The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) discontinued consultation codes in 2010, a move strongly opposed by the ACR, says Dr. Bryant. Resolution 819 is a response to concerns from ACR members that some private payers plan to eliminate consultation codes, he says.
“Rheumatologists can best care for our patients by performing the record review, the interpretation of disparate, prior and current tests that lead to an accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendation, and often, coordination of care with several other physicians,” he says. “Elimination of consultation codes would then default to a system where the complex and time-consuming nature of these aspects of care are not acknowledged.”
Additional Resolutions
The ACR joined the American Society of Clinical Oncology as a cosponsor of Resolution 225 in opposition to including Medicare Part B drugs in payment adjustments that would occur under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). If passed, the resolution would have the AMA work with impacted specialties to actively lobby the federal government to exclude Medicare Part B drug reimbursement from the MIPS payment adjustment as part of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Applying MIPS adjustments to the cost of separately payable Part B drugs would significantly and adversely exaggerate the magnitude of the bonuses and penalties under MIPS for medical specialties that routinely administer prescription drugs by infusion or injection, and put practices’ financial viability at risk.
For More Information
The full text of all the resolutions to be debated at the AMA meeting is available online. For more information on the ACR’s advocacy efforts, visit the Advocacy section of the ACR website.
Susan Bernstein is a freelance journalist based in Atlanta.
