ACS Advocacy Brief: February 9, 2023

Train in Advocacy, Immediately Put Skills to Use during Advocacy Summit

Advocating for policies that advance surgery at the local, state, and federal levels is a critical skill as healthcare and surgery face unprecedented challenges in 2023 and beyond. Learn the skills to make advocacy inroads, and then make an impact by meeting leaders from Congress. Register today for the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit, April 15–18 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, DC. 

The Summit offers comprehensive and specialized sessions providing ACS members, leaders, and advocates with topics focused on effective surgeon leadership, as well as interactive advocacy training with coordinated visits to Congressional offices.

Train for Advocacy and Meet Lawmakers

The Advocacy Summit will take place Sunday evening, April 16 to Tuesday, April 18, and provides US members with an update on ACS policy priorities. 

In addition to a keynote address on Sunday evening, Monday panel sessions will cover issues including physician payment; diversity, equity, and inclusion; healthcare quality; advocacy asks for the 118th Congress from healthcare groups outside the surgeon community, and more.

Advocacy training and scheduled congressional visits will be provided as part of the event. ACS staff will send ACS members to the Hill equipped to ask Congress for progress on a range of issues, including but not limited to:

• Stabilizing and Reforming Medicare physician payment
• Prior Authorization relief
• Funding for:
  • Cancer research
  • Firearm injury prevention research
  • Rare surgery on a global scale
• ACS trauma policy priorities
• Commission on Cancer policy priorities

The Advocacy Summit will be an in-person event with some recorded sessions. There will be no virtual option to view the Advocacy Summit. Congressional meetings will also be in-person this year for the first time since 2019. 

Check Out the Leadership Summit

Preceding the Advocacy Summit, the Leadership Summit will take place Saturday evening, April 15, to Sunday, April 16, and will offer compelling speakers addressing key topics in surgical leadership. 

Both in-person and virtual attendance options are available. The Leadership Summit will be livestreamed, and the sessions also will be recorded for future viewing opportunities by both in-person and virtual registrants.   

Read Two February Bulletin Articles Focusing on Importance of Advocacy

Whether it is through meetings with Congress at the ACS Advocacy Summit or simply sending a letter to your representative urging action on a key priority for the ACS and surgery, your advocacy as a surgeon makes a difference in US healthcare. In the just-released February issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, two articles highlight the ever-increasing importance of advocacy for surgeons:

Executive Director’s Update - Making Members’ Voices Heard through Leadership and Advocacy

Dr. Patricia Turner highlights legislative developments, and also offers a reminder that members should take advantage of opportunities to develop and enhance their leadership and advocacy skills: “Surgeons work tirelessly to fulfill—and advocate on behalf of—their patients’ needs. Developing and enhancing our leadership and advocacy skills are essential as we move into a new Congress.”

End-of-Year Funding Bill Is Packed with ACS Legislative Victories

The $1.7 trillion omnibus federal spending bill passed at the end of 2022 addressed several of the College’s top-priority issues, including trauma and cancer research funding, telehealth, workforce concerns, and more – in part thanks to significant efforts by ACS members through grassroots advocacy and SurgeonsPAC.

Have a Voice in Addressing Challenges in Surgery: Join ACS Delegation to the AMA

The ACS is seeking a Resident Member to join its delegation to the American Medical Association (AMA). As a Delegate, the resident will advocate for ACS positions and priorities at the AMA interim and annual meetings. In addition, he or she will serve as liaison to the ACS Resident and Associates Society, which meets at the annual ACS Clinical Congress, for a 3-year term. Travel expenses to these three meetings will be paid for by the ACS.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience attending the AMA Medical Student Section, a strong interest in advocacy and health policy, and at least 3 years remaining at their training program. Additionally, letters of support from the candidate’s program director and chair are required, verifying that the resident will be excused from call coverage to allow for participation in the required meetings.

If you are interested or know a resident who might be, submit a CV, letter of intent, and letters of support from Program Director and Chair to Kristin McDonald, ACS Chief of Legislative and Political Affairs, at kmcdonald@facs.org by Friday, March 3.

Learn about Revamped Hernia Coding, Major Changes to Medicare Billing at In-Person ACS Coding Courses

Register for an ACS/Karen Zupko & Associates (KZA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding course in 2023. In addition to the upcoming March 16–17, 2023, session in Orlando, FL, a new offering has been added for August 3 – 4 in Nashville, TN.

With Medicare and third-party payor policy and coding changes taking effect in 2023—some with significant potential reductions in payment for surgeons—it is imperative that surgeons and their coding staff have accurate and up-to-date information to protect reimbursements while optimizing efficiency.

• March 16–17, 2023
  Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort, Bonnet Creek, FL
  Room rate and cutoff date: $249, February 14
  Reservation Phone: 407-390-2300
  Register today!
• August 3-4, 2023
  Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, 2100 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN
  Room rate and reservation cutoff date: $229, July 12
  Reservation Phone: 877-879-7818
  Register today!

Both courses include sessions on Hospital E/M & Critical Care Coding, Thursday 1:00–5:00 pm, and General Surgery Coding, Friday 8:00 am–4:00 pm.

Session #1: Reporting Hospital E/M Codes and Split/Shared and Critical Care Services Course

Topics covered will include E/M codes for inpatient/facility, major changes in CPT code selection, and major changes to Medicare’s billing rules for both split/shared services and critical care.

Session #2: General Surgery: Revenue and RVU Optimization Course

Topics covered will include discussion of the revamped abdominal hernia codes, including use of the same CPT codes for both laparoscopic and open procedures and basing codes on the total size of the hernia. The revised hernia codes have been a topic of significant interest for general surgeons and administrators alike, so make sure to learn the latest from the experts.

In addition, this second session will cover coding for endoscopy, colorectal, and breast, among other procedures.

ACS members and their staff receive a registration discount. If you have any issues with completing your registration, email KZA at education@karenzupko.com or call 312-642-8310.

For more information or questions about the 2023 ACS live coding workshops, visit the KZA website or send an e-mail to practicemanagement@facs.org.