Advocacy in Action

Amicus Brief Filed in Support of Lawsuit Challenging No Surprises Act Rule

On January 7, AAOS joined in filing an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit–led by the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association–that challenges the federal government’s implementation of the No Surprises Act. In the brief signed by nine national medical specialty organizations and 16 state medical societies, it warned that regulations which took effect Jan. 1 “bluntly undercut” carefully crafted legislation and will greatly diminish patient access to care. “It quite literally took an act of Congress and years of tireless advocacy to determine a fair solution to this problem that has been plaguing patients for years, only to have those efforts squandered by these reckless regulations,” said AAOS President Daniel K. Guy, MD, FAAOS. “In turning to legal action, we remain committed to protecting patients from the heavy-hand of insurers and ensuring that the imbalance of power in good faith negotiations over payment disputes is not further exacerbated.”  Read the full press release…

Upcoming Webinar to Cover 2022 CPT Coding Updates

AAOS Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee (CCRC) members William Creevy, MD, FAAOS, and John Heiner, MD, FAAOS, are hosting a webinar on Feb. 16 from 8:15-9:15pm ET to explain the 2022 changes affecting current procedural terminology (CPT) codes and payment policies.  Numerous changes will have a tremendous impact on the reporting of services rendered and obtaining the appropriate reimbursement. Likewise, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule contains the new CMS payment policies and Conversion Factor for the upcoming year Webinar attendees will gain the knowledge necessary to ensure the most up to date coding information. Register for the webinar…

Healthcare Policy News

Court Allows COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Workers at Federally Certified Healthcare Facilities

On Jan. 13, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed COVID-19 vaccination or test requirement for large employers (>100 employees); however, the Court allowed a similar mandate to continue for staff at certain Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities. The mandate requires vaccines for staff at hospitals, ambulatory surgical settings, home health agencies, and more, for the facility to qualify for participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Learn more from the CMS FAQ…

Medicare Advisers Decline to Recommend 2023 Pay Increases for Physicians

A top Medicare advisory board did not recommend any new payment increases for acute care hospitals or doctors for 2023, stating that targeted relief funding has helped blunt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which makes recommendations to Congress and the federal government on Medicare issues, voted unanimously on Jan. 13 to update 2023 rates by the amounts determined under current law–it has made similar recommendations for the past several years. As a reminder, pay figures are impacted by the annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule that is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and goes through the rulemaking process. Payments to clinicians declined by $9 billion in 2020 but were offset thanks to congressional relief funds. Physicians also got a 4% bump to payments through 2022 compared to prior law, but the temporary increase is expected to go away at the start of 2023. Read more about the recommendation…

HHS Renews Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 Pandemic

On Jan. 14, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the Public Health Emergency (PHE) declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic, which was set to expire on Sunday, Jan. 16. The PHE has been extended for 90 days, preserving key flexibilities for healthcare professionals around telehealth and other waivers intended to help combat the virus. The PHE was first ordered in January 2020. Read more about the renewal…

Senate Health Panel Votes to Advance Califf for Leading the FDA

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced the nomination of Robert Califf to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a 13-8 vote on Jan. 13. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) were the only Democratic members to vote against Califf. Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) were the only GOP members to back the nominee. Among those currently serving in the U.S. Senate, 69 lawmakers previously voted to confirm Califf to head the FDA during the Obama administration in 2016. His first appointment was approved in an 89-4 vote. Read more about the vote…

AAOS Residents Invited to Event with U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, MD

The Orthopaedic PAC is hosting an exclusive, virtual event free for AAOS Residents on Feb. 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Attendees will be able to learn about the policy issues affecting healthcare from a physician Member of Congress. Congressman Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) has been representing California’s 7th Congressional District since 2013 and has worked closely with AAOS on priority issues such as prior authorization reform and mitigating Medicare pay cuts. In fact, he was one of four members of Congress who received AAOS’ inaugural Congressional Bipartisan Award during this year’s Combined National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC) and Fall Meeting. Prior to joining congress, Rep. Bera was a practicing Internal Medicine physician for 20 years. He looks forward to speaking with AAOS residents at the event about priority legislation affecting the healthcare industry, how and why advocacy affects them, as well as answer questions from attendees. RSVP for the event…

·        Competition drives Medicare Advantage plans to offer special benefits in 2022 (Modern Healthcare, 1/19)

·        Building On The CMS Strategic Vision: Working Together For A Stronger Medicare (Health Affairs, 1/11)

·        SC Senate begins debate over bill that would repeal ‘Certificate of Need’ program (WSPA, 1/12)