CHICAGO – The American Medical Association (AMA) and state and national medical specialty societies are pleading with the government for relief from regulation and impending penalties.
The groups sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) saying they are worried about an onslaught of overlapping regulations that affect physicians. Programs with overlapping timelines include the value-based modifier, penalties under the eprescribing program, physician quality reporting system (PQRS) and the electronic health record incentive program that is part of the meaningful use program - and the transition to ICD-10.
[See also: Stage 2 rule means lost year of interoperability, coalition says]“Facing all of these deadlines at once is overwhelming to physicians, whose top priority is patients,” said AMA President-elect Jeremy Lazarus, MD. “We have asked CMS to develop solutions for implementing these regulations in a way that reduces the burden on physicians and allows them to keep their focus where it should be – caring for patients.”
Physicians said that without needed changes from CMS, they must transition to the ICD-10 coding system; spend significant time and resources implementing EHRs into their practices; work to successfully participate in the Medicare e-prescribing program; meet EHR meaningful use standards; and participate in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) – all within a short amount of time.
“In addition to these upcoming deadlines, physicians who treat Medicare patients are also currently facing a drastic cut of about 30 percent on January 1 from the broken Medicare physician payment formula,” Lazarus said. “The combination of these financial burdens could prevent physicians from making the investments needed to transition to new models of care delivery and improve the value and quality of care in the Medicare system.
[See also: CMS promise on ICD-10 stirs the pot][See also: AMA mounts campaign to halt ICD-10]
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