New proposed rule continues cuts to Medicare reimbursement; Legislative remedies needed to protect patients’ access to care

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the following statement from Geraldine M. Jacobson, MD, MBA, MPH, FASTRO, Chair of the ASTRO Board of Directors, in response to the proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) released today: “Another year brings another round of cuts to radiation therapy services for people with cancer under the proposed Medicare fee schedule.”

Neurosurgeons Join Congress in Calling on CMS to Swiftly Finalize Prior Authorization Rules

Today, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) joined 61 bipartisan senators and 233 members of the House of Representatives in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to swiftly finalize rules to increase transparency, streamline and standardize prior authorization (PA), including modifying the final rules to more closely align with the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act.

ASA and APSF Release Updated Recommendations for Elective Surgery After COVID-19 Infection

Driven by recent studies, the evolving nature of the disease and the widespread vaccination of Americans against COVID-19, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) today released a joint statement providing updated recommendations for the timing of elective surgeries and anesthesia for patients after a COVID-19 infection.

AANA Denounces AMA’s Action to Regulate Advanced Practice Registered Nurses through State Boards of Medicine

Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) issued the following statement in response to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) adopted policy recommending that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) be regulated on the state level by both the board of medicine and the board of nursing.

Nevada Governor Signs Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Licensure Bill

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed into law Assembly Bill 270, which authorizes licensure of certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs) to provide anesthesia care in the state. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the Nevada State Society of Anesthesiologists (NSSA) applaud this action, which will make the services of CAAs available to Nevada patients.

Joint Statement on Behalf of Health Policy Deans, Scholars, and the American Public Health Association

On June 8, in a 7-2 decision authored by Justice Jackson, the US Supreme Court upheld the legal rights of millions of Medicaid beneficiaries, preserving those rights against unlawful action by state officials and thereby preserving access to health care for millions of vulnerable Americans. The nation’s largest public insurer, Medicaid entitles the poorest and most vulnerable children and adults to comprehensive health coverage and represents the nation’s single largest health care investment in public health.

NCCN Releases Statement Addressing Ongoing Chemotherapy Shortages; Shares Survey Results Finding More than 90% of Cancer Centers are Impacted

National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Department of Policy and Advocacy calls on Federal Government, pharmaceutical industry, providers, and payers to work together on solutions, as 93% of cancer centers surveyed report a shortage of carboplatin and 70% report shortages for cisplatin; two medications that are used in combination to cure many types of cancer.

Advanced Practice Nurses Stand Ready to Care for America’s Most Vulnerable Populations

Today the U.S. healthcare system faces workforce shortages and expanding costs, but new legislation will allow advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to work at the top of their education and training to give patients across the country access to vital healthcare services.

Access To Quality Anesthesia Care Increased for Indiana Dental Patients

Indiana dental patients now have increased access to safe anesthesia care with the enacting of Indiana Senate Bill 273. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) applauds the new law, as it expands the scope of practice for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), allowing CRNAs to administer moderate sedation, deep sedation, or general anesthesia to a patient in a dental office, under the direction of and in the immediate presence of a physician.

Widespread staff shortages exacerbate pressures facing radiation oncology clinics; ASTRO Advocacy Day calls for action

More than 9 in 10 radiation oncologists report that their practices face clinical staff shortages, according to a new national survey from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). More than half (53%) of the doctors said the shortages are creating treatment delays for patients, and 44% say they are causing increased patient anxiety.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY COMMENDS SENATE INTRODUCTION OF THE SECURING THE U.S. ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK ACT

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) applauds the introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act (S. 1668), bipartisan legislation to ensure accountability and transparency in the U.S. transplant system by modernizing its underlying technology and policy infrastructure.

Susan G. Komen® Comments on Draft Recommendations to Begin Breast Cancer Screening at Age 40

Susan G. Komen is pleased to see that the USPSTF has taken into account more recent scientific-based evidence and believes women of average risk should begin breast cancer screening at age 40. However, Komen believes screening should be done every year to catch cancer as early as possible when outcomes are generally better and treatment costs less.

