Federal Watch
February 15th, 2013
AGS is tracking developments of interest to geriatrics health professionals in order to provide weekly updates for our readers via our List Serv, americangeriatrics.org, our Facebook page, and our Twitter feed. This week, we update you on the latest news on the Hill, including recent SGR talks and how the President addressed health reform in his State of the Union. We share an interesting initiative out of Cedars-Sinai Hospital known as the “Frailty Project” and lastly, update you on a an upcoming National Provider Call regarding the 2014 eRx and 2015 PQRS Payment Adjustment.
Hill News – The Latest Talks on the SGR Debate
Rep. Fred Upton, (R-MI.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told physicians this week that he hopes to send "doc fix" legislation to the House floor this summer. Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, (D-MT.), is planning hearings for President Obama's new pick to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Reuters article also addresses the bill introduced this month by House Democrat Allyson Schwartz and Republican Joe Heck that would allow four years of payment increases while new payment and delivery models are vigorously tested. AGS has endorsed this legislation. For more information, please visit here.
Kaiser Health News Breaks Down Obama’s Comments on Health in his State of the Union
In the President’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, he called for modest reforms to the Medicare programs. He focused on two main issues including the idea of prescription drug rebates for dual eligible beneficiaries and charging wealthier Medicare beneficiaries more for their coverage. The latter is already law but Obama would like to make additional changes to raise more money. To read the Kaiser Health News overview, click here.
Cedars-Sinai "Frailty Project" Helps Elderly Avoid Long Hospital Stays
The Los Angeles Times recently reported, "Frail seniors...account for a disproportionate share of healthcare expenditures because they are frequently hospitalized and often land in intensive care units or are readmitted soon after being released. Now the federal health reform law is driving sweeping changes in how hospitals treat a rapidly growing number of elderly patients." The new "frailty project" at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, "stands out nationally because medical professionals are working together to identify high-risk patients at the front end of their hospitalizations to prevent problems at the back end, said Herb Schultz, regional director of the US Department of Health and Human Services." The full text of the article may be accessed by clicking here.
Tuesday, February 19; 1:30-3pm ET – Register Now. National Provider Call RE: How to Avoid a 2014 eRx and 2015 PQRS Payment Adjustment
The CMS Provider Communications Group will host a National Provider Call on the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program. Subject matter experts will discuss how to avoid a 2014 eRx and 2015 PQRS payment adjustment. The target audience includes eligible professionals, medical coders, physician office staff, provider billing staff, health records staff, vendors, and all other interested Medicare FFS healthcare professionals. In order to receive call-in information, you must register for the call on the CMS Upcoming National Provider Calls registration website. The presentation for this call will be posted prior to the call on the FFS National Provider Calls web page. In addition, a link to the slide presentation will be emailed to all registrants on the day of the call. Continuing education credit may be awarded for participation in certain CMS National Provider Calls. Visit the Continuing Education Credit Notification web page to learn more.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Susie Sherman, Senior Coordinator of Public Affairs & Advocacy, ssherman@americangeriatrics.org.
Modified On: February 15th, 2013
