Breaking news ... Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday released the National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care. The strategy, which is required under the Affordable Care Act, is the first effort to create national aims and priorities to guide local, state, and national efforts to improve the quality of health care in the United States. The strategy identifies six priority issues, including "promoting the most effective prevention and treatment practices for the leading causes of mortality, starting with cardiovascular disease." HHS has said it will work with stakeholders to create specific quantitative goals and measures for each of these priorities. Your ACC provided detailed comments on the draft National Strategy this past October and will continue to monitor and be engaged as HHS moves forward with implementation.
Also this week ... CMS formally established the new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, also created by the Affordable Care Act. The Innovation Center is charged with examining new ways of delivering health care and paying health care providers that can improve quality while also reducing health care costs. According to CMS, it will consult stakeholders across the health care sector to obtain direct input on its operations and to build partnerships with those interested in its work. You can rest assured that your ACC will be involved! CMS also announced the launch of new demonstration projects that will support efforts to better coordinate care and improve health outcomes for patients. Among the projects, a demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness of doctors and other health professionals across the care system working in a more integrated fashion and receiving more coordinated payment from Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans. Another project will test the effectiveness of doctors and other health professionals working in teams to treat low-income patients at community health centers, while another will look at a state plan option allowing Medicaid patients with at least two chronic conditions to designate a provider as a "health home." More information on the Innovation Center and these initiatives is available at innovation.cms.gov.
Are you ready for ACC.11 in New Orleans? The meeting will feature a number of sessions that directly address advocacy priority issues like physician payment, delivery system reform, tort reform, health IT and regulatory changes. Check out the Advocacy highlights. There are also many great sessions focused on Practice Management. Finally, the ACC Political Action Committee (PAC) will have a special booth located right outside the Faculty Lounge, as well as a Suite at the New Orleans Marriott. The Suite will be open starting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. Sunday night is sponsored by CCA members. If you're a practice administrator, please come to the Suite on Saturday, April 2 at 5 p.m. for an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide feedback on what you'd like to see from the ACC PAC.
Congress is in recess, BUT ... Your ACC is hearing that the "Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act" (H.R. 5) may again be on the move in the House when it gets back from recess. The HEALTH Act, introduced by Rep. Phil Gingrey, MD, was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee. The College supports this comprehensive medical liability reform legislation, which currently has 100 cosponsors. To help its chances of moving through the House of Representatives, ACC members are encouraged to contact their representative and ask him or her to cosponsor this important bill.
Coding Update! Physicians reporting the new code for transseptal puncture (93462) have indicated that Medicare was not properly paying for this service. Your ACC worked with CMS to correct this issue. Please be be aware that 93462 should not be billed with any modifier and it should be properly paid by Medicare.