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 |
IPAB Will Be Triggered in 2017
| On July 22, 2015, the Medicare Trustees - a group that oversees the financial operations of the Hospital Insurance and Supplementary  Medical Insurance trust funds - released a report that states implementation of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) will be triggered for the first time in 2017. The IPAB, opposed by the AAOS, is required to recommend cuts if Medicare exceeds spending growth thresholds. The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation in June that would eliminate sections 3403 and 10320 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and repeal the IPAB before it is activated (read more in Advocacy Now here).
The Senate companion version, S. 141, was introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in January and it has so far received 41 cosponsors. However, the bill's fate in that chamber is uncertain as many have argued there is no urgency to pass the legislation. The recent Trustees' announcement directly refutes this idea and reinforces the need to repeal the IPAB as soon as possible.
Click here to read more...
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Report Notes Physician Dissatisfaction With EHRs
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A report released by AmericanEHR and the American Medical Association suggests that many physicians may be dissatisfied with their electronic health records (EHR) systems. The researchers surveyed 940 physicians between May 30, 2014 and July 18, 2014. Among their findings:
- 42 percent of respondents thought their EHR system's ability to improve efficiency was difficult or very difficult
- 72 percent thought their EHR system's ability to decrease workload was difficult or very difficult
- 54 percent found their EHR system increased their total operating costs
- 43 percent said they had yet to overcome the productivity challenges related to their EHR system
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Article Highlights Potential Concerns With Proposed CCJR Payment Model
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An article on the Health Affairs blog examines a recently released U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal to bundle payments and quality measures for hip and knee arthroplasty at hospitals in 75 randomly selected geographic areas. Under the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) payment model, the hospital in which the procedure is performed would be accountable for costs associated with the entire episode of care, from the time of surgery through 90 days postoperative. The writer outlines the following areas of concern: - The proposal is hospital-centric. Leaving physicians, post-acute care providers, and others out of the program may encourage conflicts instead of collaboration between providers.
- The model prevents the possibility of using outpatient or other suitable sites of care for such surgeries, possibly promoting increased consolidation in the healthcare industry.
- The proposal does not vary payments to hospitals based on severity of the patient's condition.
- The diagnosis-related groups targeted by the program are broad, and include procedures unrelated to replacing a hip or knee.
- Provider payments would not be reconciled until the end of the year.
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HHS Releases Overview Of HIPAA Regulations
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released an overview of the basics of regulations implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The guidance discusses the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the data breach notification process. The document notes that the Privacy Rule sets standards for when protected health information (PHI) may be used and disclosed, the Security Rule requires safeguards to ensure only those who should have access to electronic PHI will have access, and the Breach Notification Rule requires HIPAA-covered entities to notify HHS, affected individuals, and, in some cases, the media of breaches of unsecured PHI.
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CMS Releases Final Rule For Hospital Payment In 2016
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The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule for Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems for fiscal year 2016, which begins Oct. 1, 2015. As reported by Modern Healthcare, the agency plans to increase reimbursement to acute care hospitals by 0.9 percent-a reduction from the 1.1 percent increase in announced in April. In addition, long-term care hospitals will see a 4.5 percent reduction in payments. Although the rule has been announced as finalized, CMS states that it will accept comments through Sept. 30. Read more... |
CMS Updates Recent Guidance Document On ICD-10 Transition
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Health Data Management reports that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has revised a recently released guidance document intended to help healthcare providers manage the transition to ICD-10. Specifically, the agency has clarified the answers to question 3: "What is a valid ICD-10 code?" and question 5: "What is meant by a family of codes?" As previously announced, the agency plans to establish an ombudsman office to help resolve problems during the transition, and will not penalize physicians for errors in selecting and calculating quality codes for the meaningful use, Physician Quality Reporting System, and Value-based Modifier reporting programs as long as they use codes within the appropriate family of codes. All Medicare and Medicaid claims with dates of service of Oct. 1, 2015 or later will be required to be submitted using a valid ICD-10 code.
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AAOS, AMA, And Other Organizations Form Task Force To Address Opioid Epidemic
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AAOS, the American Medical Association (AMA), and 25 other medical societies have convened a task force to collaboratively address the opioid public health epidemic by identifying and implementing best practices. The group has developed a roadmap with the goal of bringing healthcare professionals and patients together as partners on the path to eliminating this public health concern. Initially, the group plans to focus on the following priorities: - Use of state-based prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs)
- Discussing pain management treatment options with patients
- Robust education activities to meet the needs of specialty, practice, and patient populations
In addition, the group plans to work with states to ensure PDMPs protect patient privacy, contain relevant and reliable data, allow care teams to seamlessly integrate data into their work flows, and enable data sharing across state lines. Read more... |
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Lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Improve Meaningful Use Program
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The U.S. House of Representatives is considering legislation that would, if enacted, provide increased flexibility in the meaningful use program and ensure that electronic health records systems address interoperability challenges. In addition, the bill would delay Stage 3 rulemaking to align it with technology advancements and a new incentive-based payment system designed to combine current quality programs. The bill would also harmonize reporting requirements and institute a 90-day reporting period for each year, regardless of stage or program experience.
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2015-2016 Board of Directors
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