On Monday, August 15, AAPM&R commented on a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information (RFI) on Patient Relationship Categories and Codes. Among the many provisions of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), CMS is required to collaborate with physicians, practitioners and other stakeholders to improve Resource Use Measurement. AAPM&R submitted comments urging CMS to conduct a pilot of patient relationship codes and engage with physicians and their staff to increase education and reduce burden. A draft list of patient relationship codes will be released by CMS in November 2016.
AAPM&R also signed on to another letter, along with the American Pain Society (APS), the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), and the Spine Interventional Society (SIS).
Read the letter here.