Dr. Laing points to data from a recently published workforce study showing that over the next several years the rheumatology profession will suffer an increasing shortage of practitioners, and further suggest that compensation differentials vis-a-vis other procedure-based specialties may be responsible, in part.
“It makes eminent sense to discuss the issue with MedPAC,” Dr. Laing says. “The ACR participates with the Cognitive Care Alliance [CCA] in advocating for a large-scale study to be conducted under the auspices of CMS. [This study would] examine the family of [E/M] codes, with the goal of extensively revising them to more accurately recognize the value of cognitive care services. Thus, these two efforts can be seen as complementary.”
Making Headway
Dr. Amodeo is encouraged by the dialogue between the ACR and MedPAC on these issues.
“Dr. Matthews and the other MedPAC leaders we met with shared with us that they are considering the landscape and certain policies around loan repayment and GME funding. There are no additional specifics on these topics yet, but we look forward to engaging with MedPAC along the way,” Dr. Amodeo says.
She also notes that MedPAC leadership was receptive to including a focus on cognitive specialists, not just primary care, when it comes to such reforms as changing billing codes.
“These issues are critical for those of us in clinical practice, including private practice and academic medical center clinics,” Dr. Worthing notes.
He explains that it is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain rheumatologists to join a practice. “Increasing GME slots and funding, and having a set of billing codes that values rheumatology care would help attract more residents to choose rheumatology and strengthen our workforce pool. Also, improving reimbursement is critical to maintain viability of practices, especially in rural and underserved areas where rheumatologists are needed.”
Based on discussion during the meeting, Dr. Amodeo shares that MedPAC welcomes more discussion on issues facing rheumatologists, and the ACR is glad to have open lines of communication with them as the College looks forward to future meetings that support “a working relationship that allows us to engage on issues and provide feedback along the way. Stakeholder engagement is very important when making sweeping policy change recommendations.”
The ACR is planning a follow-up meeting with MedPAC and the CCA to talk in more depth about E/M code recommendations.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the ACR’s federal advocacy efforts with the U.S. Congress and federal agencies.
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