ISASS attended the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) Interim Meeting on November 14-18 in Atlanta. The business of the Interim HOD meeting is focused on advocacy and legislative issues. For purposes of the Interim Meeting, advocacy is defined as “Active use of communication and influence with public and private sector entities responsible for making decisions...

On October 2, National Government Services, Inc. (NGS), the Medicare Administrative Contractor covering Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, released a positive draft Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion (MIS SIJ fusion) and on October 16, CGS Administrators, LLC (CGS),...

ISASS signed on to an AMA letter signed by more than 100 state and national medical specialty societies to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Slavitt laying out principles CMS should follow in designing regulations to implement the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The letter is in response to a CMS Request...

On October 30, 2015, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2016 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) final rule. The final rule updates Medicare payment policies and rates for: hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs); ASCs; and partial hospitalization services provided by community mental health...