ACS NewsScope
A Weekly News Update from the American College of Surgeons
June 6, 2008
Highlights for the week:
Sleeve Gastrectomy OK'D as Standard Procedure for ACS BSCN Accreditation
On April 9, 2008, the Advisory Committee of the American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network (ACS BSCN) Accreditation Program updated the criteria in the Bariatric Accreditation Manual regarding standard surgical procedures. The committee voted to approve adding Sleeve Gastrectomy and Revisional Surgery to its list of standard bariatric surgery procedures. Committee members also clarified that the only gastric bypass procedure (open or laparoscopic) that is acceptable as a standard procedure is the Roux-en-Y.
For the purposes of obtaining and maintaining status as an Accredited Bariatric Center in the ACS BSCN, the following operations are defined as ACS BSCN standard surgical procedures when performed by an open or laparoscopic approach:
- Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
- Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band
- Vertical Banded Gastroplasty
- Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch
- Biliopancreatic Diversion without Duodenal Switch
- Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Revisional Surgery
In another important accreditation decision, the ACS BSCN Advisory Committee approved a new criterion that non-standard surgical procedures may be considered toward determining a center’s annual volume requirements. The ACS BSCN will recognize non-standard surgical procedures, provided that a center receives and presents to the ACS, IRB approval for each type of non-standard procedure that will be included in the count toward its annual volume requirement. The ACS has a strong commitment to improving safe surgical care within the context of evidence-based knowledge. This decision was made in an effort to support, strengthen, and expand the evidence base of new and emerging surgical procedures, while ensuring the delivery of high-quality patient care.
To learn more about the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program, visit http://www.acsbscn.org/.
Highlights
ACS Field Tests Surgical CAHPS Survey: General Surgeons Needed
The American College of Surgeons is sponsoring the development of a cross-surgical specialty version of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) survey. CAHPS is the standard instrument for measuring patients’ health care experience and is used in public reporting and quality improvement efforts. It also has been endorsed by the American Board of Medical Specialties for purposes of maintenance of certification.
The College has contracted with the American Institutes for Research and Westat to develop and field test a Surgical CAHPS survey and is actively recruiting general surgeons for participation. Practices involved in field testing will submit a list of eligible patients to Westat. All information collected will remain confidential, and no identifying information about the patient or the practice will be linked to the results. Patient information will be collected in a manner that complies with federal privacy standards. Upon completion of the study, interested participants will receive a brief report and comparative data. To learn more about the Surgical CAHPS survey or to enroll in the field test, contact cburley@facs.org or call 202-672-1517.
Highlights
Tennessee NSQIP Surgical Quality Consortium Receives $2.5 Million Grant
The Tennessee Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and the Tennessee Hospital Association, through the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety, recently received a $2.5 million grant from the BlueCross-BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation to develop the Tennessee NSQIP Surgical Quality Consortium. This consortium is designed to evaluate and improve surgical care delivered by general and vascular surgeons in the state. The three-year grant will be used to support the use of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) in eight hospitals.
Leadership for the consortium will be provided by surgeons from the Tennessee Chapter who participate in ACS NSQIP and Tennessee Center for Patient Safety staff. Surgeon champions at the three current ACS NSQIP participating hospitals also will work as mentors for the new participating hospitals and physicians. Hospitals will use aggregate reports to identify improvement opportunities, identify areas that have better than average results, evaluate and identify difference in practice between the hospitals in the state, and ascertain and disseminate best practices in Tennessee. For more information, visit https://acsnsqip.org/login/default.aspx.
Highlights
2007 PQRI Participants Encouraged to Sign Up Now for Feedback Reports
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that final feedback reports on the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) will be made available in mid-July on a secure Web site. Reports will be accessible to each practice that has at least one eligible health care professional who submitted 2007 PQRI quality measures data. Reports will include information on reporting rates, clinical performance, and incentive payments earned by individual professionals, as well as summary information on reporting success and incentives earned at the practice level.
Although the reports are not yet available, CMS recommends that practices set up an online account now so they can retrieve their reports upon posting. The first step is for the professionals and appropriate staff to register for access through a new CMS security system known as the Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services-Provider Community (IACS-PC). For more information about the IACS-PC, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0747.pdf, or to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0753.pdf. Details will also be posted at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI in the coming weeks.
Highlights
May/June Issue of ACS Cross Country Now Online
In this month’s issue of ACS Cross Country, the College’s Web-based newsletter on state legislative, regulatory, or judicial issues, read about:
- Minnesota’s new volunteer legislation
- Mississippi’s successful trauma funding efforts
- Tennessee’s new initiative to help save lives and lower health care costs. For details, visit http://www.facs.org/ahp/crosscountry.html.
Highlights
CMS Poised to Replace DMEPOS Fee Schedule with Competitive Bidding
Beginning July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will replace the current durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) fee schedule payment amounts with competitive bidding in 10 geographic areas. CMS anticipates that this change will result in decreased expenses for beneficiaries and cost savings for the Medicare program. The 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) chosen for the initial stage of implementation were selected on the basis of the size of their Medicare populations and the amount of money spent on DMEPOS. The list will be expanded to 70 MSAs in 2009.
This new payment plan will affect Medicare fee-for-service providers that order, refer, or supply DMEPOS to Medicare beneficiaries. In most cases, only contract suppliers will be allowed to supply a competitive bid item. Therefore, patients who reside within a competitive bidding area (CBA) must use a Medicare contract supplier or take responsibility for full payment. Surgeons should notify their patients of this new requirement. The CBAs within the first 10 MSAs include:
Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord: North Carolina and South Carolina
Cincinnati-Middletown: Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor: Ohio
Dallas-Fort Worth, Arlington: Texas
Kansas City: Missouri and Kansas
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach: Florida
Orlando-Kissimmee: Florida
Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario: California
San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo: Puerto Rico
For more information, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/DMEPOSCompetitiveBid/01_overview.asp#TopOfPage.
To download the CMS physician tip sheet, click here.
Highlights
Coding Workshops Scheduled for August in Dallas
The American College of Surgeons will present introductory and advanced coding workshops August 7-8 in Dallas, TX. "Introduction to CPT, ICD-9-CM, and Evaluation and Management Coding" will take place August 7, with Betsy Nicoletti, MS, CPC, serving as the instructor. This course is intended for surgeons and staff who are relatively new to coding. The fast-paced course "Surgical and Office-based Coding and Reimbursement" will take place August 8. Mary LeGrand, RN, CCS-P, CPC, will lead this workshop, which is designed for surgeons and staff with at least two years of coding experience. Each course is certified for 6.5 continuing medical education credits or 6.5 continuing education units.
Evaluations of workshops presented earlier this year have been excellent. To register, go to http://www.facs.org/ahp/workshops/registrationfees.html. For more information, go to http://www.facs.org/ahp/workshops/index.html, e-mail dmariani@facs.org, or call 202-672-1506.
Highlights
NewsScope
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by the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL 60611-3211
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