Welcome to The ACP Advocate,
Our first article this issue addresses the new Medicare fee schedule, which once again calls for a big (21.2 percent) cut in reimbursement rates unless Congress acts by March 2015, when the current SGR patch expires.
The new fee schedule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also finalizes a chronic care management payment code for physicians and continues to roll out the program that will penalize or reward doctors based on the quality and cost of care.
There are details in this article that will be of great interest to you.
Our second and third articles look at voting results from a couple of weeks ago. First, we examine the impact of the Republican-controlled Congress and some of the changes that it may bring to the ACA and other healthcare-related policies.
Election results this month may have focused on congressional and gubernatorial races, but voters had their say on a range of health-related ballot measures in various states as well. Our last article examines ballot measures from across the country that addressed a variety of health care concerns.
Until our next issue and 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 focus |
| » |
Open Enrollment Begins |
|
Open enrollment started Nov. 15 on the health insurance marketplace. This provides a chance for millions of Americans to sign up for health insurance or to renew/change health insurance gained in last year's open enrollment period. Patients are encouraged to shop around the new options, which boast an increase in the number of participating insurance providers. Open enrollment closes on Feb. 15, 2015. |
| » |
Health Insurance Marketplace Resources |
|
ACP provides several tools for practitioners and their patients as they navigate the open enrollment period and provide information on health coverage and insurance market reform. ACP's resources include FAQs addressing concerns of physicians and their patients, state-specific information on enrollment and coverage provisions, and other useful resources. The enrollment period started on Nov. 15, 2014 and will end on Feb. 15, 2015. |
| » |
Hardship Exception Applications |
|
CMS is announcing its intent to reopen the submission period for hardship exception applications for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals to avoid the2015 Medicare payment adjustments for not demonstrating meaningful use of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT). The new deadline will be November 30, 2014. Previously, the hardship exception application deadline was April 1, 2014 for eligible hospitals and July 1, 2014 for eligible professionals. |
|
| 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. |
|