2010-05-12

Physician Payment Cuts Scheduled to Begin June 1, Contact Congress Now to Stop the 21 Percent Payment Cut
Physicians will experience a 21 percent Medicare pay cut if legislation blocking the cut is not passed by May 31. Please join ASH’s advocacy campaign now to urge Congress to provide stable and adequate payment to physicians. It is critical that all members of Congress hear from their physician constituents about the need to prevent the 21 percent Medicare payment cut scheduled to begin June 1. Read more. 

ASH Adds MPD and MDS to the Consult-a-Colleague Program
The Consult-a-Colleague program continues to expand as ASH adds two new categories. Effective immediately, members may request consults in the areas of myeloproliferative disorders and myelodysplastic syndromes, in addition to the previous categories of hemostasis/thrombosis, lymphoproliferative disorders, and multiple myeloma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Take advantage of this member-only benefit, which connects you to ASH members selected for their experience in these areas. To learn more about the program or to submit a request, visit www.hematology.org/Practice/Consult-a-Colleague.

FDA Urges Doctors to Report Misleading Drug Ads
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new program, the "Bad Ad Program," to help health-care professionals who prescribe medications be more aware of the many advertisements they see daily and report those that appear not to be entirely truthful. The new program seeks to raise awareness among health-care professionals about the importance of helping the FDA in its effort to ensure drug ads are accurate, balance risk and benefit information, are consistent with prescribing information provided by the agency, and only include information supported by strong evidence from clinical studies. Read More.

Medicare Proposes Rule for Inpatient Prospective Payment System for FY 2011
On April 19, Medicare released its proposed Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Rule for fiscal year (FY) 2011, which proposes changes in payment rates for acute-care hospitals. The most significant change is that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to reduce payments by 2.8 percent as a means of "recovering" the overpayment made in FY 2007 and 2008 due to changes in hospital coding practices that occurred with the movement to the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRG) system. Of specific interest to hematologists is that Medicare proposes establishing separate MS-DRGs for allogeneic transplants and autologous transplants. This proposal is in response to recommendations made by ASH, AABB, and the American Society of Bone Marrow Transplant. Read more.

ASH Submits Comments to AHRQ on Comparative Effectiveness of Epoetin and Darbepoetin
ASH submitted comments to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) about its proposed key questions for the 2010 update of the 2006 report on Comparative Effectiveness of Epoetin and Darbepoetin for Managing Anemia in Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment. Read more.

ASH Suggests Changes to the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program to Encourage Health Information Technology
ASH has recommended several changes to the Department of Health & Human Services about the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. These recommendations would help to ensure that the program is implemented in a manner that will remove barriers and promote the widespread adoption of health information technology. Meanwhile, CMS has announced that four states (NJ, LA, MN, MD) will receive federal-matching funds to implement the electronic health record incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Read more.

ASH Urges Appropriations Committees to Fully Fund Quality Measurement Initiatives Included in Health Reform
ASH has partnered with other physician organizations to urge the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide $75 million in FY 2011 for quality measurement initiatives included in the recent health reform legislation. The funding would enable the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to develop and update quality measures that address specific health-care populations and priorities.

Maximum Period for Submission of Medicare Claims Reduced to Not More Than 12 Months
As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2010, received later than one calendar year beyond the date of service will be denied by Medicare. Read more.

Use of JW Modifier Necessary to Assure Payment for Discarded Drugs and Biologicals
In order to receive payment for discarded drugs and biologicals, CMS advises about use of appropriate JW modifier. Read more.