|
The Renal Physicians Association 2009 Annual Meeting, “CKD and Your Practice Culture: Improve Your Performance!” will include plenary sessions and interactive workshops on topics that are timely and relevant to today’s nephrology practitioners. To learn more about the sessions that will benefit you and your practice including a variety of interactive workshops and networking opportunities view the full program here.
United Healthcare Extends Physician Designation Program Reconsideration Deadline
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has agreed to extend the January 27, 2009 physician appeal deadline for its UnitedHealth Premium® physician designation program (PDP) to February 11, 2009. The PDP is a physician-profiling program where UHC measures physicians on their compliance with quality and cost efficiency standards across 20 specialties, including nephrology, in 37 states. UHC publicly posts these physician ratings on its website, www.uhc.com, and physicians can receive either a quality (one-star) or a quality and efficiency (two-star) designation. UHC sent letters to all PDP-participating physicians on December 23, 2008 notifying them of the availability of their web-based assessment reports and providing physicians the opportunity to seek clarification and, if necessary, request reconsideration of their designation. For more information, log into members only section.
Vote Today for Candidates for RPA Board Positions
Please log into the members only section to cast your ballot for open Board of Director positions by February 13. Thanks very much!
RPA Submits Comments on 2009 Medicare Fee Schedule Final Rule. RPA provided comments to CMS on the 2009 Medicare Fee Schedule final rule, addressing the following issues: the PQRI program, the E-prescribing incentive program, and the impact of the final rule on interventional nephrology procedures. Click here for the entire document.
CMS Releases 2009 Medicare Fee Schedule Final Rule, Including New Codes and Values for Outpatient Dialysis. On October 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), released the Final Rule for the 2009 Medicare Fee Schedule, and it included new CPT codes and revised values for outpatient dialysis services. Overall, payments to nephrology as a specialty are increased by approximately 2%, and reimbursement for the two high volume services most commonly provided by nephrologists, the four-visit adult monthly dialysis service and the inpatient hemodialysis single evaluation service, are increased by 2.5% and 2%, respecitively, However, other challenges for nephrology remain in the fee schedule. For more information on the fee schedule final rule and a list of the new CPT codes for outpatient dialysis services, please click on Final Rule and New CPT Codes.
RPA Awards Recognize Excellence in Nephrology Practice and Service for 2009. This is your opportunity to recognize the expertise and contributions of your colleagues, practice and/or elected officials. Awards description, criteria and nomination form can be found by clicking here.
CMS; RPA Provide Resource Documents on New ESRD Conditions For Coverage. On October 2 CMS provided the following links to documents that offer guidance on the revised Conditions for Coverage, which will be implemented on October 14. The first is a Frequently Asked Questions document, and the second provides a crosswalk from the previous Conditions to the revised version. Further, on October 6 CMS made public a revised version of the Interpretive Guidlines for the Conditions, which can be seen through the following link: http://www.nraa.org/Documents/SC-09-01_ESRDIGs1%201_memo.pdf . In addition to these documents, RPA provides resources to assist with complying with the conditions for coverage on our Keeping Kidney Patients Safe website at www.kidneypatientsafety.org. RPA will continue to provide resources such as these to RPA membership as they become available. Look for a comprehensive article in the November issue of RPA News for more detailed information about the Conditions for Coverage and its effect on nephrologists and dialysis facility medical directors.
To
assist nephrologists and nephrology practices
in deciding whether to participate in Medicare’s
Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI),
RPA has developed educational resources that
provide general and nephrology specific background
on the program. For more information,
click here.
RPA Information on
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit – Part
D - Click
here for more information.
Consult Letter Template
- Click here
to complete and download.
Journal for Healthcare
Quality Publishes Results
of RPA CKD Toolkit Pilot Test. Read
the article published in the November/December
2007 issue here.
RPA
is a national medical specialty association
with a membership comprised of physicians in
the subspecialty area of nephrology and their
practice managers. The organization's mission
is: to promote optimal care utilizing the highest
standards of medical practice for patients with
renal and related diseases; to promote and protect
the professional status of the discipline of
nephrology and to serve as a resource for the
development of national health policy affecting
renal physicians and their patients.
|
