA plans. ACP’s Enrollment Resources page has information about what patients need to do to sign up, including state-specific information and contacts. For more about what’s different for enrollment for this year, see our coverage in the ACP Advocate.
» You Could Win ACP's Innovation Challenge 2018
ACP is accepting applications for the Innovation Challenge to be held at the 2018 Internal Medicine Meeting in New Orleans, Re-Imagining the Practice of Internal Medicine. Finalists will present their ideas to to transform the practice of internal medicine on a national level to a panel of judges in front of a live audience. The Grand Prize winner will receive $20,000 to support implementation/study of their idea. The deadline for applications is Dec. 31.




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