Advocacy in Action Newsletter
Your Go-To Monthly Health Policy Newsletter
This monthly newsletter rounds up the latest legislative, regulatory, and reimbursement news that may impact your practice and delivers it directly into your inbox.
October 2024
Spotlight
HRS Issues New Policy Statement for Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation
On September 23, 2024, HRS issued a Policy Statement on Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). The statement emphasizes and reaffirms the foundational principles that are appropriate for the performance of AF ablation within the context of AF management in the United States and worldwide.
Reimbursement Update
Aetna Covers Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) for Medically Necessary Indications, as Recommended by HRS
HRS efforts to secure reimbursement for PFA appeared to have achieved some success as Aetna revised the policy for Cardiac Catheter Ablation and Radioablation to note that pulsed field ablation is considered an equally effective alternative to standard radiofrequency ablation for medically necessary indications.
Legislative Update
HRS joins Push to Stop Impending Medicare Physician Payment Cuts
HRS joined as a supporting organization of a bipartisan Dear Colleague letter currently circulating on Capitol Hill. The letter urges congressional leaders to act to provide a positive payment update for physicians, reflective of the inflationary pressures associated with running a practice.
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Telehealth Extension Bill Advanced, as Recommended by HRS and Others
Earlier this year, HRS and over 200 organizations signed a joint letter urging Congress to extend expiring telehealth flexibilities, and more recently, encouraged CMS in a comment letter to work with Congress to maintain such flexibilities. The COVID-era telehealth are currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2024.
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HRS Reviewing Draft Legislation on Physician Payment Reform
In mid-September, the office of U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX) shared with HRS and other medical societies draft legislation to establish reforms to the structure, responsibility, and governance of the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC). PTAC is an independent federal advisory group that reviews and makes recommendations to CMS on physician-focused payment models.
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HRS Monitors MedPAC Meeting Highlighting Healthcare Spending and Workforce Shortage
On September 5, 2024, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held its first meeting in the 2024–2025 report cycle. The Commission held three sessions as part of this one-day meeting: a general session on the context for Medicare payment policy; a session on cost-sharing for critical access hospital (CAH) outpatient services; and a session on quality measurement for rural providers.
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Regulatory Update
CMS Education Session on Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) Pathway
On September 23, 2024, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held an education session to provide information and address questions from industry participants regarding the Transitional Coverage for Emerging Technologies (TCET) pathway.
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Prepare Now for Potential 2023 MIPS Audits
Next month, CMS will begin data validation and audits (DVAs) of Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians and groups to confirm the accuracy and completeness of data reported during the 2023 performance year.
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CMS Re-Opens 2023 MIPS Reweighting Requests for Change Cyberattack
​If you were impacted by the Change Healthcare cyberattack in 2023 and unable to submit a MIPS Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception Application for performance year 2023 before the April 15, 2024, deadline, CMS is allowing requests for reweighting for one more MIPS performance categories now through October 11, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.