Federal Watch
March 8th, 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 a new report calling for payment reform as well as news from CMS on the status of Meaningful Use Stage 3. We also report on a recent article which finds that electronic health records may have the un-intended effect of information overload for doctors. Lastly, we share a new PBS Newshour video that discusses the difficulties that some Medicare beneficiaries are experiencing when looking for a primary care physician that accepts Medicare.
National Commission Calls for Changes in the Way Medicare Providers are Paid
Earlier this week, the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform released a report, which calls for the phasing out of the Physician Fee Schedule over the next five years. The report also recommends increasing reimbursement for E&M services, equal rates for the same physician services regardless of specialty or setting, abolishing the SGR formula, and improving the Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). The commission was convened by the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California Healthcare Foundation. AGS is in the process of reviewing the report in greater detail. To read the report, click here.
CMS Decides to Delay Stage 3 Meaningful Use
CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner announced that the agency will delay any rulemaking on Meaningful Use Stage 3 until next year. Simultaneously, the agenda announced a request for information (RFI) from stakeholders on how new payment models impact the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). HHS is setting new goals for 2013 including 50 percent of physician offices using electronic health records (EHR) and 80 percent of eligible hospitals receiving meaningful use incentive payments by the end of 2013.
Electronic health records (EHR) may have the un-intentional side effect of information overload for doctors
A recent article written by POLITCO pro discusses a research letter that was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine. The survey was of primary care doctors from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This letter finds that electronic health records may have the un-intended effect of information overload for doctors. The study suggests that with the number of alerts that doctors are receiving, it is possible for medical providers to miss important alerts for their patients. About 30 percent of the doctors surveyed from June- November of 2010, reported an occurrence where they missed an alert, thereby resulting in delays in care for patients. The letter does not discuss the rate that providers overlooked patient’s test results when solely relying upon paper records. The research letter brought to light that primary care doctors that were more comfortable with the EHR system were less likely to report missing results.
Finding a primary care doctor becomes increasingly difficult for some Medicare beneficiaries
PBS Newshour recently reported that some seniors in South Austin, Texas are experiencing difficulty in finding a primary care physician that accepts Medicare. One Medicare beneficiary reported that after moving to Austin, she was unable to find a primary care physician for two years. In the interim, she utilized hospital emergency rooms when she had a “really big problem.” Lou Goodman, the CEO of the Texas Medical Association, presents two reasons that seniors are experiencing difficulty in finding medical providers who accept Medicare. One reason he provides is that doctors are opting out of Medicare, and another reason is the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), a mathematical formula developed by Congress to contain rising Medicare costs. As reported by Kaiser Family Foundation, overall this is not the trend that is being experienced by all seniors. A survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year found that only 3% of Medicare beneficiaries had trouble finding a physician who accepts Medicare. The independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission also looked into this issue last June. Of the six percent of seniors they surveyed that were looking for a new primary care physician, one in four reported a small or big problem in scheduling an appointment. Nevertheless, Goodman states that there is data on both sides, and overall there is a shortage of doctors to treat Medicare beneficiaries, especially with the rising numbers of people soon to become Medicare eligible. To view this video, please click here.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Ashley Fletcher, Senior Coordinator of Public Affairs & Advocacy afletcher@americangeriatrics.org.
Modified On: March 8th, 2013
