The American Medical Association is gearing up for an action-packed year, says AMA President Ardis Dee Hoven, MD in a blog post. Between the implementation of ICD-10, the beginning of Stage 2 Meaningful Use, and several big federal changes, the top five biggest national issues to affect providers in the coming year are all hefty challenges.
The repeal of the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) will be one major issue to affect providers already strapped for cash and uncertain about the financial viability of hospitals and small, independent practices. While the temporary repeal, giving Congress three more months to come up with a permanent solution, will further the goals of accountable care and provide some stability for physicians in the future, not everyone is satisfied with the “significant improvements” over the current system Hoven praises.
The most significant change to healthcare law in several decades is, of course, the Affordable Care Act. “While aspects of this roll-out have been rocky, we must not lose sight of the ultimate goal of health care reform: Millions of previously uninsured Americans will gain access to care, and millions more no longer will be at risk of losing their coverage when they need it most,” Hoven says. “This is a chief goal for us as physicians—helping patients become healthy and stay healthy.” In addition to the changes inherent in the ACA, providers will also be facing new rules under the Sunshine Act, which will make financial transactions with drug and medical device manufacturers public.
Rounding out the list are two momentous health IT projects that have been in the works for years: the EHR Incentive Programs and ICD-10. 2014 will see the beginning of Stage 2 of Meaningful Use, and will also be the last year to avoid Medicare penalties for non-participation. “While we have been successful in delaying Stage 3 for a year,” Hoven says, “we continue to urge CMS to make Stage 2 requirements more reasonable, address usability issues and break down barriers preventing communication among EHR systems rather than placing the responsibility on physicians to achieve the impractical.”
The AMA also continues to protest the upcoming transition to ICD-10. “The AMA has been working for years to prevent the roll-out of ICD-10,” says Hoven. “Two bills were introduced in 2013 to this end, and we continue to stress to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that the new code set will place an immense burden on physicians.” Despite the Association’s disapproval, ICD-10 is slated to go ahead at the beginning of October, whether or not the industry is entirely ready to make the change. Source
