2010-04-08
Physician Payment Cuts Began April 1: CMS Holding Medicare Claims for
the First 10 Days of April to Avoid Disruption
Prior to the congressional Easter
recess, the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement to avoid a 21
percent cut in Medicare physician payment.
Contact your Senators now to urge them to pass legislation to correct Medicare physician payment
and protect physician access to Medicare and TriCare beneficiaries. Read more.
Historic Health
Reform Legislation Signed Into Law
President Barack Obama signed a landmark health-care bill
into law on March 23, enacting a sweeping overhaul of the nation's $2.5 trillion
health system after a year-long effort. A summary of the major provisions
of the new law and a time-line of when provisions will go into effect is available on the ASH Web site. Read more.
President Obama to Nominate Dr. Donald Berwick for CMS
Administrator
President Barack Obama will nominate Dr. Donald M. Berwick to lead the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS is the federal agency that
administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health
Insurance Program. In addition, CMS, as part of health reform, is responsible
for implementing a series of pilot and demonstration programs geared toward
improving the coordination of patient care, disease prevention, and
quality. Read more.
WinRho Box Warning Creates Reimbursement Implications
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration issued a warning to health-care professionals that cases of intravascular
hemolysis (IVH) and its complications, including fatalities, have been reported
in patients treated for immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) with WinRho
SDF. The warning requires
physicians to spend additional time observing patients on the drug. Questions have arisen concerning
reimbursement for the increased observation. Read more.
2010 PQRI & E-Prescribing
Incentive Program National Provider Call With Q & A Session
The CMS Provider Communications Group will host a national provider conference
call on the 2010 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative & Electronic
Prescribing Incentive Program on Thursday, April 15, from 3:30 to 5:00
p.m. Visit the CMS Web site to register for the
call. Call participants can access a transcript one week after the call on the CMS Web site.
Patients Who Take a Proton-Pump Inhibitor With Medicine to Prevent Blood Clots Are Less Likely to Be Hospitalized for
Bleeding Ulcers
Heart patients who took a stomach
acid-suppressing proton-pump inhibitor along with clopidogrel - a drug that
prevents blood clots - were only half as likely to be hospitalized for upper
digestive tract bleeding than those who used clopidogrel alone, according to a
new study supported by Department of Health & Human Services' Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Read more.
Few Days Left to Register in Advance for Highlights of
ASH® Latin America
Register online by
April 14 to receive the advance registration discount and guarantee your
spot at Highlights of ASH in Latin America taking place in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, May 14-15. This clinically focused event will bring together leading
experts in hematology to discuss the latest scientific advances in the
field and patient cases specific to the Latin American population. Limited
attendance at this meeting will allow you to network with colleagues and
interact closely with speakers. Visit the ASH Web site to
review the meeting agenda and information about registration, travel, and
hotel accommodations. Please note: AMA
PRA Category 1 CreditsTM will not be available.
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