Advocacy in Action

AAOS News

Orthopaedic Advocacy Week Concludes With Ask for Members to Stay Involved
2023 Orthopaedic Advocacy Week took place July 24-28 and gave all AAOS members based in the United States the opportunity to help advance musculoskeletal care. Through simple, virtual activities like sending prewritten letters to policymakers and sharing graphics on social media, they advocated to protect healthcare professionals against assault and intimidation, remove barriers to timely access to care, implement lasting changes to Medicare physician payment, repeal the moratorium on physician-owned hospitals, and safeguard healthcare when it is needed most. Together, these week-long efforts resulted in a resounding success and members were asked to stay involved in shaping the future of orthopaedic care year-round through the many opportunities offered by the AAOS advocacy team in Washington, D.C.  Learn more about the event…

Health Care Systems Committee Meeting Recap and Upcoming Course
The AAOS Health Care Systems Committee, which reports to the Advocacy Council, met last week at the AAOS Office in Rosemont, IL to work on issues of importance to the advocacy and education agendas. This included formulating a response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s Request for Information on Episode-Based Payment Models, and working on the committee’s strategic projects on issues ranging from payer and patient engagement to increasing the awareness around patient-reported outcome measures. In addition to these projects, the committee spent time planning the second annual Value-Based Care Course, which is set to take place virtually over several weeks beginning in mid-November. The course aims to equip orthopaedic surgeons across practice settings with the knowledge needed to lead in the transition to value-based care. Learn more and register for the course…

Extension Requested for Comment Period on Episode-Based Payment Model
On July 28, AAOS led a group letter to the  Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation requesting a 60-day extension of its comment period on the newly proposed episode-based payment model (view the RFI). They noted that the 30-day comment period is insufficient time to thoughtfully respond given the breadth and depth of questions asked by the agency, along with the payment rules which were released just days before. The letter also warned that should implementation be rushed, without such guidance from frontline physicians, it may lead to increased burden, limited uptake, and roadblocks later in the rulemaking process. Read the full letter to CMMI…

Healthcare Policy News

Legislation Reintroduced to Improve Prior Authorization Policies for Physicians
U.S. Representatives Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) recently reintroduced the GOLD Card Act (H.R. 4968), which exempts qualifying physicians from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans. Specifically, the legislation would exempt physicians from prior authorization requirements if in the previous year, the physician had at least 90% of requests approved. AAOS supported the bill in the 117th Congress and is continuing to advocate for its passage in the 118th Congress. “Prior authorization takes away from the critical time orthopaedic surgeons could be spending with patients and can sometimes delay or deny medically necessary care,” said AAOS First Vice President Paul Tornetta III, MD, PhD, FAAOS. “We are long-time advocates who strongly support the GOLD CARD Act and look forward to advancing this bipartisan bill.” Read Congressman Burgess’s press release…

Summaries for Proposed 2024 Medicare Payment Changes
As previously reported, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued both the CY 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System proposed rules on July 13. These rules highlighted various updates including the conversion fee factor decrease, updates to the Medicare Telehealth Service list, as well as updated payment rates. AAOS is in the process of gathering feedback on both proposals and will submit formal comments on the rules ahead of the September deadline. Read AAOS’ summary on MPFS here and on OPPS here…

Applications Open Through August 8 for State Orthopaedic Society Assistance Fund
Grant applications for the State Orthopaedic Society Assistance Fund are being accepted now through August 8. The funds from this grant, not to be confused with the separate advocacy-focused State Orthopaedic Society Health Policy Action Fund, may be used to strengthen and foster development of the individual state societies through projects in the following categories: education, technology, outreach, membership, and governance. Applications submitted for this cycle will be considered during the Board of Councilors State Orthopaedic Societies virtual meeting on Tuesday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. CT, and applicants must have a representative present to answer any questions from the committee. Apply for the grant…

OrthoPAC Raises $41,400 for Charity During “Day of Giving”

The OrthoPAC’s third annual “Day of Giving,” as part of the 2023 Orthopaedic Advocacy Week, was a huge success. More than $200,000 were raised from 478 contributors. To encourage support and thank members who already made a commitment this year, the PAC offered a Charity Match benefit which allowed donors to double the impact of their donations. OrthoPAC matched donations with a contribution to a 501c3 charity of choice, resulting in more than $40,000 for over 50 charities. Learn more about the Day of Giving…

• 600K Medicare beneficiaries’ data accessed in breach (The Hill, 7/31)
• Physician Representatives Introduce Bill to Adjust Medicare Payments to Inflation (AAOS Now, July)