Welcome to the ACP Advocate,
Today's first article looks at something you've probably been hearing a lot about in the news this week, the release of the Republican's health care plan. ACP believes the American Health Care Act is a wholely inadequate replacement for the ACA. Analyses show that it will leave many, many fewer people insured at much higher costs. Take a look at the article for more details on ACP's take on this legislation.
Our second article looks at the revised executive order on immigration that President Trump signed on Monday. While there were some minor changes to the order, it is still problematic overall. Read the article for more about what the College thinks and why it may be particularly troublesome for medical students starting residencies this summer.
Third, we look at what may be ACP's biggest "win" so far this year: The Feb. 16 federal appeals court decision that overturned a Florida state law barring doctors from counseling patients about reducing injuries and deaths from firearms. The ruling said that doctors could not be threatened with losing their licenses for asking patients if they owned guns and for discussing gun safety because to do so would violate their free speech.
ACP believes that constitutional issues addressed by the court decision are much bigger than guns, too. It affirms a basic constitutional principle that the government should not be allowed to tell physicians what they can and can’t discuss with their patients, consistent with evidence-based standards of care.
Finally, we look at new efforts from CMS to help physicians in small practices better succeed with the transition to the Quality Payment Program under MACRA.
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| » |
CMS Extends a Financial Helping Hand to Small Practices
Agency allocates millions to help implement new reporting requirements for Medicare reimbursement programs
March 10, 2017 (ACP) -- Small practices -- typically those with 15 or fewer clinicians -- can face more hurdles than those in larger practices as they try to adhere to the requirements of the new Quality Paym... (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 focus |
| » |
Heading to ACP's Internal Medicine 2017 Meeting? Check out Health Policy courses |
|
On Fri. Mar. 31, Examining the Rise in Prescription Drug Pricing and Costs (9:30am-10:30, Rm 1).
On Sat. Apr. 1, 60 Minutes: Special Report on Hot Issues in Health Policy (9:30am-10:30, Rm 8), Climate Change: The Health Perspective (4:00pm-5:00, Rm 2).
|
| » |
Heading to ACP's Internal Medicine 2017 Meeting? Check out Medical Practice Management courses |
|
On Thur. Mar. 30: Patients before Paperwork: What Can Be Done to Ease Administrative Burdens on Physicians and Their Patients? (8:15am-9:15, Rm 2), ACP's Dragon's Lair: Breathing Fire into Health Care Transformation (11:15am-12:45, Rm 14), Implementing Revenue-Positive and Time-Saving Adult Immunization in Your Practice (11:15 am-12:45, Rm 1), Hospital Inpatient Coding: Thinking inside the Box (2:15 pm-3:45, Rm 7), Opportunities for Subspecialists: Navigating Alternative Payment Models under MACRA (4:30pm-5:30, Rm 8),
On Fri. Mar. 31: There Is No Place like Home: Why Patient-Centered Medical Homes and PCMH Specialty Practices Are Here to Stay (7:00am-8:00, Rm 7), Promise and Peril of Value-Based Payment: What Will You Be Measured On—and Will You Measure Up? (11:15am-12:45, Rm 8), More News You Can Use: Current Best Practice Advice (11:15 am-12:45, Rm 20A), MIPS Reporting: Managing the Health IT Challenges (11:15am-12:45, Rm 7), New Physician/Provider Boot Camp (11:15am-12:45, Rm 2), Outpatient Coding: Do It Right and Get Paid for What You Do (2:15pm-3:45, Rm 1), iPatient/Electronic Health Records (2:15pm-3:45, Rm 7), What May Change Your Practice Tomorrow: Hot Topics in Medical Informatics (4:30pm-5:30, Rm 2),
On Sat. Apr. 1: C. Wesley Eisele Lecture: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Physicians in the Digital Age (8:15am-9:15, Rm 7), Team-Based Care: Interprofessional Practice Innovations in Primary Care (11:15am-12:45, Rm 1), Billing and Coding: What You Didn’t Learn in Residency, and Why It Matters (11:15am-12:45, Rm 8), MIPS or APM: Making the Most of Medicare Payment (11:15am-12:45, Rm 7). |
| » |
Heading to ACP's Internal Medicine 2017 Meeting? Check out Health Information Technology courses |
|
On Thur. Mar. 30: Looking Towards 2020: New Care Delivery Models Enabled by Existing and Near Future Technology (11:15am-12:45, Rm 7),
On Fri. Mar. 31: Beyond the Hype and into the Real World: Making Mobile Health (mHealth) Matter for Your Practice (8:15am-9:15, Rm. 7), MIPS Reporting: Managing the Health IT Challenges (11:15am-12:45, Rm 7), iPatient/Electronic Health Records (2:15pm-3:45, Rm 7), What May Change Your Practice Tomorrow: Hot Topics in Medical Informatics (4:30pm-5:30, Rm 2),
On Sat. Apr. 1: C. Wesley Eisele Lecture: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Physicians in the Digital Age (8:15am-9:15, Rm 7), Blogging and Social Media in Health Care (8:15am-9:15, Rm 2), Telemedicine Use in Providing Quality Care (9:30am-10:30, Rm 7), What Physicians Really Need from EHRs to Be Successful in a Value-Based World (2:15pm-3:45, Rm 7), Wearables, Smartphones, Trackers—Oh My: The New Age of Patient Technologies (4:00pm-5:00, Rm 8). |
|
|