APMA News - July/August 2017 - 22

Committee Members Discuss
Reimbursement Issues

he APMA Health Policy and Practice Committee and
Coding Committee held their annual meetings in May
to discuss current issues affecting reimbursement and
set an educational agenda for the year. During the two days of
meetings, APMA also sponsored a DME stakeholders' meeting
with representatives from government, the orthopedic community, orthotists, and physical and occupational therapy,
among others, to collaborate on Medicare and private payer
practices that limit patient access to DME.
Members of the Coding Committee came together on Thursday, May 18, to collaborate on issues-both current and those
coming in the near future-that affect podiatrists. Some of the
topics discussed included coding education efforts and 2017
CPT additions and revisions.
Much of the Coding Committee meeting focused on how to
most effectively educate APMA members about coding topics.
After successfully preparing APMA members for the ICD-10
transition, the committee is looking to keep podiatrists aware
of coding trends and hot topics. APMA's coding webinars have
proven quite popular, and webinars are consistently gaining
numerous additional views far after their initial presentation
dates. (To see a list of current and past webinars, visit www.
apma.org/webinars.)
The committee plans to continue adding value for members
by shifting the focus of upcoming webinars toward surgical procedures and providing supporting materials through APMA's
publications and digital properties. The committee also discussed other means for reaching out to members, including the
possibility of a coding-specific blog and additional materials
specifically geared toward young physicians and other new
practitioners with limited coding experience. Lastly, the committee spent time discussing recent updates to the APMA Coding Resource Center, including the addition of Codingline Silver-level access. (For more, visit www.apmacodingrc.org.)
The Health Policy and Practice Committee convened
on Friday, May 19, to tackle insurance and reimbursement

trends. Attendees spent a great deal of time discussing the
Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the
continued implementation of MACRA, as well as possible
changes to health care as a result of the American Health
Care Act and potential policies of the current administration.
The committee also addressed current Medicare policies related to DME and physician payment, as well as proposed
and problematic local coverage determinations. The committee heard from Kelli Back, Esq., with the Law Offices of
Mark S. Joffe. Back discussed coverage trends in the private
payer sector, as well as marketplace stability, physician payment, and Medicare Advantage issues. She also provided an
update on the Provider Non-Discrimination clause, and related pending lawsuits.
John Wyand, JD, MBA, with APMA's legislative and regulatory consulting firm Squire Patton Boggs, provided an overview on the context for MACRA and MIPS, as well an update
and insights on what to look for coming down the pike. He
pointed out that MACRA is only one aspect of Medicare payment reform, and programs will continue to emphasize and
incentivize collaboration and consolidation among providers.
Additionally, physicians can expect an increasing focus on
fraud and abuse. (For more information about these programs,
visit www.apma.org/MACRA.)
Committee members also had time to discuss current issues facing individual states and create an action plan for tackling local and national issues as well as member education.
Finally, following these meetings, the public and private
payer subcommittees met via conference call in June to address issues in greater detail as well as finalize and assign action items for 2017-18.
Look for more information from these committees throughout the coming year on APMA.org and in APMA publications.
If you have a specific insurance concern, contact your CAC or
PIAC representative by visiting www.apma.org/CACPIAC. n

The Health Policy and Practice Committee discussed the continuing
implementation of the Affordable Care Act and how changes to the law
will affect podiatrists.

APMA consultant Kelli Back, Esq. (center), provided an update to the
Health Policy and Practice Committee about private insurance trends.

22 APMA News July/August 2017

http://www.apma.org/webinars http://www.apma.org/webinars http://www.apma.org/MACRA http://www.APMA.org http://www.apmacodingrc.org http://www.apma.org/CACPIAC

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - July/August 2017