To: HHS Office of Inspector General: Comments in Response to OIG Request for Information, OIG-0803-N, Regarding Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and Beneficiary Inducements Civil Monetary Penalties (CMP) The Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (“AAPS”) is a non-profit membership organization of physicians and surgeons who are mostly in small, independent practices. Founded in 1943 (and celebrating […]
When political candidates speak about “women’s health,” and accuse opponents of threatening women’s “access to health care,” they mean one thing: abortion. But there are many health issues that are especially important to women. For aging women, there is osteoporosis, with susceptibility to fractures. Of course, women have most of the same problems that men […]
Congress has adjourned until after the midterm elections. The folks are out trolling for votes. The Affordable Care Act is still on the books and government sponsored healthcare, aka Medicare for All is the new feel-good campaign slogan. There have been some wins for price transparency but some folks in DC are pushing government control […]
Momentum is growing to enact a Bernie Sanders-style program of mandatory government-controlled medical care for all. This is strongly supported by Democratic Socialists of America. Proponents claim that this will save money while improving the nation’s health. It is estimated to increase federal government spending by nearly $40 trillion over 10 years. Apparently, the idea […]
Dear Senators, We write today in opposition to the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act, S. 693 and the companion bill, H.R. 1676, passed by the House and now before the Senate HELP Committee. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties, founded in 1943. […]
A bipartisan group of senators led by Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is proposing a bill that would impose price controls on independent (“out of network”) physicians, under the guise of preventing outrageous “surprise bills” and medical bankruptcies, states the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). It would relieve the insurance industry of its responsibility to […]
Submitted September 10, 2018 Comments on CMS-1693-P: Revisions to Payment Policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Quality Payment Program and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2019″ Dear Administrator Verma, We appreciate this opportunity to comment on the Medicare physician payment rules for 2019 as proposed in CMS-1693-P. The Association of American Physicians […]
By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD: Nobody wants fraud – particularly not in medical care. For almost 50 years, we’ve had a federal Anti-kickback law to punish those who took money (bribes, kickbacks, rebates) to induce referrals of patients or the purchasing or somehow arranging for goods or services paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a Proposed Rule to “blend” payments for higher-level office visits, while decreasing the documentation requirements, as part of its Patients over Paperwork initiative. CMS claims this will save clinicians 51 hours per year—likely a gross underestimate—while critics protest that doctors will get paid the same […]
The House is on break for August but the Senate is staying in DC, except for the week of Aug. 6. In this latest edition of legislative update, Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD looks at what happened in the House before they left town and what health care legislation the Senate has on its plate […]