ACOFP President
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By Ronnie B. Martin, DO, FACOFP dist. July 1, 2008 ** Leading the Osteopathic Way will return July 8. Medicare Cuts Will Happen, Senate May Address Again Next Week Congress returns the week of July 7 and if the Senate votes to take action and approves H.R. 6331, the legislation will avert the cuts retroactive to July 1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have instructed its carriers not to process any physician or non-physician practitioner claims submitted for service performed during the first 14 business days of July. This means that no payments reflecting the 10.6 percent pay reduction will occur before July 15, at the earliest. By instructing carriers to withhold from processing claims, the action may save CMS and its carriers some administrative costs associated with reprocessing claims if Congress acts promptly after the recess to stop the cut. This action does not represent any significant change in policy nor does it have any impact on payments made for physician claims submitted for services provided after July 1. While U.S. Health and Human Services is trying to ease concerns about an immediate payment cut, its options are restricted by statute. By statute, Medicare electronic physician claims may not be paid sooner than 14 days after the date they are submitted, nor can "clean" electronic claims be paid later than 30 days after the date they are submitted. The same regulation requires that paper claims are paid after the 29th day. The AOA and ACOFP continue to urge the U.S. Senate to pass legislation upon their return on July 7. We urge all osteopathic physicians to call your Senators, and have your family call your senators, ask your patients to call their Senators and tell them to pass the "Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008" (H.R. 6331). A lack of action affects not only all of our Medicare patient’s access to health care, but all military families who depend on TriCare and may affect multiple third party insurance contacts that are pegged to Medicare reimbursement rates as well in the next few weeks and months. More Political Voice is Needed While I celebrate the action of Congress in support of our patients as well as physicians and other providers of health care, I have grave concerns for the long-term success of reforming both the health care and the payment systems in this country. Every policy analyst and every physician knows that significant reforms are urgently needed if we are to be successful in providing access to quality health care for all of our citizens and improve the overall health of our country. The current system has proven it cannot meet the needs of the patients of the country. We need a system centered on the patient, built on primary care and preventive medicine and one that rewards maintenance of health more than treatment of disease. AOA reports that on June 12 when there was an important call for action on S.B. 3101, only 85 osteopathic physicians made the time to contact their Senators and request their support on this important issue. Even with the focused actions initiated in states like Missouri, Ohio and Iowa this past week before a critical vote that would have prevented the 10.6 percent decrease in physician payments by passing H.R. 6331, only 400 calls were made to seek the support of Senators for our professionals and our patients. To each of you who committed your time and effort, I would like to say “Thank You”. Unfortunately, I could easily find the time to call each of you personally and express my appreciation for your actions in support of all osteopathic physicians. That is the problem and the root of my concern. In case you were counting, this number represents 0.13 percent of osteopathic physicians in the United States or only 0.31 percent if all the calls were made by osteopathic family physicians. I find this hard to believe when the cost of inactivity is potentially more than $40,000 for the average DO, and much more for many of you. We cannot expect our legislative leaders to consider any issue important nor can we complain about a lack of success on the part of our staff or professional associations in achieving our goals if we do not personally become engaged in the process. We cannot be fat, lazy and content and expect to induce change. Rather, it requires commitment, passion, persistence and involvement. We greatly rely on ACOFP’s and AOA’s professional staff, and we utilize your donations to OPAC, to represent us in D.C., stimulate debate, change policy and produce progress. It is true that without these elements, we cannot be successful in the Capitol. Yet, the critical ingredient, the one that will guarantee our success or failure is the presence or absence of grassroots involvement and the involvement of each of you. Our elected representatives can count one thing most of all, they can count votes, and you as a constituent represent votes and future support. The osteopathic profession achieved its success and growth over the past century due to its unity and the personal commitment of its members. If we are to continue to be successful in the political and other policy arenas, it will require a similar level of passion and involvement. Once again, I urge you to vote early and vote often by contacting your Senators and asking them to support this initiative. Have your office staff, your patients, your family, (your horse and your dog if they can talk or you can throw your voice) contact them in support of providing access to quality care to patients and to fairness for physicians. Sign Up for ACOFP’s Physician Expert Network Back to Campus A Time of National Celebration and Revival As a nation of individuals, we disagree on almost everything, often with passionate voice and actions, yet we have found a way to transition from the past to the present and set the stage for the future without violence or vindictiveness. We have withstood countless challenges from within and without to our principles, our beliefs and our sovereignty. From a nation of individuals with individual beliefs and values, we unite as one to defend and protect a nation that each of us loves when challenged by those who would harm or destroy us. It is significant that after each crisis, we rebounded stronger and more vigilant. It has never been easy to be an American, we demand much of those who carry the title, but today as much as any time in our past, the rewards outweigh the challenges. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July. Enjoy the time with your family and your friends. Indulge yourself with a hot dog, some fried chicken and potato salad, a slice of apple pie or watermelon or even a dish of home-made ice cream. Then get outside and advance your health and mental wellbeing with a walk, a bike ride or a game of softball. Try to laugh a lot and remember that it is OK to be as excited and full of wonder as a kid occasionally, after all, we are only a little over two centuries old and in the scope of the world, that barely makes us adolescents compared to many of the other countries of the world.
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