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Advocacy Matters
Upper Age Limit Removed from PQRS Asthma Measure
CMS recently released the 2015 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) quality measure specifications. The AAAAI is pleased that the upper age limit of 64 on PQRS measure #53, Asthma: Pharmacologic Therapy for Persistent Asthma – Ambulatory Care Setting, has been removed. The AAAAI has advocated for the removal of this upper age limit to allow reporting on Medicare patients with asthma for several years. The measure will apply to all patients with asthma 5 years and older and can be reported as an individual measure or within the updated asthma measures set.
AAAAI Applauds FDA's Changes to Drug Labeling Requirements
The FDA recently announced changes in the labeling requirements for medications, which, when taken during pregnancy and breastfeeding, could present risks to the mother and child. The A, B, C, D and X labels will be replaced with detailed subsections on Pregnancy, Lactation, and Females and Males of Reproductive Potential, where the risks are described within the real-world context of caring for pregnant women. The AAAAI continues its support of the Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System (VAMPSS), a nationwide post-marketing surveillance system established to comprehensively monitor the use and safety of vaccines and medications during pregnancy.
AAAAI Supports Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Fix
The AAAAI is on the record supporting the "SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014," which permanently repeals the SGR while addressing many physician concerns: providing a five-year period of stable updates, preserving fee-for-service as a continued option, implementing a streamlined quality improvement program based on benchmarks achievable by all physicians, allowing for physician and specialty society inclusion in the development of new performance measures and payment systems.
In late November, signed on to a letter to Congressional leaders asking the lame duck Congress to pass this SGR bill and the "Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act," which would extend Medicaid Primary Care Pay Parity by two years. As Congress completes its work during the lame duck session this month, Hart Health put together a memo regarding fixing the SGR. Find both documents below.
Update on NIH and AHRQ Immunotherapy Effectiveness Workshop
The AAAAI has been pushing for a multi-agency initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to examine the cost-effectiveness of allergy immunotherapy and methods to promote broader utilization. In response to the Senate interest the AAAAI has helped to generate, the National Insitutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will convene a two-day meeting in June 2015. The point of the meeting is to develop a research program that will respond to questions raised in the AHRQ comparative effectiveness report on immunotherapy published last year.
Now due to AAAAI efforts, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin recently sent a letter to the Directors of the NIH and AHRQ regarding the agenda for the allergy immunotherapy effectiveness workshop. The goal of the letter is to ensure that the workshop includes a focus on causes of underutilization as well as potential barriers to access; methods for promoting adherence to guidelines and patient compliance; and the role of immunotherapy in preventing progression to asthma.
Practice & Policy Matters
New! Practice Parameter Published on Anaphylaxis in Emergency Departments
In emergency department settings, with the broad and often atypical presentation of anaphylaxis, failure to recognize anaphylaxis is a real possibility. This can lead to misdiagnosis, underutilization of epinephrine, fewer prescriptions for life-saving auto-injectable epinephrine upon release, and fewer referrals for follow-up visits with an allergist/immunologist.
Read the latest published practice parameter, "Emergency Department Diagnosis and Treatment of Anaphylaxis." It reiterates that epinephrine is first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, echoing a statement on the AAAAI's Choosing Wisely list from earlier this year.
Submit Comments on Environmental Assessment and Exposure Control of Fungi Practice Parameter
You are invited to consider and comment on an important document that is currently out for review. The Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters is accepting comments on the draft of a new practice parameter titled "Environmental Assessment and Exposure Control of Fungi: A Practice Parameter."
Act Now to Avoid the 2014 PQRS Payment Adjustment
The 2014 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) reporting year is quickly coming to an end but there is still time to report quality measures data through the PQRSwizard by the February 26, 2015, at 5:00 pm ET submission deadline. Individual providers and group practices can use PQRSwizard, a CMS-approved registry, to avoid both the automatic 2% penalty on Medicare payments for non-participation and the additional 2% penalty through the Value-Based Payment Modifier (applied to groups of 10 or more providers). Use PQRSwizard to collect, validate and report PQRS measures to CMS.
Have You Experienced a Recent Rejected Claim Regarding Immunotherapy Units?
The AAAAI has received a number of calls regarding claims being rejected related to policies limiting the number of immunotherapy units per patient per year. If you need to appeal, consider referencing the "Allergen immunotherapy: a third practice parameter update." The section on immunotherapy schedules and doses begins on page 26 of this document.
Have a Question about A/I Diagnosis and Treatment? Ask the Expert
One of the most popular destinations on the AAAAI website, Ask the Expert is a resource for members and other healthcare professionals who have questions about diagnosing and treating their patients' allergies and asthma. Questions are answered by our Ask the Expert editor Dennis K. Ledford, MD, FAAAAI.
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