The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new online tool that allows patients to compare costs for certain procedures that are performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs).
The Procedure Price Lookup tool displays national averages for the amount Medicare pays and the national average copayment amount a beneficiary with no Medicare supplemental insurance would pay the provider.
For example, the average total cost of a total disk arthroplasty with diskectomy is $11,213 at an ASC versus $15,371 at a HOPD; the average total cost of an anterior cervical diskectomy is $7,337 at an ASC versus $10,123 at a HOPD.
The New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons would like to recognize Paul Rubery, MD, Chairman for the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and his commitment to supporting the Society's efforts. The department also supported each of its residents with membership to the Society!
The New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (NYSSOS) is the premier organization representing the orthopaedic community in New York in all practice settings. Your support will enable us to advance our mission and continue to grow!
Thank you!
The New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons would like to recognize Leslie Bisson, MD, Chairman for the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Buffalo, and his commitment to supporting the Society's efforts.
Thursday November 15, 2018 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
Register Here: https://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=3536&seid=1288
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a webinar on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 12:00 PM ET to provide information about the final rule for Year 3 (2019) of the Quality Payment Program.
During the webinar, CMS subject matter experts will:
The audio portion of this webinar will be broadcast through the web. You can listen to the presentation through your computer speakers.
CMS will open the phone line for the Q&A portion.
If you cannot hear audio through your computer speakers, please contact CMSQualityTeam@ketchum.com
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) President David A. Halsey, MD issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) identifying potentially misvalued current procedural terminology (CPT) codes in the newly released 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule:
“The AAOS strongly disagrees with the assumption that the seven high-volume CPT codes, including 27130 (total hip arthroplasty) and 27447 (total knee arthroplasty), are potentially misvalued. Since they were last revalued by the RVS Update Committee (RUC) and CMS in 2013, there hasn’t been any evidence to suggest a change in physician work or practice expense.
“The nature of the reevaluation request is also problematic, which was made by a large for-profit managed care health insurance company. CMS did not identify the source, nor did it make the full communication publicly available in the proposed rule. We are troubled by this lack of transparency and failure to disclose a potential conflict of interest.
“Given these concerns, we do not believe that any further action is warranted and would advise against a review by the RUC and CMS. These procedures save the United States economy a combined $28 billion in lifetime societal savings, and any change to their relative value units (RVUs) could impair patient access to high quality orthopaedic care.”
For more information please visit:
http://newsroom.aaos.org/media-resources/Press-releases/misvalued-codes.htm
DEA is aware that registrants are receiving telephone calls and emails by criminals identifying themselves as DEA employees or other law enforcement personnel. The criminals have masked their telephone number on caller id by showing the DEA Registration Support 800 number. Please be aware that a DEA employee would not contact a registrant and demand money or threaten to suspend a registrant's DEA registration.
If you are contacted by a person purporting to work for DEA and seeking money or threatening to suspend your DEA registration, submit the information through "Extortion Scam Online Reporting" posted on the DEA Diversion Control Division's website, www.DEADiversion.usdoj.gov.
Extortion Scam Online Reporting
For more information contact: Locate DEA Field Office for your area - https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/contactDea/spring/fullSearch Registration Service Center - 1-800-882-9539 Email - DEA.Registration.Help@usdoj.gov
With November upon us, we are in an election season which will determine the ease or hardship we have fighting and advocating to take care of our patients, manage a practice, and maintain the physician-patient relationship.
Reduced regulations, easier or no pre-authorizations for indicated testing, appropriate reimbursements, malpractice/tort reform, antitrust relief, and more common sense Worker’s Compensation rules and regulations are some of the many things your NYSSOS Board is advocating for. We are involved with regulations and advocacy to help orthopaedic surgeons improve musculoskeletal care at the state and national level.
We had a successful and informative annual meeting at the University of Rochester in September. A special thanks to Sam Flemister MD for doing such a great job as program coordinator. Next year’s meeting will be in September in Albany and I would like to extend an invitation to all to attend for great educational talks along with advocacy and practice management updates.
We would like to thank and recognize outgoing NYSSOS President John Olsewski MD for his tireless work and advocacy on all of our behalves the past two years. He improved our fiscal stability, improved the Worker’s Compensation board relationship, started our MLMIC reduced nerve injury in total joint initiative which we will be rolling out next year, and has been fighting for eliminating silent PPO reductions below the New York State Worker’s Compensation rate which is currently increasing.
I encourage all Orthopaedic surgeons to make sure to join your New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons (NYSSOS) and ask those who are already members to renew your membership.
We are stronger together and we represent all orthopaedic surgeons in the state whether private practice, academic or employed physicians, or physicians in training.
Please make a special point to encourage your partners or colleagues to join and also contribute to the OrthoPAC which is our advocacy arm. Society membership dues do not go to OrthoPAC and we have been growing the size, importance, and relevancy of our state PAC which goes to state issues and is separate from the AAOS PAC.
Please reach out to your District Representatives, your Board of Councilors, the NYSSOS Board, Babette Grey (our excellent Executive Director), or me with issues or concerns that come up so that we can be a resource and of assistance.
James Slough, MD NYSSOS President 2018-2020
The NYS Workers' Compensation Board has launched a first-in-the-nation initiative that allows injured workers and other participants to attend workers' compensation hearings right from their homes or offices. The Board's virtual hearings provide a way to move the claim process forward without the need to travel many miles for a hearing that may last only minutes, which is especially beneficial depending on the extent of their injuries.
To participate in a virtual hearing, the party of interest needs only a smart phone, tablet or computer with a microphone and video camera, as well as a high-speed internet connection. All participants can see and hear each other on their respective screens. Additionally, workers’ compensation law judges can share claim documents with all involved parties. The system includes security.
The Board is also developing a mobile app, for future release, that parties may download and use to attend hearings.
Virtual hearings are entirely optional, and parties may now choose them over attending a hearing at a Board office. They can always choose to attend in-person if they prefer.
More information on virtual hearings, including instructional videos and other training materials, is at www.wcb.ny.gov/virtual-hearings.
NYSSOS is pleased to announce that MLMIC has designed an orthopaedic specific Risk Management CME program.
This course is available to NYSSOS members who are also MLMIC policyholders.
This program can meet the criteria to be eligible for CME+ applicable premium credit (5-12%).
For more details click here
Governor Cuomo has called for a series of “listening sessions” across New York State to receive public comment regarding a proposal to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana in New York State.
There are public health concerns with this proposal including but not limited to the following.
In the era of narcotic dependence and associated catastrophic outcome, the State of New York is seeking to legalize this substance. It is important to have a consistent and scientifically sound public health policy concerning this issue.
We encourage all physicians to participate in these listening sessions and provide your expertise and feedback.
Advocating for the orthopaedic surgeon, patients and musculoskeletal health in New York.
info@nyssos.org 1-518-439-0000 Address: PO Box 38004, Albany, NY 12203
