Your Academy remains vigilant about ongoing efforts by non-physician providers to expand their scope of practice beyond their level of training, which may threaten the health and safety of patients and impact the livelihood of physiatrists. On March 5, 2019, a delegation from AAPM&R met with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss updates to the CMS definitions for “Rehabilitation Physician” and “Director of Rehabilitation” in IRF settings and request relief from burdensome documentation requirements and inappropriate denials. Your Academy was very pleased with both the attendance and discussions at the meeting and are looking forward to continued progress on these initiatives.
“The CMS staff were engaged and we discussed our goal that our patients have access to the rehabilitation care they need to have the best outcomes,” stated Peter Esselman, MD, FAAPMR, who was in attendance at the meeting. “We agreed to continue our conversation and we will continue to be a strong advocate for our specialty.”
Read the new definitions your Academy is proposing and learn more about this initiative here. Stay tuned to your Academy communications for more updates.