-RSL Matters-

AAAAI Board Regional Forum Webinars Launched
In May, the AAAAI launched its first AAAAI Board Regional Forum webinar. This webinar series will be held periodically throughout the year for different RSL regions of the country. In May, RSL Regions 1, 2 and 3 were the inaugural participants. The goal of these webinars is to have a member of the AAAAI Board of Directors provide you, the members, an update on recent AAAAI activities. In addition, this is an opportunity for members to ask questions directly to your Board of Directors. The next Regional Forum is scheduled for September 10, for RSL Regions 4 and 5.

• Read more about the AAAAI's RSL Assembly.

Electronic Health Record Use
Electronic health record (EHR) use has advanced significantly in the past several years, however stumbling blocks still exist with current software, making fulfilling regulatory requirements a challenge. The AAAAI has developed several tools to help ensure the transition to ICD-10, demonstration of quality measures and Meaningful Use documentation for allergists are as seamless as possible. As the end users of this technology, we must communicate to EHR vendors what our needs are to make patient visits as efficient as possible.

• Is technology to blame for physician burnout?
• Read the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's recent report on EHR adoption rates.
• Learn about the AAAAI Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Quality Clinical Data Registry.

Marcia Boyle, President & Founder of IDF, Recognized by White House
Congratulations to Marcia Boyle, President & Founder of the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF), for her tireless work on behalf of patients with primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD). Boyle and IDF staff truly are "Champions of Change" and advocates for patients with PIDD. IDF is one of the lay organizations that AAAAI has an ongoing relationship with and with whom we partner on various projects as needs and opportunities arise.

• Read more.

Epinephrine Legislation Signed into Law in Wisconsin
On July 1, the governor of Wisconsin signed into law Senate Bill 139. This legislation allows epinephrine autoinjectors to be stocked and used at entities such as summer camps, colleges, daycare facilities, youth sports leagues, amusement parks, restaurants, businesses and sports arenas. Wisconsin is now the 15th state to allow public places, other than schools, to stock epinephrine autoinjectors for treating anaphylaxis.

• Read more.

-Advocacy Matters-

AMA Hosts EHR Town Hall on July 20
ICD-10 implementation and serious concerns regarding Meaningful Use were significant issues at the recent American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates Annual Meeting. Now, the AMA and the Medical Association of Georgia will be hosting a Town Hall in Atlanta on July 20 from 7 to 8:30 pm (EDT) to discuss electronic health records (EHRs). This event is being held for physicians who have concerns about EHRs with Stage 3 Meaningful Use regulations potentially looming just around the corner. Physicians across the country will be able to watch live online and join the conversation on Twitter.

• Register for the Town Hall.

Proposed 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Released
On July 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Calendar Year (CY) 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. The rule addresses changes to the physician fee schedule, and other Medicare Part B payment policies to ensure that payment systems are updated to reflect changes in medical practice and the relative value of services, as well as changes in the statute, including the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). There are a number of significant issues for the specialty included in the proposed rule, including several A/I codes included on the list of potentially misvalued specialty codes. The AAAAI will work with Hart Health Strategies to prepare comments to address numerous issues, and will keep members informed about our response. See below to view an analysis of the proposed rule, broken out into payment and quality sections, prepared by Hart Health Strategies. Member log-in is required to view these documents.

• View a high level overview of payment and other policy proposals in the
  rule.
• View a high level overview of the quality-focused sections of the rule.
   

AAAAI Payer Advocacy on Access, Payment
AAAAI subscribes to Policy Reporter, a cutting-edge service that provides diagnostic, pharmaceutical and treatment policy updates from payers across the country. Members of the Office of Practice Management review these updates and correspond with payers to share information that may better inform their coverage policies. AAAAI recently corresponded with several payers regarding coverage for FeNO and regarding Xolair for the treatment of chronic urticaria. AAAAI continues to monitor and respond to payer policy changes as this is an important function of a specialty society.

AAAAI Signs on to Save AHRQ
AAAAI was one of 185 organizations who signed a letter expressing disappointment in the Senate Appropriations Committee's 35% reduction in funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in its fiscal year 2016 spending bill. As stated in the letter, "AHRQ's mission is to generate the evidence necessary to build a high-quality, high-value health care system. Put simply, AHRQ-funded research is being used in hospitals, private practices, health departments, and communities across the nation to make our health care system less complex and costly . . . This research helps Americans get their money's worth when it comes to health care. We need more of it, not less."

• Read the letter. 

House Passes 21st Century Cures Act
The 21st Century Cures Act, which was authored by Representative Fred Upton and Energy & Commerce Committee members, promises to affect our nation's innovations in health care, its investments in medical research and the delivery of life-saving and life-improving therapies. Specifically, this legislation would eliminate gaps between advances in scientific knowledge and the regulatory process. The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted in favor of its passage. Now before the Senate, the 21st Century Cures Act also promises to affect the practice of allergy/immunology. Key aspects of it include: reauthorizing the National Institutes of Health, including providing additional funding through an Innovation Fund; standardizing data in clinical trial registry data banks; revamping the FDA's advisory committee process; and improving the Medicare Local Coverage Determination (LCD) process.

• Find more information and follow updates on this legislation.
  

-Practice & Policy Matters-

Onsite Registration Available for This Weekend's Practice Management Workshop
If you are in the Denver area and still considering attending the 2015 Practice Management Workshop July 17-19, onsite registration will be available at the Embassy Suites Denver - Downtown (located at 1420 Stout Street). Even if you or your office staff are unable to attend, we will be sharing some pearls from the workshop in future issues of Practice Matters.

• Read the top 10 reasons you should attend the Practice Management Workshop.
• View the course brochure.

New! Find Answers to Recent Coding Questions
The AAAAI website offers a multitude of coding resources for your practice. We can also answer your day-to-day questions with the help of A/I coding expert Teresa Thompson, CPC, CMSCS. Simply submit your questions to coding@aaaai.org.

• Review answers to recent coding questions.

CMS, AMA Announce Initiatives to Ease October 1 Transition to ICD-10
With less than three months remaining until the ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding switch, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) have agreed upon and announced new initiatives to help physicians prepare for the October 1 deadline. In response to requests from the provider community, including several collaborative letters from AAAAI, CMS is making critical changes to the ICD-9/ICD-10 transition period. These critical changes will address claim denials, penalties and payment disruptions. CMS will also establish a communication center to monitor and resolve issues. Remember, the Medicare claims processing systems will not have the capability to accept ICD-9 codes for dates of services after September 30, 2015, nor will they be able to accept claims for both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.

• Click here to read the joint CMS and AMA announcement in full.
• Find additional coding resources, including information about the ICD-10 deadline, on the AAAAI website.

Looking for past issues of Practice Matters? An archive is available at: aaaai.org/practicematters