Today’s Top Story
CMS may consider delaying MACRA implementation.
In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said that the agency is considering a delay of the start date for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Several medical organizations have argued that MACRA implementation should be delayed, and concerns have been raised that some physicians—especially those in smaller practices—may not be prepared when the law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017. “Some of the things that are on the table, (that) we’re considering include alternative start dates, looking at whether shorter periods could be used, and finding other ways for physicians to get experience with the program before the impact of it really hits them,” testified Mr. Slavitt.
Read more…
Review the hearing testimony…
In a recent letter to CMS, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) voiced concerns that physicians who find the time frame too difficult to comply with may not participate in the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System program at all. AAOS requested that 2017 be treated as a “transition year” for MACRA implementation, with the first performance year moved back to 2018.
Read the letter (PDF)…
Other News
Senate proposal would ease EHR reporting requirements.
Healthcare IT News reports that a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate would, if enacted, ease reporting requirements for the electronic health records (EHR) Meaningful Use program. If enacted, the EHR Regulatory Relief Act would eliminate a “100 percent-is-passing” approach to meaningful use, reduce the threshold for providers to meet certain criteria from 75 percent to 70 percent of metrics, and extend existing hardship exceptions for 2016 and 2017 to accommodate providers who cannot attest due to issues such as insufficient web connectivity, natural disasters, and vendor certification.
Read more…
Read the bill (when available)…
Study: Bupivacaine and nerve block offer similar pain relief for shoulder arthroplasty, but bupivacaine may reduce opioid requirements.
A study published online in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery compares pain scores for shoulder arthroplasty patients treated with either intraoperative local infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine (LB; 20 mL bupivacaine/20 mL saline) or preoperative interscalene nerve block. The research team conducted a randomized trial of 57 patients who underwent primary shoulder arthroplasty and found a significant increase in pain in the LB group between 0 and 8 hours postoperatively, and a significant increase in intravenous morphine equivalents in the INB group at 13 to 16 hours. After the day of surgery, they found no significant differences in any variables. According to the researchers, findings suggest that LB provides similar overall pain relief as INB, with no increase in complications or length of stay, but a decrease in opioid requirements on the day of surgery.
Read the abstract…
Study: Kinesio tape may help reduce pain and improve ROM for patients with nonspecific low back pain.
According to a study published in the July 15 issue of the journal Spine, use of Kinesio tape may reduce pain and disability and improve trunk flexion range of motion (ROM) for patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (chronic NSLBP). The authors conducted a randomized, controlled trial of 44 patients with chronic NSLBP, 21 of whom were treated with Kinesio tape and 23 of whom were treated with placebo taping. They found that the experimental group had a greater decrease in pain compared to the placebo group after 2 weeks of intervention, and the difference was maintained at 4-week follow-up. At week 2, the experimental group displayed significantly greater improvement in disability, with the difference retaining significance at 4-week follow-up. Trunk flexion ROM was also significantly better at 2 and 4 weeks. However, the authors write that “thesis effects were very small to be considered clinically relevant and meaningful when compared with placebo taping.”
Read the abstract…
Study: Many patients who receive opioids within 7 days of hospital discharge are still using them at 90 days.
A study published in the July issue of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine looks at hospital prescribing of opioids to Medicare beneficiaries. The researchers reviewed data on 623,957 hospitalizations, of which 92,882 (14.9 percent) were associated with a new opioid claim. Across 2,512 hospitals, they found that the average adjusted rate of new opioid use within 7 days of hospitalization was 15.1 percent. Among hospitalizations with an associated opioid claim within 7 days of hospital discharge (n = 77,092), 32,731 (42.5 percent) were also associated with an opioid claim after 90 days postdischarge. The researchers note that adjusted rate of new opioid use at individual hospitals was modestly positively associated with the percentage of its inpatients reporting that their pain was always well managed. In addition, they write that “the degree to which observed hospital variation in short- and longer-term opioid use reflects variation in inappropriate prescribing at hospital discharge is unknown.”
Read more…
Read the abstract…
AAOS to host webinar on Performance Measures in Orthopaedics.
Performance measures have emerged as central components of value-based requirements for measuring outcomes, assessing quality, and improving physician/patient communication. A 1-hour webinar has been designed to provide participants with various resources and tools so that providers and specialty societies can stay informed and take an active role in the development and implementation of orthopaedic performance measures. The webinar will take place Thursday, July 21, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm CT.
Register for the webinar…
Call for volunteers: FDA Network of Experts program.
AAOS seeks to nominate candidates with experience using frameless stereotaxic navigation systems to participate in the FDA Network of Experts program. The Network of Experts is a vetted network of outside scientists, clinicians, and engineers who will provide staff from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) with rapid access to scientific, engineering, and medical expertise and who can supplement existing knowledge and expertise within the CDRH. Applicants for this position must be active fellows, candidate members, candidate member applicants for fellowship, candidate member applicants for fellowship osteopathic, or candidate members osteopathic. In addition, all applicants must provide the following: an online AAOS CAP application, a current curriculum vitae, and a completed “Conflict of Interest” form (available at the below email). All supporting materials must be submitted to Kyle Shah by Wednesday, July 20, 2016 by 11:00 p.m. CT at shah@aaos.org.
Learn more and submit your application…(member login required)
