The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed solutions that implement President Trump’s Executive Order to encourage hospital price transparency. While more fundamental reforms are needed for lasting change, it is past time to shine some sunlight on the secret prices that hospitals and health plans try to keep hidden from patients. Since […]
Please take time during the month of August to speak out against bills that claim to address surprise medical bills but in reality hand control to insurers and reduce patient access to independent physicians. The good news is that most Americans already see through the smokescreen. As a recent survey reports: “eight in 10 Americans […]
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is asking for feedbackon solutions for “Reducing Administrative Burden to Put Patients Over Paperwork.” AAPS will be submitting ideas to CMS, but your help is needed to help make the most of this opportunity. Here’s how you can help: 1) Copy the below template comments. Secretary Azar and […]
In this month that we celebrate Independence Day, there are two anti-freedom bills winding through Congress that especially need your attention. 1) S. 1895, the so-called Lower Health Care Costs Act, contains a number of counterproductive and unconstitutional provisions. One of the worst of them scapegoats physicians for surprise bills caused by insurance company narrow networks. It hands insurers the power to dictate fees and […]
Earlier this Spring, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released 690 pages outlining proposed regulations intended to impose “interoperability” on ONC-certified Electronic Health Records (EHR) and prohibit “information blocking.” One major bug in this plan: operability is a prerequisite of interoperability and no credible […]
Last year, SB 286, an important bill introduced by Sen. John Milkovich to extend due process rights to physicians, came close to passing in the Louisiana Legislature. We are thankful the Senator is bringing it back again this year. Perseverance can be the key to success. This year the bill has a new number: SB 187 and it will […]
Dear Colleagues: Your voice is needed STAT to support two bills under consideration in the Rhode Island legislature to address improper Maintenance of Certification (MOC) mandates. Educating legislators about the need for S 301 and H 5247 is urgently needed. If adopted, these bills will help address MOC abuse and promote competition to American Board […]
Dear TxAAPS Members and Friends: Some hospitals are improperly circumventing the good bill enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2017 (SB 1148) intended to restrict hospitals and insurers from imposing counterproductive MOC requirements on physicians. This session Sen. Dawn Buckingham has introduced SB 1882 to help ensure hospitals follow the law. The bill was just […]
The Trump Administration is moving forward with implementation of the Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices it released last spring. Perhaps the most anticipated changes are policies that aim to curb the improper flow of kickbacks (aka rebates) to Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs). These “rebates” not only drive up prices but are used to steer patients to drugs with the […]
ACTION ALERT – Yes to HB 460 – Lower Rx Costs for Texas Patients HB 460, will allow Texas physicians the ability to dispense medications in their office. Nearly every other state permits physicians to help their patients save money and time in this way. Cost savings to the patient can be up to 95%. Here’s […]