Bundled Payment and Physician Fee Schedule Comments, Health IT, and More
For questions or concerns on these or other advocacy issues, contact the Office of Government Relations at dc@aaos.org
 
Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model In July, CMS released a proposed rule that would test bundled payment and quality measures for an episode of care associated with hip and knee replacements in 75 geographic areas affecting more than 100,000 Medicare patients (read more in AAOS Now online here). The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement model would be the first mandatory Medicare bundled payment program promulgated under CMS’ CMMI authority, and if adopted, would go into effect in January 2016. “The AAOS supports efforts by CMS to make appropriately structured alternative payment models available to physicians and other providers, including bundled and episode payment models,” stated David D. Teuscher, MD, President of AAOS. “In fact, many AAOS members have been leaders in developing, implementing, and evaluating episode of care payments. However, the AAOS has multiple concerns about the proposed rule and we urge CMS to strongly consider significant changes to the program as proposed.” Click here to read more.
FREE WEBINAR – Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement: Understanding the CMS Proposed Mandatory TJR Bundling Sep 29, 2015 7:15 PM – 8:15 PM Central Join Craig Robert Mahoney, MD; Alexandra E. Page, MD; Timothy Pysell, DrHA; and Michael Suk, MD, JD, MPH, FACS, for a webinar to discuss the impact the proposed payment model would have on you and your practice. Register online by clicking here. Or call AAOS Customer Service at 1-800-626-6726.
AAOS, POSNA and AOSSM to tackle the issue of sports safety on Twitter Sept. 22
Help spread the word to patients, friends and family

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) and the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine (AOSSM) are teaming up to address the issue of sports safety in school-age children by hosting a Twitter Party on Tuesday, September 22, from 9 to 10 p.m. ET.

David Geier, MD and Philip Wilson, MD will answer questions from parents, teachers and coaches on a variety of topics, including: teaching children about sports safety, identifying common sports injuries, and promoting nutrition and hydration in young athletes.

Members and their patients are urged to login to Twitter and follow the conversation using hashtag #SafeSports. Click here to RSVP and read more about the Twitter Party.

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AAOS Urges Changes to Physician Fee Schedule On September 8, 2015, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the 2016 Medicare physician fee schedule. AAOS commends CMS’s efforts to administer and improve payment systems while improving the quality of and increasing access to care for patients, but recommends changes to the proposed rule. Most of the provisions in the 2016 physician fee schedule (PFS), which pays for services furnished by physicians and other practioners in all sites of services, go into effect beginning January 1, 2016. However, CMS is also proposing a number of new policies, including several that are a result of recently enacted legislation, that are for future implementation. The proposed rule also finalizes changes to the quality reporting initiatives that are associated with PFS payments, including the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier (Value Modifier), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, as well as changes to the Physician Compare website on Medicare.gov. Click here to read more.
What We’re Reading One Symptom in New Medical Codes: Doctor Anxiety, The New York Times, September 13, 2015 Hip and Knee Bundled Payment Test Could Be DOA Without Major Changes, Modern Healthcare, September 11, 2015 Doctors Barred From Discussing Safety Glitches in U.S.-funded Software, Politico, September 11, 2015 Meaningful Use Flexibility Drove EHR Replacement Increase, EHR Intelligence, September 10, 2015 Medical Schools Teach Students to Talk With Patients About Care Costs, NPR, September 10, 2015 Medicare Joins Other Federal Programs Addressing Health Disparities, Modern Healthcare, September 9, 2015 GOP Scores Early Win in Obamacare Lawsuit, The Hill, September 9, 2015 Four State Medicaid Programs Will Not Transition to ICD-10 by Oct. 1, iHealthBeat, September 8, 2015
Senate Continues Health IT Talks On Wednesday, September 16, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is holding a hearing on the “promise of Health Information Technology: Improving Care Through Patient Access to Their Records,” which is the fifth dedicated to health IT this year. Witnesses include Raj Ratwani, scientific director of MedStar Health’s National Center For Human Factors In Healthcare; Kathy Giusti, founder and executive chair of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation; and Eric Dishman, general manager for health and life sciences at Intel. Ratwani last week had a paper published in JAMA that found most Electronic Health Records (EHRs) don’t comply with ONC’s usability standards. Click here to read more.
AAOS Orthopaedic PAC Online Contribution Center Starting July 29, 2015, please contact Graham Newson at newson@aaos.org with any Orthopaedic PAC questions or concerns! The Orthopaedic PAC website features an online contribution center, which can accept contributions via credit card by visiting the site and using your AAOS login credentials. Credit card contributions can also be conveniently scheduled for a monthly, quarterly or yearly recurring donation. Consider joining the Orthopaedic PAC with a monthly contribution of $25 or make a $1,000 contribution manageable through $250 quarterly contributions to qualify for the new “Capitol Club”. Visit www.aaos.org/pac and select Don’t remember when you last contributed? Log in to the contribution center today to view your complete donation history!