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Washington E-Newsletter

New Report Shows Continuing Projected Physician Shortage

On March 21, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued new projections demonstrating that the U.S. faces a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This updated report titled “The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 to 2036” projects a shortfall of up to 19,900 surgeons and 40,400 primary […]
Washington E-Newsletter

AANS and CNS Comment on Cost Measures for Movement Disorders

On Feb. 28, the AANS and the CNS commented on proposed cost measures for movement disorders. Jason M. Schwalb, MD, FAANS — a stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon specializing in surgery for neurological disorders that impact movement — serves on the measure development workgroup organized by Acumen, LLC, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contractor […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Washington E-Newsletter

CMS Extends MIPS 2023 Data Submission Deadline Through April 15

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announced it is extending the deadline for eligible clinicians to submit their 2023 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance data in response to the Change Healthcare cybersecurity attack. The 2023 MIPS data submission window opened on January 2 and was initially scheduled to close on April 1. Clinicians […]
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Washington E-Newsletter

Neurosurgery Supports Using Registry Data for FDA Regulatory Purposes

On Feb. 20, the AANS and the CNS joined the Physician Clinical Registry Coalition in a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD, expressing support for using registry data as the agency develops guidance on using “real-world” data for medical device review. The letter was in response to draft guidance issued […]
  • Drugs and Devices
Washington E-Newsletter

Open Payments Review and Dispute Period for 2023 Data is Open through May 15

Between April 1 and May 15, the Open Payments program, which collects information about financial relationships between health care providers and drug and device companies, allows providers to review their data for accuracy before it is publicly released in June. The AANS and the CNS encourage neurosurgeons to check the accuracy of their data and […]
  • Drugs and Devices
Washington E-Newsletter

MedPAC Releases March Report to Congress

On March 15, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its March 2024 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. For 2025, MedPAC recommended updating Medicare’s base payment rate for physicians by the amount specified in current law plus 50% of the projected increase in the Medicare Economic Index. The commission also recommended that Congress […]
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Washington E-Newsletter

Neurosurgery Urges VA to Respect State Scope of Practice Laws

On Feb. 21, the AANS and the CNS joined the American Medical Association in writing a letter to convey ongoing concerns with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) effort to develop National Standards of Practice (NSP) through the Federal Supremacy Project. The letter urged the VA to address flaws in the NSP development process, including […]
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Washington E-Newsletter

HHS OIG Update on Medicare Advantage Plan Prior Authorization

On March 18, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published an “impact brief” highlighting the OIG’s work on Medicare Advantage (MA) plan prior authorization issues. The report notes that MA organizations deny over one million prior authorization requests yearly. In 2019, an estimated 13% were for services […]
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management
Washington E-Newsletter

AANS and CNS Recommend Prior Authorization Reforms for ERISA Plans

On March 15, the AANS and the CNS joined the Alliance of Specialty Medicine in responding to the House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee’s Request for Information on ways to improve the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). In the comment letter, the groups made several recommendations to ensure physicians can focus on providing […]
Washington E-Newsletter

CMS Hosts Prior Authorization Final Rule Information Session

On March 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics hosted an information session on the agency’s prior authorization final rule. The recording (password: 5PAMV^vN) and slides from the information session are available online. To learn more about the final rule, visit the Federal Register and read the […]
  • Reimbursement and Practice Management