ACS Advocacy Brief: May 19

ACS Asks Congress to Fund Military-Civilian Partnership, Cancer Research, Firearm Injury Prevention

The College has submitted testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees outlining ACS funding priorities for fiscal year 2023.

Among the requests was $11.5 million to fully fund the Military and Civilian Partnership for the Trauma Readiness Grant Program (included in the MISSION ZERO Act), which covers administrative costs for embedding military trauma professionals in civilian trauma centers.

This partnership would provide military trauma care teams and providers with exposure to treating critically injured patients. It also would increase readiness for deployment and allow best practices from battlefields to be brought home and advance trauma care for civilians. Passage and now funding of the MISSION ZERO Act has been an ACS and trauma community legislative priority for several years, and the College has played a critical role in advancing congressional attention to this vital step in creating a national trauma system.

In addition, the ACS requested $49 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including $7.8 billion for the National Cancer Institute. The College also is seeking $60 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NIH to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention.

Federally funded research has contributed to reductions in motor vehicle crashes, smoking deaths, and cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The ACS believes this same approach should be applied to firearm-related injuries and gun safety.

The ACS also has signed two coalition letters in support of increased funding for NIH, as well as increased funding for the Lung Cancer Research Program within the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

For more information on the ACS’s federal legislative and funding priorities, visit the ACS website.

Cultivate Relationships with Your Lawmakers Using ACS Tools

While the ACS works with federal lawmakers in Washington to influence policy and funding related to the care of the surgical patient, it ultimately is the strength of our members’ collective voice that can tip the scale on necessary action.

For surgeons actively participating in advocacy, particularly writing to and engaging with elected officials via SurgeonsVoice, it is helpful to promote key legislative priorities percolating at the local and national levels. However, one of the most effective ways to help shape and impact health care policy is for constituents to build and cultivate relationships with lawmakers. Through ACS tools and programs, surgeon advocates can interact with decision-makers to inform them about key topics, particularly during congressional district work periods when lawmakers can learn how legislative issues are affecting the people who live in their districts.

In-district meetings and teleconferences provide valuable opportunities to meet with policymakers nearby and assist them in gauging what is important to surgeons and the surgical community. Regularly meeting with your elected officials at home is a powerful way to raise the profile of issues and effect change. While members of Congress and their staff are well-versed on many policy topics, surgeons are the experts on surgical issues. The ACS has useful resources to guide your interactions, from one-pagers on individual issues to tips on taking part in successful meetings.

Be on the lookout for additional announcements about the 2022 Advocacy at Home program, including online resources to schedule meetings with your elected officials, information about ACS legislative priorities and where your voice is needed, and best practices for grassroots advocacy.

Urge Your Representatives to Support MACRA Implementation Measure

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to assess surgeons on quality measures unrelated to surgical care because it has not implemented the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) as intended.

Reps. Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), are leading a congressional sign-on letter urging CMS to use its statutory authority to implement alternative payment models (APMs) approved by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) and develop new quality measures that reflect the complex, team-based nature of modern care delivery.

MACRA was intended to more closely link payment to value, but CMS has failed to use the authority granted by MACRA to test PTAC-approved APMs or make use of flexibility in developing quality measures.

ACS Hosts In-Person and On-Demand General Surgery CPT Coding Workshops

Interested in refining your general surgery coding skills and keeping up with new codes? Register now to attend an ACS CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) coding workshop on Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, in Dallas, TX. With Medicare and third-party payer policy and coding changes taking effect in 2022, it is imperative that surgeons and their coding staff have accurate and up-to-date information to protect Medicare and other payer reimbursements while optimizing efficiency. 

By attending the coding course, you will learn how to correctly code procedures and services and will be provided with the tools necessary for success, including a coding workbook to keep for future reference. Physicians can earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for each day of participation. In addition, the workshop meets AAPC guidelines for continuing education units, so bring your coding staff! 

Friday, June 24, 1:00–5:00 pm

• Office and Inpatient E/M Coding 
• Medicare's Revised Guidelines for Split / Shared Billing NEW! 

• Critical Care Coding Changes NEW! 

Saturday, June 25, 8:00 am–4:00 pm

• 2022 New CPT Codes in General Surgery 
• Global Surgical Package and Modifiers 
• Surgical Coding and Documentation: Hernia, Abdominal Reconstruction, Bariatric, Liver, Colorectal, Breast, Endocrine, and much more 

The deadline for hotel registration is Friday, June 3, and space is limited. Register today! 

On-Demand CPT Coding Courses 

In addition, the ACS and KarenZupko & Associates also offer on-demand courses to help you and your coding staff stay on top of changes in CPT coding and documentation. These 60-90 minute on-demand courses allow you to learn at your own pace.  

On-demand courses currently available include: 

• Office E/M Coding for Surgeons 
• Avoid Denials! Code Hospital Services Correctly! 
• Critical Care Coding and Documentation – 2022 Update 
• Office Procedures – Document and Code Them Right 

Each course is accredited for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and discounts are available for team members or practice employees of ACS Fellows.  

Visit the KZA website  or call 312-642-8310 to learn more about each course and to register.