RECENT FEDERAL ADVOCACY EFFORTS MEDICARE: •
Stopped the 27+% Medicare fee cut
• Partnered with other state medical and specialty societies to introduce a bill that would allow private contracting with Medicare patients; this has resulted in introduction of H.R. 1700, the “Medicare Patient Empowerment Act” • Supported the initiative to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB); Congressman Runyon (R-3) is a co-sponsor of the bill; Congressmen Pallone (D-6) and Lance (R-7), both on the Assembly Energy & Commerce Committee and Health Sub-Committee, support the repeal • Led the New Jersey initiative to repeal the SGR (sustainable growth rate); Congressmen Pallone and Lance support the repeal
DRUG SHORTAGES: Led the initiative to convince the AMA to lobby Congress for legislation to predict, prevent, and manage drug shortages; this resulted in the introduction of H.R. 2245, the “Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act.”
PAYMENT ISSUES: Supported deadline extensions: • to apply for a hardship exemption from the 2012 e-prescribing penalty • for 5010 compliance • for ICD-10 implementation
HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM: • Objected to proposed regulations under the Sunshine Law which require pharmaceutical and device manufacturers to aggregate and attribute transfers of value to physicians in the amount of $10 • Filed comments on the Medicare Shared Savings (ACO) proposal which resulted in positive changes to the program