Health Law & Policy

In the 2016 elections, a urologist was elected to the House of Representatives but overall physician representation in Congress has declined to just 3%.

In this exclusive interview, Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, discusses alternative payment models, outlines what resources are available for practices, and provides an overview of the three options practices have for participation in the Quality Payment Program.

Two days of discussions at the Sept. 7 and 8 meetings of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission highlighted the difficulties and complexities that will face policymakers as they consider solutions to the financial crisis facing Medicare.

Responding to physicians’ data-driven arguments, including a December 2014 JAMA study showing maintenance of certification (MOC) programs do not improve patient outcomes (JAMA 2014; 312:2348-57), state legislators proposed several new laws in 2016.

“I have difficulty seeing any real upside between the two candidates, from the physician perspective in general, or urology in particular," said one urologist.

The AUA and other organizations have been urging Congress to create transparency and accountability within the USPSTF while adding input and feedback from patients and specialists involved in treating the conditions for which it is developing recommendations.

In an effort to increase access to health care providers for members of the military and veterans, federal agencies are seeking ways to expand telemedicine and practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).

The 2016 Medicare trustees’ recent report that the Medicare trust fund will reach insolvency by 2028 is providing fodder for congressional Republicans who are pushing a plan to replace Obamacare, including numerous proposals that would dramatically change Medicare.

The American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU) submitted comments on the post-SGR Medicare reimbursement program, MACRA, on June 27, 2016. In its comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the AACU expressed concern over a number of provisions that stand to negatively affect urologists in their practice of medicine and increase the cost of medical care.

An Obama administration plan to reform Medicare Part B payment policy has generated a chorus of bipartisan opposition from influential lawmakers and many in the medical community, including a leading oncologist who told Congress the initiative is simply an effort to cut costs by accusing physicians of prescribing more expensive drugs for profit.

In this interview, AUA President Richard K. Babayan, MD, discusses his goal to increase member participation in the AUA, the association’s efforts to balance three main priorities, and how the AUA will work with other organizations.

More than one-fourth of the U.S. urologist work force plans to retire in next 5 years, according to a new study looking at the near-term impact of retirement on the specialty.

Urologists and other physicians who serve Medicare patients face some new decisions now that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed new regulations implementing last year’s fee schedule reform law, while also replacing the existing meaningful use program with a more flexible approach to technology and electronic health records.

“Few physicians are familiar with apology law and even fewer understand the significance,” said Patrick McKenna, MD, chief of the division of pediatric urology at American Family Children’s Hospital and professor of urology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

"What the AUA can do for those of us in the trenches, so to speak, is to lessen some of the regulatory burdens that have been put on us," says one urologist.

In a series of articles this year, Robert A. Dowling, MD, will examine what you need to know about the law, what the CMS proposed rule for implementation implies for the near and long-term future, and-when it is issued later this year-what the final rule means to your urology practice.

The ACA is a large step forward in allowing men to embrace their health concerns, and for health care practitioners to understand men and the challenge of help seeking, masculinity, and disparity in their quest for wellness (Men’s Health in Primary Care [Current Clinical Practice]. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016).

"As evidenced by the flurry of activity at the state and federal levels of government, many physicians are fighting back against increasingly burdensome recertification requirements," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

"The world of physician measurement is rapidly evolving and residents need to understand the changing landscape," writes urology resident Alan L. Kaplan, MD.

As a result of strong opposition from organized medicine, including the AUA and patients, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has put on hold its development of a draft plan to penalize physicians for ordering “non-recommended” PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer.

The next few years may bring more change for urologists in a more compressed time frame than ever before. Could a perfect storm be brewing, and what should you be doing about it?

If medical specialties were competing for which would have the most dire shortage of practicing physicians by 2025, urologists would likely win.

In this letter to the editor, Faris Azzouni, MD, makes his case for foreign urologists as a solution to the urologist shortage.

To guide you through the 2016 AUA annual meeting and help maximize your time, Urology Times’ editorial board has reviewed the program to identify the key trends and noteworthy research at this year’s meeting.

In the latest AACU Legislative Update, Ross E. Weber examines so-called “public options” being weighed in several states and the nation’s capital. Learn more.

A recent a White House Dialogue on Men’s Health brought together experts on men’s health from government, professional sports, nonprofit organizations, and health care, who together raised awareness of the need for increased focus on men’s health.