Dear NVOS Members,
The articles contained in this e-newsletter are excerpted from AAOS newsletters and other media sources to help our members stay current on national issues.
The NVOS Staff |
|
Federal Appropriations Bill Includes Directive To Improve RAC Process
|
 According to information from the California Medical Association (CMA), a federal appropriations bill passed by the U.S. Congress contains language instructing the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program. Specifically, the bill states that the RACs' financial incentives cause them to be too aggressive in their retrospective audits of physicians. "Information received from the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) indicates that about 50 percent of the estimated 43,000 appeals were fully or partially overturned (yearly)," the bill reads. "The fiscal year 2015 budget request should include a plan with a time line, goals, and measurable objectives to improve the RAC process."
Read more...
An article in The Washington Post states that the American Hospital Association has asked the administrator of CMS to suspend RAC audits until all pending appeals have been processed. The Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals has announced it will give priority to appeals filed by beneficiaries and suspend action on hearing requests filed by healthcare providers until the current backlog of cases is addressed.
Read more...
|
|
MedPAC Recommendations Could Reduce Compensation Differences Between Outpatient Departments And Physician Offices
| |
Modern Healthcare reports that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has unanimously voted to recommend that Congress reduce differences in compensation rates between hospital outpatient departments and physician offices for a variety of services. In addition, the commission recommends bringing payments to long-term acute-care hospitals in line with payments to acute-care hospitals for patients who spend fewer than 8 days in an intensive-care or critical-care unit, and that employers' group Medicare Advantage (MA) plans be made more consistent with non-employer MA plans. If adopted, the panel's proposals would save the federal government an estimated $1.1 billion per year. The recommendations are planned to be presented as part of the advisory panel's annual March report to the U.S. Congress. Although legislators are not obligated to accept MedPAC recommendations, the recommendations often shape congressional debates and actions.
Read more...(free registration)
View the meeting agenda and briefs...
|
| Study: Informing Patients About Surgical Safety Checklist Improves Provider Compliance | Data from a pilot study presented at the American Society of  Anesthesiologists Practice Management 2014 conference suggest that informing patients about the use of a surgical safety checklist may improve checklist compliance among healthcare providers. The researchers compared provider compliance across 61 patients who were not informed about the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist, and 43 patients who were told about the list and given a copy that included a place for providers to sign, agreeing they would follow it. They found that, when patients were informed, compliance was higher for all 26 specific checklist items, with improvements achieving statistical significance in 19 of the 26 listed items. In addition, all patients informed about the list stated that use of the checklist made them feel more comfortable going into their surgeries.
Read more... |
|
Report Compares Physician Lifestyles By Specialty
|
A report released by Medscape compares physician lifestyles across specialties, and finds orthopaedists to be the fourth happiest physician group of 25 specialties surveyed. The report also notes that orthopaedists are not heavy drinkers, with 19 percent of men and 25 percent of women reporting that they don't drink, while 51 percent of men and 53 percent of women are saying they have fewer than 1 drink per week. In addition, orthopaedists were found to be the most financially stable physician group, with 77 percent of respondents reporting at least adequate savings. Other measures include volunteer activities, use of complementary and alternative medications, weight, and diet. The research team surveyed 31,399 physicians in the United States across 25 specialty areas.
Read the orthopaedic report... (registration required)
View all specialties...
|
|
CMS Proposes To Tighten Loopholes, Revoke Enrollment For Providers Who Engage In "Abusive Prescribing"
| |
 A proposed rule released by CMS would allow the agency to revoke Medicare enrollment for "Part D prescribers who engage in abusive prescribing practices." The agency argues that, "if a physician or eligible professional repeatedly and consistently fails to exercise reasonable judgment in his or her prescribing practices, we should have the ability to remove such individuals from the Medicare program to protect beneficiaries' safety and health as well as Medicare Trust Funds." Under the proposal, CMS could take similar action if a provider's license has been suspended or revoked, or if a provider was restricted from prescribing painkillers and other controlled substances. In addition, the agency proposes to tighten a loophole that has allowed physicians to prescribe to Medicare Part D patients, even when not officially enrolled with Medicare. Under the new rules, providers would be required to formally enroll if they want to write prescriptions for Part D patients.
