Legislation

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Supported the introduction of a bill that would change the physician payment rate above the current law by providing an annual Medicare physician payment update tied to inflation, as measured by the Medicare Economic Index (read more in AAOS News below). Urged Congress to continue funding the Pediatric Device Consortia Grant Program at $7 million in 2024. The program assists scientists and innovators with the technical and financial resources to improve the number of [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Urged Congress to discuss musculoskeletal health care priorities during House and Senate committee hearings last week on the President's Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, including implementation of the No Surprises Act and Medicare payment reform. Met with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's office earlier this week to discuss AAOS' position and white paper on value-based musculoskeletal care (more details coming soon). Monitored discussions during this week's House Energy and Commerce [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Urged members of Congress who are in the process of reauthorizing the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act to consider the guidelines necessary for slowing or temporarily suspending pre-planned surgeries and making telehealth flexibilities permanent (read more below).       The Bone Beat New Episode Conversations on health policy issues affecting musculoskeletal care... Power of Women in Orthopaedic Advocacy   This episode from the vault discusses the power that women bring to orthopaedic [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize prior authorization reform policies that will help protect beneficiaries' access to medically-necessary care. Also urged CMS to swiftly reinstate the step therapy prohibition in Medicare Advantage plans for Part B drugs, reversing the harmful decision to allow the practice for some of the program's most vulnerable patients.       Reminder to Engage with Advocacy at the Annual Meeting Booth #5638 in the Exhibit [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Continuing to closely monitor ongoing litigation related to the No Surprises Act, like the latest Texas ruling, and advocate for the federal government to modify the regulatory framework to be more consistent with legislative intent.       The Bone Beat New Episode Conversations on health policy issues affecting musculoskeletal care... Physicians in Congress on the Future of Healthcare   This episode features a conversation with two physician members of Congress: U.S. Representatives Larry [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Urged Congress to work to fix Medicare's broken payment system with long-term solutions that ensure America’s seniors continue to receive access to high-quality healthcare services.           AAOS News AAOS Joins Coalition in Urging for Medicare Payment Reform On January 23, AAOS joined with physician and non-physician organizations representing over one million clinicians and patients in sending a letter to the 118th Congress emphasizing the need for reform of the Medicare payment [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action Summarized newly proposed changes by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that are designed to streamline the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP plans.       The Bone Beat New Episode Conversations on health policy issues affecting musculoskeletal care... Dr. Kay Kirkpatrick: From Orthopaedic Surgeon to State Senator   A myriad of important health policy decisions impacting orthopaedic surgery are made at the state-level, including health insurance regulation, certificate-of-need [...]

  Happy holidays from your Office of Government Relations team. Starting in January 2023, AAOS Advocacy Now will be distributed every other Wednesday to your inboxes. We look forward to continuing to bring you the latest healthcare policy updates affecting musculoskeletal care, and advocating for you and your patients in the New Year.     AAOS Advocacy in Action Joined organizations in strongly urging Congress to prevent the entire 4.5% reduction to Medicare payment rates from being implemented on Jan. [...]

At the center of the West Virginia state Capitol is an area known as The Well. It is the informal gathering place for lobbyists, reporters, constituents and lawmakers. Centrally situated between the chambers of the House of Delegates and Senate, The Well is where information is often shared, alliances are formed, and deals are made.   December 2022 Interim Meetings December 8, 2022     Emergency Services     Lawmakers study VFD, EMS funding   Delegate Joe Statler [...]

  AAOS Advocacy in Action AAOS submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in response to a Request for Information on aspects of the Surprise Billing law.       The Bone Beat New Episode Conversations on health policy issues affecting musculoskeletal care... Election Recap and the Lame Duck Congress   Following the 2022 midterm election, AAOS political experts recap how candidates supported by the Orthopaedic PAC fared, as well as the new physician leaders elected [...]