AAPM&R Connection E-Newsletter

The new Trump Administration swiftly signed an executive order on January 20 regarding the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The executive order does not repeal the ACA, but instead acts as a charge for Congress to do so. Click here to read the full executive order.

Your Academy has already signed on to 2 coalition letters encouraging the Trump Administration and Congress to expand upon the quality and cost savings progress made in America through the ACA, while continuing to protect coverage for persons with disabilities.

“Our work with the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and the other coalitions within organized medicine provided this important opportunity to voice physiatry’s concerns for our work and the patients we serve,” stated Steve R. Geiringer, MD, President of AAPM&R. “Our Academy is diligently monitoring and participating in discussions regarding our healthcare system and how changes can and will affect the patient populations we serve. We ask in turn that our members join the conversation, become engaged in our efforts, and help support the advancement of the specialty during these times of change.”

It should be noted that the ACA and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) are 2 separate pieces of legislation. Repeal of the ACA will not repeal MACRA. At this time, there is no indication that MACRA will be repealed and we are continuing to closely monitor developments. The Academy continues to urge all members to learn more about the requirements stemming from MACRA and to begin reporting immediately to avoid penalties. Click here to learn about MACRA.

Have you watched the stories on www.pmrismorethan.org? A physiatrist's work is powerful and impactful. Take a moment to celebrate your work, and share your story!

What steps will you take to help move physiatry forward in 2017? Start here: www.pmrismorethan.org and tell your story.

Thanks to the thousands of you who have engaged and provided insights for Visioning PM&R Bold since the initiative began in July 2016. Check out the recap video below to see all the ways you and your peers have been PM&R Bold.

Participate in the Spring 2017 PM&R Knowledge NOW^® Writing Cycle by applying to be an author of a 1,700-word summary of a clinical topic. Applications are due by February 7, 2017. Learn more.

We have new practice preparedness resources on mē^® that help you run, transition, and diversify your practice. Running a Cash Practice will help you:

• Explain the rational for transition to a cash practice.
• Describe the necessary steps to take in developing and maintaining a cash practice.
• Discuss the interplay of care and service with the more practical aspects of running a business and encourage discussion of the delivery of superior medical care and the obstacles present in today’s health care environment.
• Detail how many of these obstacles can be overcome in a cash practice.
  

Preview the video below for a summary of the activity.

U.S. Representatives Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) today reintroduced legislation that would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover physician-prescribed recreational therapy services. H.R. 626, the Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy Act of 2017, would amend the Social Security Act to include recreational therapy among the therapy methods that can be considered part of an intensive rehabilitation therapy program in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital or unit. Learn more.

The Spine Quality Outcomes Database has launched! Your Academy is actively seeking participant sites. If you and/or your institution are interested in participating, please email spineregistry@aapmr.org. Find more information here.

The EHR Incentive Programs attestation system is open now until February 28, 2017. Providers must attest by the deadline to avoid a 2018 payment adjustment. To help providers prepare for the 2016 EHR Incentive Programs attestation period, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released 2 attestation worksheets for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. Learn more.