Your voice needed in SGR survey

Please take a short survey designed by the AMA to determine how threatened cuts to Medicare physician payments and instability in the Medicare program are affecting physician practices. The survey will be open through close of business May 21, and results will be used in advocacy efforts to reform Medicare's current physician payment formula.

AMA Morning Rounds: Several medical groups say new financial regulations aimed at Wall Street are too broad

The Hill (5/3, Brush) "On the Money" blog reported that several "of the nation's largest healthcare associations," including the American Medical Association, "are warning Congress that they would fall under sweeping new financial regulations aimed at Wall Street." The association, in a letter, "said the scope and reach of a new consumer financial protection office are too broad and that they would face new regulations designed for banks and other financial companies."

AMA Offers Physicians Help Claiming Damages From UnitedHealth Settlement

The American Medical Association (AMA) today launched a new online resource that will help thousands of physicians file claims in the record-breaking settlement reached in the AMA legal victory against UnitedHealth Group—the nation’s largest health insurer. More than $350 million is available to compensate physicians and their patients for 15 years of artificially low payments for out-of-network services.

The UnitedHealth settlement is governed by a series of court-imposed deadlines that physicians must follow. The current settlement deadlines include the following key dates:

July 27 – Deadline for filing objections to the settlement or for opting out of the settlement.

September 13 – Date for the final settlement hearing to consider any filed objections.

October 5 – Deadline for filing a claim to share in the settlement fund.

Electrodiagnostic Laboratory Accreditation Program Launches Today!

The much anticipated Electrodiagnostic (EDX) Laboratory Accreditation Program is ready for its first applications. Be among the first EDX laboratories to become accredited. The program recognizes laboratories that demonstrate clinical excellence and commitment to providing the highest quality patient care. The AANEM EDX Laboratory Accreditation designation provides patients, referral sources, and payers with a credible measure of excellence. recognition will be given to the first accredited laboratory in each state. Learn more about the accreditation program, then request an application today!

Access 2007 Re-Run and 2008 PQRI Feedback Reports

Physicians may now access their 2007 re-run and 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) data through a new tool. CMS has created the “Verify Report Portal” which is available on the PQRI Qualitynet Portal. In addition to PQRI information, these reports will provide individual physicians with information on their Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule allowed charges for the 2007 or 2008 PQRI reporting period, upon which an incentive payment is based.

The tool is available at https://www.qualitynet.org/portal/server.pt.

CMS expands Medicare Advantage payment dispute resolution process

Last year, CMS established a payment dispute resolution process for physicians who encountered problems in getting accurate compensation from Medicare Advantage (MA) private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans. Now, CMS has expanded the process to include non-contracted physicians and to include all MA organizations, including HMOs and PPOs, not just PFFS plans. The dispute resolution process can be used by non-contracted physicians to address problems of MA organizations paying less than regular Medicare rates as well as downcoding of claims, but not for denied claims. The contractor handling the disputed payments is First Coast Service Options, Inc. Information on how to initiate the dispute resolution process is available on the FSCO website.