Regulatory/Legislative News

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Ophthalmologists need to pay attention to Medicare Advantage organizations, the fastest growing part of Medicare, a speaker said here.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — At Hawaiian Eye, Alan E. Reider, JD, MPH, talks about what ophthalmologists should think about when considering joining private equity firms or hospitals in the current era of consolidation in medicine.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — At Hawaiian Eye, Candace S. Simerson, COE, CMPE, CAHCM, discusses the deep impact the Affordable Care Act has had within ophthalmology practices.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Attendees of Hawaiian Eye chose Donna M. McCune, CCS-P, COE, CPMA, as Sunday’s Speaker of the Day.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Physicians need to “keep running on the treadmill” with regard to existing CMS quality programs, until the new, combined Merit-Based Incentive Payment System begins in 2019, a speaker here said.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Kevin J. Corcoran, COE, CPC, FNAO, highlighted new changes in the ophthalmic practice environment in 2016 here at Hawaiian Eye.

As part of a new streamlined regulatory approach in 2016, “The Meaningful Use program, as it has existed, will now be effectively over and replaced with something better,” Andy Slavitt, CMS acting administrator, said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize any federal officer or employee to exercise any supervision or control over the practice of medicine or the manner in which medical services are provided ...

Citing onerous reporting requirements, the American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology and other medical societies urged the House of Representatives and Senate to revise stage 3 of the Meaningful Use program for electronic health record adoption.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched an interactive resource with information about Medicare spending on prescription drugs, the agency announced in a press release.