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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.
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.
Today, Judge Rhonda Hurley in Travis County District Court, Austin, Texas, upheld the ruling that the entry level to independent practice of psychology in Texas is the doctoral degree. Judge Hurley ruled that the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP) has the authority to regulate the practice of Licensed Psychological Associates LPAs) through its rule making authority which states only doctoral‐trained, Licensed Psychologists may practice independently.
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%.
While some members of Congress and others are trying to repeal the healthcare reform law that was passed in 2010, known as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” medical providers have begun to implement requirements as the law slowly phases in over the next several years. For reform to be successful, one University of Missouri public health expert has determined that professional associations for psychologists and other medical providers need to be at the forefront of the planning stages, and that everyone, including providers and patients, will need to be educated on rights and responsibilities.
During the debate over health care reform, American Psychological Association (APA) and the APA Practice Organization (APAPO) focused significant energy and resources to ensure the inclusion of provisions promoting psychologist involvement in integrated care in the Affordable Care Act. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has begun to develop regulations to implement the law, including its recent publishing of a proposed rule to encourage the development of coordinated care by establishing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Medicare as part of the Medicare Shared Saving Program. Included in this report is a link to the original comment letter.
A new crop of college graduates have just landed on the job market. Right now they’re probably just hoping to get any job, if at all. However, for psychology majors, the salary outlook in both the short and long term is particularly poor, according to a new study which will be published in an upcoming issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
People may judge the quality and qualifications of psychotherapists simply by what their offices look like, a new study suggests. After only viewing photos of offices, study participants gave higher marks to psychotherapists whose offices were neat and orderly, decorated with soft touches like pillows and throw rugs, and which featured personal touches like diplomas and framed photos.
Your profession needs you to take action NOW to ask your legislators to co-sponsor psychology’s Medicare “physician” definition inclusion bills and end inappropriate physician supervision requirements that hinder the delivery of psychological services. It is time to take action now.
I am pleased to inform you that key allies in the Senate and House have introduced legislation to include psychologists in the Medicare “physician” definition. We are extremely grateful for the leadership of Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who sit on the Finance Committee and have sponsored S. 483, and Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), who serves on the Energy & Commerce Committee and has taken the lead on H.R. 831.
