Advocacy Articles
Updates about legislative and regulatory issues impacting the field of sleep medicine
Last week, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) submitted its annual report to Congress in which it recommended increasing certain hospital payments and urged lawmakers to overhaul the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) and the Medical Review Board (MRB) recently submitted recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regarding regulatory guidance obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in drivers.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on a measure (HR 5) that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Both the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means reported favorably on the measure.
The AASM would like to thank the following members who have recently donated to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Political Action Committee (AASMPAC).
The AASMPAC is a bi-partisan political action committee which assists in supporting sleep medicine-friendly legislators in their Congressional elections. This support opens doors for expressing the AASM's viewpoints and the need for and value of sleep care services for patients, sleep care research and sleep-related public health implications. An investment in the AASMPAC is an investment in your profession and livelihood; by contributing to the AASMPAC, you will help shape the outlook of sleep medicine. Donate online today by visiting www.aasmpac.org.
Public support for the federal health reform law is split nearly evenly, with 42 percent of U.S. residents holding a favorable view of the overhaul and 43 percent viewing it unfavorably, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last week.
The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Wednesday voted 17-5 to pass a bill (HR 452) that would repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a 15-member panel created by the federal health reform law to make cost-cutting recommendations in Medicare.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has expanded its resources for health care consumers to include information on sleep apnea. The guide titled "Treating Sleep Apnea" includes information on the symptoms and treatment for sleep apnea. Alongside the guide, AHRQ has released a brief podcast on sleep apnea. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also provides clinicians with informational resources for patients with sleep disorder, in the form of patient education brochures and the patient website yoursleep.aasm.org, which includes information on the symptoms and treatments for a variety of sleep disorders.
President Obama signed legislation (HR 3630) that delays scheduled cuts to Medicare physician reimbursement rates, extends the payroll tax cut and continues unemployment benefits. The $143 billion package delays the Medicare rate cut, which would have been a 27%, until the end of 2012. When the "doc fix" expires in December, physicians will face about a 32% reduction in Medicare payments.
Just 25 percent of physicians are "on target" to meet the health IT meaningful use standards established under the federal stimulus package, according to a study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. The study found that most of the respondents use some form of electronic health records to manage clinical information, and most believe EHRs can help improve care over the long term. Only 21 percent of respondents say they do not expect to meet the Oct. 2013 for transitioning to ICD-10, but 62 percent said managing ICD-10 documentation is a "major concern."