Advocacy in Action

For 2024, CMS will continue to offer a new pathway for clinicians and group practices participating in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), known as MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs).

On April 11th and 12th, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held the final meeting of its 2023-2024 policy making cycle.

On April 23rd, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in a 3-2 vote, published its final rule, along with a fact sheet, which would ban the use of non-compete clauses in employee contracts by most employers with limited exceptions.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to reform the physician payment system following the Medicare reimbursement cut that took effect on January 1, 2024.

On April 10th, the House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to discuss legislative proposals to support patient access to telehealth services.

Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group Andrew Witty testified before members of Congress on May 1st about the recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth.

Since the public health emergency (PHE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts have been made to increase patient access to different sites of care. In the electrophysiology (EP) community, these efforts have included feasibility assessments regarding the performance of cardiac ablation procedures in the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) setting. Recently, given favorable (albeit limited) clinical safety data in the ASC setting, interest has progressively increased.

On April 23rd, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in a 3-2 vote, advanced its final rule which would ban the use of non-compete clauses in employee contracts by most employers with limited exceptions.

To inform advocacy efforts on behalf of our patients and our profession, the HRS Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee (HPRAC) recently conducted a survey to gauge current practice and opinions with regard to same-day discharge after electrophysiology procedures, as well as engagement in ASCs.

As the EP profession looks forward to the use of PFA, several HRS leaders from the Quality Improvement Committee, HPRAC, AF Centers of Excellence Task Force and Board of Trustees crafted a “Viewpoint” article to encourage discussion regarding relevant scientific, clinical, operational, and fiscal challenges that may lie ahead.