APA panel issues recommendations for adolescent social media use

A presidential panel of the American Psychological Association has issued recommendations for the use of social media by adolescents, noting that while these platforms can promote healthy socialization, their use should be preceded by training in social media literacy to ensure that youth have skills that will maximize the chances for balanced, safe and meaningful experiences.

Statement on Passage of Diagnostic and Supplemental Imaging Legislation in Maryland

Susan G. Komen commended the Maryland General Assembly for passing diagnostic and supplemental imaging and Governor Wes Moore for signing it into law. The bill removes a financial barrier to a critical form of screening for some high-risk individuals and an important step in determining the need for a biopsy to rule out or confirm breast cancer.

American Society of Nephrology Celebrates the Re-Introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act

• The Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA) will remove barriers facing living donors.
• Approximately 90,000 adults and 1,100 children are on the kidney transplant waitlist.
• 12 American die every day while waiting for a kidney transplant.
• More than 37 million Americans are living with kidney diseases, including more than 800,000 with kidney failure.

ACP calls for appropriate and meaningful measures to evaluate telemedicine

As the amount of health care services provided to patients using telemedicine increases, physicians must ensure the quality of the performance measures being used to evaluate that care, says the American College of Physicians (ACP) in a new policy paper. The paper details new recommendations to ensure that as measures are developed to gauge telemedicine services they are evidence-based, methodologically sound and clinically meaningful. The paper is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Notre Dame, Yale partnership yields high-stakes policy brief on sustainable peacebuilding strategies

A new policy brief, released Tuesday (April 11) by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, offers insight on how sustainable peacebuilding can be practiced. Drawing on case studies from civil wars, such as those in Colombia, Central African Republic, Guatemala and Northern Ireland, the brief was written by a team of scholars, practitioners and policymakers and edited by Josefina Echavarría Alvarez of the University of Notre Dame and Catherine Panter-Brick and Bisa Williams from Yale University.

American Society of Nephrology Statement on Introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) applauds the introduction of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure accountability and transparency in the U.S. transplant system by modernizing its underlying technology and policy infrastructure.

ASTRO supports CMS’ prior authorization reform for Medicare Advantage plans

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the following statement from Geraldine M. Jacobson, MD, MBA, MPH, FASTRO, Board of Directors Chair, in response to yesterday’s final rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that revises the Medicare Advantage prior authorization process.

Introduction of Diagnostic and Supplemental Imaging Legislation Would Benefit Thousands of North Carolinians

Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, applauds Representative Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), Representative Mary Belk (D-Mecklenburg), Representative Donna McDowell White (R-Johnston) and Representative Becky Carney (D-Mecklenburg) for working with Komen to introduce legislation that would remove financial barriers to imaging that can rule out breast cancer or confirm the need for a biopsy. In 2023, more than 10,730 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 1,450 will die of the disease in North Carolina alone.

During Oral Cancer Awareness Month, AANA Emphasizes Access to Safe Dental Anesthesia Care

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) reminds the public that the best prevention of oral health is early detection. Also, of critical importance is ensuring patients have access to safe anesthesia care when treatments including surgery are used for oral cancer.

Patient Advocates and Health Care Professionals Call on CMS to Ensure Access to DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction

Advocates for individuals in need of breast reconstruction surgery delivered a letter and petition to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today, urging them to reinstate a procedure code that is essential for access to deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction surgery. The numbers of those signing the letter and petition keep growing.

American Society of Nephrology and American Association of Kidney Patients Call on Congress to Increase Funding for Kidney Innovation and Veterans with Kidney Diseases

The prevalence of kidney diseases in the United States is at a record high. Today, more than 50 advocates from ASN and AAKP, representing people with kidney diseases and the health care professionals who serve them, will meet with their members of Congress and call for a $25 million investment in kidney innovation at KidneyX and support of veteran active duty service members living with or at risk of kidney diseases through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VHA) Kidney Health Program and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP).

New Braintrust Seeks to Launch Era of North American Regional Competitiveness

Given the U.S.-China trade conflict and concerns over trade disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, regionalizing supply chains is at the center of the discussion in North America. Now, a new working group spearheaded by the University of California San Diego is using this opportunity to propose policy recommendations for the relocation of global production chains in North America where it’s economically advantageous.