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All Hands on Deck:
Do your part to send strong message to CMS about anesthesia Medicare payment!
(Comment period open July 12 August 31)
ASA has the opportunity to send a strong message to CMS in support of an increase in Medicare payments for anesthesia services.
Earlier this year, the RUC submitted to CMS a recommendation to boost the anesthesia conversion factor to account for a calculated 32 percent work undervaluation. This would result in an increase of nearly $4.00 per anesthesia unit excluding any other Medicare payment adjustments. ASA has spent years fighting for a correction to Medicares anesthesia conversion factor. A group of ASA volunteer physician members, together with staff, developed a method proving this undervaluation of anesthesia work that was sufficiently compelling to convince the RUC to make this recommendation to CMS. In the proposed rule, CMS proposes to accept the RUC recommendation.
Every ASA member must contact CMS in support of this positive payment change. We must do everything we can to encourage CMS to accept this recommendation.
The payment increase is not certain, so it is imperative that we send a very strong message to CMS with comment letters supporting the positive payment update. If you do not take this simple action, we risk squandering a chance to substantially increase the Medicare anesthesia conversion factor.
LETTERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY CMS NO LATER THAN 5 P.M. EST ON AUGUST 31, 2007. You may file them electronically or by hardcopy.
Electronically:
***CMS will begin accepting electronic comments once the Rule is published on July 12.***
At that time, please follow these steps to submit a letter:
Go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/eRulemaking/
Copy the text from the sample letter attached to this message into the CMS comment form, or upload the letter as a Word attachment
Feel free to customize with personal information or data. Positive comments will be best received. Please consider this before making any changes to the letter template.
Hardcopy:
If submitting comment letters by regular mail, please send one original and two copies to the following address:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-1385-P
P.O. Box 8018
Baltimore, MD 21244-8018
Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received before the close of the comment period.
Then
Tell your colleagues/partners/administrators/practice managers/residents/students that we need their help, too. This must be a joint effort with ALL HANDS ON DECK, so please encourage others to take this important action.
And finally
LET ASA KNOW THAT YOUVE DONE YOUR PART! We are committed to generating thousands of comment letters, and we need your help tracking the number of letters sent to CMS. Specifically, we would like to acknowledge component societies whose members respond in large numbers to this important call to action. Once you send a comment letter to CMS, please email [email protected] with your state identified in the subject line. Visit the ASA website, www.ASAhq.org, for current letter counts.
American Society of Anesthesiologists 847-825-5586
Do your part to send strong message to CMS about anesthesia Medicare payment!
(Comment period open July 12 August 31)
ASA has the opportunity to send a strong message to CMS in support of an increase in Medicare payments for anesthesia services.
Earlier this year, the RUC submitted to CMS a recommendation to boost the anesthesia conversion factor to account for a calculated 32 percent work undervaluation. This would result in an increase of nearly $4.00 per anesthesia unit excluding any other Medicare payment adjustments. ASA has spent years fighting for a correction to Medicares anesthesia conversion factor. A group of ASA volunteer physician members, together with staff, developed a method proving this undervaluation of anesthesia work that was sufficiently compelling to convince the RUC to make this recommendation to CMS. In the proposed rule, CMS proposes to accept the RUC recommendation.
Every ASA member must contact CMS in support of this positive payment change. We must do everything we can to encourage CMS to accept this recommendation.
The payment increase is not certain, so it is imperative that we send a very strong message to CMS with comment letters supporting the positive payment update. If you do not take this simple action, we risk squandering a chance to substantially increase the Medicare anesthesia conversion factor.
LETTERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY CMS NO LATER THAN 5 P.M. EST ON AUGUST 31, 2007. You may file them electronically or by hardcopy.
Electronically:
***CMS will begin accepting electronic comments once the Rule is published on July 12.***
At that time, please follow these steps to submit a letter:
Go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/eRulemaking/
Copy the text from the sample letter attached to this message into the CMS comment form, or upload the letter as a Word attachment
Feel free to customize with personal information or data. Positive comments will be best received. Please consider this before making any changes to the letter template.
Hardcopy:
If submitting comment letters by regular mail, please send one original and two copies to the following address:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-1385-P
P.O. Box 8018
Baltimore, MD 21244-8018
Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received before the close of the comment period.
Then
Tell your colleagues/partners/administrators/practice managers/residents/students that we need their help, too. This must be a joint effort with ALL HANDS ON DECK, so please encourage others to take this important action.
And finally
LET ASA KNOW THAT YOUVE DONE YOUR PART! We are committed to generating thousands of comment letters, and we need your help tracking the number of letters sent to CMS. Specifically, we would like to acknowledge component societies whose members respond in large numbers to this important call to action. Once you send a comment letter to CMS, please email [email protected] with your state identified in the subject line. Visit the ASA website, www.ASAhq.org, for current letter counts.
American Society of Anesthesiologists 847-825-5586
