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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Keeping the Pressure on Congress: ACR Opposes Medicare Payment Adjustment Plan, Executive Order

Angus Worthing, MD, FACP, FACR  |  

Greetings, advocates! Here’s a brief, interim hodgepodge of updates to keep you posted on government advocacy before the deluge of information swamps you in San Diego. The Next Big Thing: Part B Drug Reimbursements Medicare currently plans to adjust reimbursement of doctors in the MIPS program in 2019, not only based on E/M office services,…

ACR Works to Eliminate Part B Drug Costs from MIPS Payment Adjustments

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The ACR is taking steps to clarify a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that, as currently written, would consider the cost of Part B drugs when calculating physician reimbursement under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). “The ACR is concerned about this, because large cuts to reimbursement for pass-through…

Final Quarter for 2017 MIPS Reimbursement Has Begun

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The final stage of reporting for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) began Oct. 2, 2017, if you chose the option to report for 90 consecutive days. The MIPS transition year began Jan. 1, 2017, and runs until Dec. 31, 2017. If you subscribed to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) email, you…

Advocacy in the Social Media Era

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Advocacy efforts in the medical profession are evolving as technology evolves. The rise of social media, in particular, has brought about great change in the way organizations, such as the ACR, interact with Congress. At the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Nov. 3–8 in San Diego, former Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.) will discuss how to continue…

New RheumPAC Investor Portal Unveiled

Harry L. Gewanter, MD, FAAP, FACR  |  

This is my fifth year serving on RheumPAC, and some of the questions that I repeatedly have been asked include: Why can’t I divide my investments into automatic monthly payments? Why can’t I invest from my phone? Why can’t I schedule an annual contribution so I don’t forget to invest? Why can’t I look up…

White House Says Trump Opposes Bipartisan Senate Deal on Obamacare

Yasmeen Abutaleb and Amanda Becker  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A bipartisan deal from two U.S. senators to stabilize Obamacare by restoring subsidies to health insurers ran into trouble on Wednesday with the White House saying President Donald Trump now opposes it and a senior Senate Republican saying it has stalled. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan also signaled opposition to the deal announced…

Health Insurer Anthem Takes Pharmacy Business in House, Taps CVS to Help

Reuters Staff  |  

(Reuters)—Health insurer Anthem Inc will start managing its billions of dollars of patient prescriptions itself in 2020, it said on Wednesday, ending a deal with Express Scripts Holding that had deteriorated into lawsuits over terms. Anthem, which sued the pharmacy benefit manager last year over claims of being overcharged by $3 billion annually, said it…

U.S. Senate Backers of Obamacare Deal Seek Support but Prospects Unclear

Yasmeen Abutaleb and Richard Cowan  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Proponents of a bipartisan deal struck by two U.S. senators to stabilize Obamacare sought on Wednesday to win Republican support for the measure, which would restore subsidies to health insurers that President Donald Trump has scrapped. With 2018 health insurance markets facing potential chaos, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and Democratic Senator Patty Murray were…

Rheumatologist’s Passion for Gardening Keeps Plants, Patients Healthy

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Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, vividly remembers her first day as an undergraduate student at Harvard University, Boston. When her parents helped her move into the dorm, her mother, Betty, handed her a beautiful begonia. “My response was, ‘What on earth am I going to do with this plant?’” she says, recalling how she examined the…