September 2005 Practice Update
ASH Annual Meeting Rescheduled for December 10-13 in Atlanta, GA
The ASH annual meeting, originally to be held in New Orleans, has been rescheduled for December 10-13 in Atlanta, Georgia, as a result of the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Please note that this is one week later than the original meeting dates. Additional meeting and housing information is available on the ASH Web site. A schedule of Committee on Practice-related sessions and events is listed below. Please mark your calendars!
Committee on Practice Meeting
Friday, December 9, 2:00 pm—5:00 pm
Special Symposium—Anemia and the Elderly: A Public Health Crisis in Hematology?
Saturday, December 10, 2:00—3:45 pm
Committee on Practice Forum
Saturday, December 10, 6:00—7:30 pm
Grassroots Network Breakfast
Sunday, December 11, 7:00—8:00 am
ASH Continues Efforts to Prevent Physician Payment Cuts
ASH has developed an online advocacy campaign to urge Congress to stop the impending 4.3% physician payment cut and pass legislation that would increase payments by at least 2.7% in 2006. Please visit the ASH Advocacy Center to take action and send an e-mail to your Congressmen.
Position Statement on Fair Physician Reimbursement
The ASH Executive Committee approved a position statement on September 16, 2005 in support of fair reimbursement for hematologists/oncologists. The statement will be posted on the ASH Web site in the near future.
CMS Publishes Proposed Rule on 2006 Physician Fee Schedule
On August 8, 2005, the Proposed Physician Fee Schedule was published in the Federal Register. The rule proposes a negative update of 4.3 percent. A summary is available for your information. ASH staff would appreciate
receiving
any comments you have (mbecker@hematology.org) for inclusion in the Society’s comments to the proposed rule, due September 30.
Pay-for-Performance
CMS has indicated it intends to create a P4P initiative without additional legislative approval. CMS plans to use its demonstration project authority to adopt budget-neutral P4P programs beginning as early as January 2006. Since July, through its special P4P task force, ASH began collaborating with CMS in its efforts to develop quality measures that reflect important aspects of care by hematologists and to explore methods of reporting physician quality measures through claims and other methods. Through regular conference calls and e-mails, the P4P task force has helped identify appropriate performance measures for hematologists by deadlines set by CMS. The latest version of the task force’s recommendations is available online. More details will be provided during the Practice Forum at the annual meeting in December.
RUC 5 Year Review
The RUC 5-Year Review will take place at the end of this month. Dr. Sam Silver, chair of ASH’s Reimbursement Subcommittee, represents ASH at meetings facilitated by the American College of Physicians for cognitive specialties bringing issues before the RUC. ASH is participating to support accurate valuation of evaluation and management codes.
ASH Comments on Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payments
On July 25, 2005, the Federal Register published the proposed rule on the 2006 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS). ASH’s summary is available online. ASH comments to CMS on this proposed rule were submitted September 16, 2005 and are available online.
Ongoing Disaster Relief Efforts
HHS continues to establish and modify plans for outreach to hurricane victims, including Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. HHS has established an e-mail address at katrinalogistics@hhs.gov that physicians, medical societies, and clinics can use as a contact point for logistical help. Congress is considering a variety of relief measures, including a temporary Disaster Relief Medicaid package with greater beneficiary access, protection for some health care providers against uncompensated care, reimbursement for Medicare bad debt incurred due to copays and deductibles, and additional welfare provisions. ASH will continue to monitor and report on evolving legislation and regulatory relief.
Click the following links for information on:
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Nears Implementation
The new Prescription Drug Benefit, Medicare Part D, is expected to begin January 1, 2006. CMS is expecting physicians will play a primary role in providing educational material on the plan to beneficiaries. ASH will continue to report on developments for this new program. For more provider information on the program, including educational materials, please go to: www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/drugcoverage.asp.
For general information on Part D: www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/pdbma/.
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