The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced today that it will delay implementation of the ICD-10 diagnostic code set. The original date for implementation was October 1, 2013. The announcement did not specify a new date for the implementation of the requirement.
In the announcement, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated, "We have heard from many in the provider community who have concerns about the administrative burdens they face in the years ahead. We are committing to work with the provider community to reexamine the pace at which HHS and the nation implement these important improvements to our health care system." Click here for the full press release here.
Critics of the new system, including the American Medical Association (AMA), note the cost and complexity of moving from the current 13,000 codes contained in the ICD-9 system to more than 68,000 codes in ICD-10. According to the AMA, conversion to the new system would cost medical practices between $83,290 and more than $2.7 million, depending on their size. The AMA applauded the announcement—click here to see AMA’s statement.
For more information, contact Steve Miller at smiller@ascassociation.org.
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and other health care providers are facing continuing shortages of critical sedative and anesthetic drugs, which are vital to the surgical procedures ASCs provide. In some cases, procedures are postponed or canceled because of a lack of access to these drugs. These shortages not only represent a serious challenge to patient care, but also result in increased costs for patients, physicians and the government.
The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) is working with lawmakers to provide new tools to better manage and hopefully prevent shortages of critical medications. This has included endorsing S. 296, the Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act, which would enable the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to work more effectively with drug manufacturers and enhance their ability to monitor drugs that are vulnerable to shortages. Click here to contact your Senators in support of S 296.
ASCA needs your assistance in the fight to reduce and eliminate shortages. Please let us know what drug shortages you face, how you have been attempting to mitigate the impact on your center and what, if any, impact the shortages have had on patient care in your ASC.
If you have information to share, please email Jack Coleman at jcoleman@ascassociation.org or post in ASCA Connect.
The joint House-Senate conference committee charged with fixing the Medicare physician payment formula has reached agreement on a deal to postpone the looming physician payment cuts. Had an agreement not been reached by March 1, Medicare payments to physicians were scheduled to be reduced by 27.4%. The leadership in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate are working to schedule votes on the agreement, which would extend the current reimbursement rate for the next 10 months.
The compromise is part of a larger package that deals with the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.
The potential physician payment cut is triggered by the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), which is the method the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses to update physician payments. The SGR was enacted by Congress in 1997 as a way to control Medicare spending on physician services. Since then, the SGR has caused 11 potential reductions in payments. Congress passed legislation to avert the cuts each year except 2002; unfortunately, each time the cuts are deferred, the underlying cost of “fixing” the SGR increases. The current “fix” is projected to cost more than $300 billion.
ASCA will continue to monitor this situation and keep you informed of any developments.
For more information, contact Brendan Davis at bdavis@ascassociation.org.
ASCA sent a letter to key legislators in Iowa this week in support of the Iowa Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers’ (IAASC) opposition to HF 2273. The IAASC raised concerns regarding a vague data reporting provision in the bill. While the state association supports providing the state’s Department of Investigations & Appeals (DIA) with quality data, it opposes any provision that could allow the state access to internal financial data and proprietary data, including physician referrals.
The legislation would also, for the first time, require ASCs in Iowa to be licensed. Currently, a certificate of need must be obtained prior to an ASC opening, but no other licensing requirements are imposed. Under this legislation, an ASC would be required to submit an application with a $500 license fee, follow rules that will be promulgated by the DIA and meet the federal requirements set forth in the Conditions for Coverage that apply to the federal Medicare program. The IAASC has made it clear that it supports these new licensure requirements as long as the data reporting provision is clarified.
The IAASC has submitted its formal opposition to the legislation, as have the Iowa Dental Association and the Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology. The Iowa Hospital Association, which is the data collection contractor for the state of Iowa, and the Iowa DIA support the bill. The legislation has been referred to the House Ways & Means Committee, where it awaits a hearing.
For more information, please contact Kara Marshall at kmarshall@ascassociation.org.
Did you know that more than 85% of the cosponsors of H.R. 2108/S. 1173, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2011, signed on due to direct member advocacy? You are essential in achieving our goals in advancing the role of ASCs today. There are many things you can do to assure that ASCs continue to have a seat at the health care debate table.
Begin by participating in ASCA’s National Capitol Fly-Ins. This April 17-18 and June 19-20, we’ll be sponsoring our second set of fly-ins. Contact your state leaders and let them know you would like to participate. Each year, members fly to Washington, DC, and speak with legislators and their staff to educate them about the issues ASCs face and how we can provide solutions to many of the problems confronting our nation’s health care system.
Another way you can get involved is to host a facility tour at your ASC. During the first two weeks of April, your legislators will be returning home for their yearly spring recess. This is an excellent time to invite them to tour your facility and see the many benefits of ASCs and how they help their local communities.
For more information on the National Capitol Fly-Ins, hosting a facility tour or just getting involved in ASCA’s Grassroots Initiative, contact Morgan Hanson at mhanson@ascassociation.org.