Government Affairs Committee member Donald Miller, PharmD, reflects on the effects of rheumatology advocacy work over time, noting that progress is often easier to see from the distance.
Rheumatology fellow Audrey Liu, MD, describes the excitement and empowerment of seeing first-hand the real-world impact of advocating for policies that support providers and patients.
The state legislative tracker shows rheumatology-related bills the ACR is actively tracking in state legislatures across the country. It lists bills by issue area and state and is regularly updated to show each bill’s progression through the legislative process.
Much more than just CME, state society meetings offer a way to expand your professional network, explore what other states are working on and even build in some leisure time or family activities.
The ACR is actively monitoring more than 60 pieces of legislation, focusing on such key issues as copay accumulators, utilization management reform, gold card programs and other emerging concerns. Two states have passed utilization management reform bills this year.
The implementation of the new G2211 code on Jan. 1 increases reimbursement for rheumatology visits, but the ACR continues to fight for retroactive repayment of the across-the-board Medicare physician reimbursement cuts implemented at the same time, as well as structural changes to the program to make serving Medicare patients sustainable for rheumatologists in the long term.
Through a project to reduce gaps and inequities in lupus care and treatment, ACR work groups have developed five quality measures focused on clinical and patient-reported outcomes and are integrating them into the RISE registry to support patient care and research.
With state legislatures now in session, the ACR is working with our partners to ensure that the voice of the rheumatology community is heard. Here is a look at some of the bills we are monitoring and the trends we expect to play out over the 2024 legislative calendar.
State rheumatology society meetings provide many opportunities and benefits for rheumatology professionals, including networking and collaboration opportunities, skill enhancement, regulatory updates and leadership development.