An Overview Of Brain Stimulation Therapies
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As we [American Psychological Association Practice Organization] reported last week, the situation on Capitol Hill has once again shifted dramatically with the failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach agreement on $1.2 trillion in debt savings. Legislative leaders have begun to discuss options to address critical, time-sensitive issues by the end of the year, including the expiration of unemployment benefits, the Alternative Minimum Tax patch, tax extenders and Medicare extenders.
As you know, the APA Practice Organization has been hard at work on Capitol Hill to avert steep cuts to Medicare reimbursement for psychologists. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which faces a November 23 deadline to identify at least $1.2 trillion in debt savings, has clearly indicated that the future of Medicare is on the table.
The American College of Physicians (ACP) today told the 112th Congress to “go big” by reforming Medicare payments, including enacting a permanent end to scheduled Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) physician payment cuts. The urgent need for Congress to act was demonstrated by today’s release of a Medicare final rule, announcing a 27.4 percent across-the-board cut in Medicare payments to doctors on January 1, 2012.
All psychologists needs to take action NOW to encourage your legislators to stand up and talk to their colleagues on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to protect psychologist payments from steep Medicare cuts. Take Action! Included in this report are specific instructions on how you can take action.
As part of psychology’s ongoing effort to fight for the interests of the profession through the ongoing challenges facing Medicare reimbursement, American Psychological Association (APA) recently responded to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule on the 2012 Medicare fee schedule. Included in this report is a link to the comment letter.
States spend up to $15 billion a year in medical expenses related to obesity, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, Duke University, and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The study, published online in Obesity, updates 2004 state-by-state estimates of obesity-attributable medical expenditures. The report also provides rough estimates of the share of obesity expenditures in each state that are funded by taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid.
As we reported last week, the politics and process affecting Medicare reimbursement have changed significantly with the recent enactment of the Budget Control Act. House and Senate leaders have finished appointing twelve members to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which is tasked with identifying at least $1.2 trillion in savings over the next ten years. If the Joint Committee fails to reach an agreement that can pass in both chambers, automatic cuts to Medicare and other programs would result, slashing provider reimbursement by up to an additional 2%.
Forty years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans. This has since reversed: in spite of similar levels of economic development, Americans now live about a year-and-a-half less, on average, than their Western European counterparts, and also less than people in most other developed nations. How did Americans fall behind?
Among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with limited prior drug coverage, implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with significant reductions in nondrug medical spending, such as for inpatient and skilled nursing facility care, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA. The research was carried out by J. Michael McWilliams, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and colleagues.
As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend that could end up hampering access to health care. Since 2005, doctors have been accepting fewer and fewer patients with health insurance, according to a new study published in the June 27th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
