Health Law & Policy

"Helping urologists establish practices in rural areas and incentivizing those practices is so important," says Kevin Koo, MD, MPH.

"This year's Summit was one of the biggest and most exciting so far," says Kevin Koo, MD, MPH.

Telemedicine risks can be managed by staying informed and educated.

Based on 5- and 10-year study periods, physicians with single or multiple paid medical malpractice claims “were shown to have a greatly elevated risk of having additional paid claims during a future period,” the authors wrote.

While AI is promising, there are potential legal and ethical challenges that must be addressed, according to the experts.

"The AACU joined 1 effort calling for the administration to remove the directive that arbiters anchor their determination to the qualifying payment amount, and instead let them consider all allowable information submitted by the parties to support their offer," says Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

“My opinion is that the practices that continue to utilize telemedicine moving forward after the pandemic are going to be the leaders in urology,” says Lisa J. Finkelstein, DO.

Among the highlights will be a talk from Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA).

A “perfect storm” of Medicare cuts threatens patient care.

"A lot of ancillary providers want more privileges that the physician has, and we have to be the guardians and the reason we're doing this is to protect our patients so that they get the best care available to them," says William C. Reha, MD, MBA.

"Our success depends on your assertive action and membership in organizations serving our specialty—the AACU in particular—as well as your state medical association," writes William C. Reha, MD, MBA.

Terrence Regan, MD, also discusses appropriate use criteria for advanced imaging from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“[Prior authorization is] becoming a bigger and bigger problem for each practice,” says urologist Terrence Regan, MD.

“[Prior authorization has] become part of our everyday practicing life, but it does very little to advance quality of care,” says Terrence Regan, MD.

Urology Times reached out to 3 urologists and asked them, "How did you cope with the increased stress the pandemic has placed on your life?"

"To overcome well-funded business interests and bureaucratic inertia, proponents of equitable prostate cancer screening coverage must essentially clear a high hurdle on a broken ankle," writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

"Don’t be me; take care of yourself, because you can’t take care of patients if you don’t," writes Henry Rosevear, MD.

A 2017 survey found approximately 75% of urologists accepted Medicaid managed care and 90% accepted Medicare Advantage, “suggesting some discernment when it comes including Medicaid managed care in a practice’s payment mix,” writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

"Perhaps the most substantive change to the delivery of health care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the broad expansion of telehealth services," writes Yehuda A. Sugarman of the AACU.

"Lawmakers must prioritize medical liability protection and support health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic," writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

"Virtual or in person, what matters is... bringing our specialty’s voice directly to the people who create and enforce the policies impacting our profession," Reha writes.

"In the coming days, months, and years, physicians must be vigilant about protecting patient privacy and safety and maintaining appropriate reimbursement standards," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

"The widely varying enforceability of non-compete clauses or restrictive covenants requires physicians to pay special attention to contract provisions related to compensation as well as competition," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

LUGPA President Dr. Harris discusses legislative/policy challenges in 2020.

Dr. Holton, vice chair of LUGPA's Health Policy Committee, spoke with Urology Times at the 2019 LUGPA annual meeting in Chicago.

A new report by the National Academy of Medicine urges action by government, educational institutions, and health care organizations to address the causes of physician burnout, which is experienced by up to one-half of clinicians in the U.S. and threatens patient care.

"In an ideal world, it could work pretty well. We live in a capitalistic society, however, and insurance companies are not going to voluntarily implode in order to make it easy to implement a Medicare for All system," says one urologist.

National politics, state advocacy issues, and innovative topics in urologic care came together as urologists from every practice setting and at varied points in their careers gathered in Washington for the AACU 2019 annual meeting.

"Overall, the 2020 Medicare payment proposal attempts to modernize the program and mitigate administrative burdens. The urologic community has identified room for improvement, however, including in the area of facilitating participation in advanced payment models," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

"Congress must pass Stark Law reform this year, and in coordination with CMS, engage the medical community to update MACRA so that physicians have the support they need to transition to more efficient models of care delivery and better serve Medicare patients," writes Yehuda A. Sugarman of the AACU.