2020 Summer Resolutions Update: Thank you for your input and engagement on important Advisory Board items. The Advisory Board Organizational and Operational Guidelines and Member Position Description were approved by the Board of the Directors. The status of the 2020 Summer Resolutions are as follows:
- AAD001: Stimulating Membership Engagement through the Advisory Board Resolution Process – Referred to the Organizational Structure Committee.
- AAD002: Postpone the Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery (MDS) Examination – Rejected by the AAD Board
- AADA002: Promote Young Gifted Members to become Engaged in the Organization of the AAD/A – Referred to Organizational the Structure Committee with input from member services and Young Physicians group and report back to the Board.
- AADA001: AAD/A Summer 2020—Overreaching Government Power in a Pandemic – Referred to the State Policy Committee to draft Template letter
- AADA003: Telemedicine – Adopted
Urge Congress to Stop Medicare Payment Cuts Before the End of the Year: New Medicare physician payment cuts, resulting from the planned evaluation and management code changes, are slated for implementation on January 1, 2021. These cuts would be detrimental to physicians already struggling to keep their practices open during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In response, Representatives Ami Bera, MD (D-CA) and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) recently introduced H.R. 8702, the “Holding Providers Harmless for Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act”. We need your help to stop Medicare payment cuts by making sure this bill passes before the end of the year. Contact your Representative today to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 8702 and support its inclusion in any year-end legislative packages.
Hospital Cybercrimes Alert:
There has been a nationwide trend of hospital cybercrimes. “Federal agencies have warned that the US healthcare system is facing an “increased and imminent” threat of cybercrime, and that cybercriminals are unleashing a wave of extortion attempts designed to lock up hospital information systems, which could hurt patient care just as nationwide cases of COVID-19 are spiking. In a previous joint alert, the FBI and two federal agencies warned that they had “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers”. The alert said malicious groups are targeting the sector with attacks that produce “data theft and disruption of healthcare services”.
New Veterans Health Administration Policy: The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has issued a new policy directive for Mohs Micrographic Surgery (MMS) establishing care delivery standards and clarifying further requirements on who can perform MMS at the VA. This change restricts non-fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons from performing MMS unless granted “discretionary exception” by the VA’s senior management. The AADA’s Mohs Committee will consider potential advocacy on this issue, including meeting with the VA, to ensure that veterans needing access to MMS can continue to do so without constraint and that qualified physicians are not excluded by economic credentialing.
99072 Advocacy: The AADA signed onto two AMA letters that support recognition of and payment for CPT code 99072, which covers the additional practice expense associated with patient encounters in the time of the novel coronavirus. One letter is to CMS, requesting Medicare coverage, and the others are to the major private payers: America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), and the major commercial health plans
(i.e., Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation, Humana and UnitedHealthcare). The AADA continues to advocate directly to plans to over 99072; recently both UnitedHealthcare and Cigna have indicated to the AADA that they are looking to CMS to cover 99072 before extending coverage for their insured.
Young Physicians Forum: The Academy is hosting its second “Advancing Dermatology Forum: A Conversation with Young Physicians”, to discuss issues regarding scope of practice, truth in advertising, public outreach, and more. The forum will take place on December 8, 2020. Registration can be found here.
Letter from ISMS to Gov and Director of Public Health: Attached you will find a copy of a letter that was sent from the Illinois State Medical Society to the Governor of Illinois and the Director of Public Health, highlighting the importance of not restricting elective surgeries and allowing patients continued access to medically necessary services such as preventative and diagnostic screenings.
