Surgical groups form “Operation Patient Access: Quality Surgical Care for all” to call attention to escalating workforce shortage
Surgical groups, led by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), along with other key health care stakeholders, today announced the formation of Operation Patient Access: Quality Surgical Care for All, an effort to bring into focus the urgent issues facing access to quality surgical care in the United States.
Read more
United Surgery Agenda
The surgical community stands united in the effort to bring fundamental and long-term change to the Medicare physician payment system. The House of Surgery has three top priorities for this effort: Repealing the current sustainable growth rate (SGR) and establishing a new baseline for the physician payment system; Replacing the current SGR with a system of multiple conversion factors; and Ensuring that any additional payments that are made to primary care physicians are not budget neutral within the physician payment pool.
View the full Statement online (30K PDF)
Letter to U.S. Senate regarding Trauma Funding for Fiscal Year 2010 and the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act
Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) are currently circulating a sign-on letter in the U.S. Senate requesting $12 million in funding for the Trauma-EMS program for FY 2010. Please act now and urge your senator to join this sign-on letter.
View the letter online (175K PDF)
Bipartisan Coalition Calls for Action to Stop Medicare Payment Cuts and to Enact Medicare Payment Reform This Year
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) led a coalition of 90 Representatives in sending an April 30 letter that urges House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to take action to increase Medicare payments to physicians in 2010 and to initiate much-needed reform of Medicare’s payment system this year. The letter also expresses strong opposition to any proposal that would finance increased payments for some physicians and physician services through decreased payments to other physicians. At present, Medicare physician payments are scheduled to be cut 21.5 percent in 2010 and by more than 40 percent over the next decade. These scheduled cuts are a result of Medicare’s flawed methodology for calculating physician reimbursement, known as the sustainable growth rate (SGR). Unfortunately some have proposed financing Medicare payments for some physicians and services by cutting payments for the care provided by other physician specialties, including surgeons. With Medicare payments already not keeping pace with the rising practice costs, such proposals could potentially threaten patient access to the life-saving care provided by surgeons and other physician specialties. The College appreciates the efforts of the many Fellows who reached out to their representatives and asked them to sign onto this important letter that would support increased Medicare payments for all physicians.
View the Dear Colleague Letter online (1000K PDF)
American College of Surgeons’ Letter to Congress regarding H.R. 1678, the "Mitigating the Impact of Uncompensated Service and Time Act of 2009"
Introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), H.R. 1678 provides physicians a tax deduction equal to the amount of the Medicare fee schedule payment, seeks to alleviate the burden of providing uncompensated care in our nation's EDs and to encourage critical surgical specialists to return to the EDs. The College will continue to work with members of Congress on this and other legislation to address the workforce challenges facing surgery.
View the letter online (150K PDF)
American College of Surgeons Statement on Health Care Reform
In its newly issued Statement on Health Care Reform, the American College of Surgeons urges Congress and the Administration to take action concerning three critically important and interrelated goals for health care: Quality and Safety, Access/Workforce, and Reduction of Health Care Costs. This document sets forth for each of these priorities specific actions that Congress and the incoming President and Administration should support, as well as related activities the ACS is committed to undertaking.
View the Statement online (100K PDF)
Restrictions on Resident Work Hours
American College of Surgeons (ACS) position statement presented to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Consensus Committee
Developed by the ACS Task Force on the Resident 80-Hour Work Week, this statement explores key issues on the topic, including a decisive discussion on the fact that there has been no evidence-based study yet published that links surgery resident duty hours with improved patient safety outcomes.
Read the full ACS statement to the IOM online
"Wakefield Act" (H.R. 479/S. 408) Approved by House Energy and Commerce Committee
In 2009, the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program marks its 25th anniversary of improving emergency care for children. Since the EMSC program was established, death rates due to pediatric injury have dropped by an astounding 40 percent. All children deserve access to the best care when they are ill or injured. On Wednesday, March 4, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved the Wakefield Act (H.R. 479), legislation that would reauthorize the EMSC program for an additional five years. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate (S. 408). The College will continue to support efforts to ensure the reauthorization of the Wakefield Act.
View the College’s sign-on letter in support of H.R. 479 (20K PDF)
View the College’s sign-on letter in support of S. 408 (15K PDF)
“Physician Workforce and Graduate Medical Education Enhancement Act” (H.R. 914) Approved by House Energy and Commerce Committee
The number of surgeons trained through the nation’s graduate medical education system has not expanded for more than two decades. A growing patient population and a static supply of practicing surgeons are combining with other forces to produce surgical workforce shortages. On Wednesday, March 4, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved the Physician Workforce and Graduate Medical Education Enhancement Act (H.R. 914), legislation that would direct the Secretary to establish an interest-free loan program whereby hospitals committed to starting new residency training programs in one or a combination of seven medical specialties, including general surgery, could secure start-up funding to offset the initial costs of starting such programs. Providing a greater number of residency training programs in previously underserved areas will help reduce surgical workforce shortages in many states. This legislation is considered an appropriate first step. The College will continue to support H.R. 914 and other legislation that helps ensure patient access to surgical care.
View the College’s letter to Reps. Burgess and Green in support of H.R. 914 (185K PDF)
ACS comments on the proposed regulations for Inpatient Prospective Payment in FY 2009 (CMS-1390-P) (430K PDF)
ACS Supports Stabenow Medicare Physician Payment Bill (495K PDF)
American College of Surgeons and AMA Conducting Physician Practice Information Survey
Surgical Quality Alliance