Read more...
Read the proposed rule...
A related article in ProPublica examines how CMS might define "abusive prescribing."
Read more...
|
| CMS To Conduct ICD-10 Testing Week | |
CMS has announced a national testing week for providers and clearinghouses to test the ICD-10 code set. From March 3-7, 2014, trading partners will be given access to the Medicare Administrative Contractors and Common Electronic Data Interchange for testing with real-time help desk support. Providers who wish to take part in the testing week must register with CMS.
Learn more (PDF)...
Register...
|
|
CMS To Consider Releasing Physician Pay Data On A "Case-By-Case Basis"
| |
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a new policy regarding the release of physician payment information.  The agency states that, going forward, it "will evaluate requests for individual physician payment information (or requests for information that combined with other publicly available information could be used to determine total Medicare payments to a physician) on a case-by-case basis." CMS states that the agency recognizes "valid concerns raised by many stakeholders over protecting the integrity of the data." The agency says that it intends to consider the importance of protecting physicians' privacy and ensuring the accuracy of any data released, as well as implementing appropriate protections to limit potential misuse of the information. According to CMS, the move is part of an ongoing effort to increase transparency.
Read more...
Read the CMS statement...
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in a separate move, a proposal currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate would, if enacted, loosen restrictions on access to Medicare claims data.
Read more...
|
|
Study: Many Surgeons Lack Knowledge Of Orthopaedic Device Costs
|
Survey data published in the January issue of the journal
Health Affairs find that many orthopaedic surgeons tend to underestimate the cost of expensive devices and overestimate the cost of inexpensive devices. The authors surveyed 503 attending physicians and residents at seven academic medical centers regarding the costs of 13 common orthopaedic devices. Answers were considered "correct" if the response was within 20 percent of the actual cost of the device at the physician's institution. Attending physicians correctly estimated device cost 21 percent of the time, while residents did so 17 percent of the time. Overall, 36 percent of physicians and 75 percent of residents rated their knowledge of device costs "below average" or "poor." However, more than 80 percent of respondents agreed that cost should be an factor in the device selection process.
Read more...
Read the abstract...
|
|
|
|
Save The Date
|
2014 NVOS Annual Meeting
May 9-10, 2014
Vdara, Las Vegas, NV
| |
Join the NVOS for the 2014 Annual Meeting taking place at the Vdara in Las Vegas.
A registration link and final agenda coming soon!
|
|
Member
Information
|
Current Members
Membership renewals are being sent for 2014. Please check your mailbox, click on the link below or visit the website at www.nevadaortho.org for a membership form.
The NVOS Strives to reach all Orthopaedic Surgeons within Nevada to alert them of our association and the benefits of joining.
Please Contact the NVOS with new members of the Orthopaedic Community .
775-326-4312
nvos@mcdonaldcarano.com
For a Membership Form, please use the following link:
|
|
Quick Links
| |
Visit The NVOS Website For The Latest Updates
Password Protected Sections Require Username and Password "Bones2013"
|
|
2013-2014 Board of Directors
| |
President
Eric Boyden, MD
Immediate Past President
Hugh Bassewitz, MD
Vice-President
Abdi Raissi, MD
Treasurer
Gregg Lundeen, MD
Secretary
Colby Young, MD
Members At Large
Holman Chan, MD
Jack Davis, MD
Chad Hanson, MD
Ronald Hillock, MD
Jedediah Jones, MD
Terrence Orr, MD
James Rappaport, MD
AAOS Board of Councilors
Hugh Bassewitz, MD,
Nevada Representative
|
|
|
