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RSL Matters
LEAP Study Suggests New Direction in Peanut Allergy Care
Our specialty was particularly highlighted by the dramatic new information regarding early introduction of peanut containing foods to possibly modify the risk of later allergy development. Communicating these new concepts to our primary care colleagues is essential to improving outcomes for our patients.
A/I Community Teaching Allergists
A clinical rotation in an allergist's office is an effective strategy to highlight our specialty. The AAAAI has developed a clinical rotation curriculum to facilitate teaching activities in the community as well as teaching slides that are periodically updated by the AAAAI.
ICD-10 Codes for Contact Dermatitis
The AAAAI is your source for coding expertise, and your resource for ICD-10 codes. This month, ICD-10 codes for contact dermatitis are highlighted for you and your practice. Remember that you can email your coding questions to coding@aaaai.org.
Advocacy Matters
SGR Repeal—Act Now!
It's time to fix Medicare once and for all! The 17th temporary patch is set to expire on March 31. Now is the time to contact your local Representative and Senator to address the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). The AAAAI continues to work closely with Hart Health Strategies on this very important issue. In fact, earlier this week the AAAAI signed onto a letter to Speaker Boehner urging the repeal of the failed SGR before the current payment patch expires.
AAAAI Joins AMA and Others to Voice Concerns with ICD-10
Along with the American Medical Association (AMA) and a number of other organizations, the AAAAI recently signed a letter addressed to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing ongoing concerns related to the ICD-10 implementation slated for October 1, 2015.
CMS Launches Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network
CMS recently announced a new initiative called the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network. The Network will "serve as a forum where payers, providers, employers, purchasers, state partners, consumer groups, individual consumers, and others can discuss how to transition towards alternative payment models that emphasize value." The AAAAI has already registered to participate.
Practice & Policy Matters
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Practice Changers
We have partnered with the editors of JACI: In Practice to bring you monthly "Practice Changers" from recently published journal articles.
Highlighting cutting-edge information keeps you current and assists you in educating patients and physicians who rely on the expertise of our specialty!
Comparison of Chromogenic and 1 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Functional C1 Inhibitor Tests in Diagnosing Hereditary Angioedema. By H. Henry Li et al.
The functional C1 INH (fC1INH) test is vitally important for diagnosing HAE with C1 INH deficiency. There are two established tests for its assessment, the ELISA and chromogenic assay. Though widely used in Europe, the chromogenic assay for fC1INH is not widely available in the US. We found a high degree of agreement between the two assays (93.5%), and noted the "equivocal" results by ELISA correlated most often with low fC1INH levels by the chromogenic assay. Results from either assay
should be interpreted in combination with family and clinical history, and other laboratory findings.
The Uses of Telemedicine to Improve Asthma Control. By Wendy Brown and Danielle Odenthal.
The health disparity between rural and urban patients may be related to access to care, which can be addressed through telemedicine. Over one year, a pilot study evaluated a Certified Asthma Educator providing asthma education to 20 patients in a rural area with the use of face-to-face real-time telemedicine. Eighty-five percent of participants completed the intervention and liked the convenience of telemedicine, which translated to high adherence for visits. At 12 months, 76% of participants achieved an Asthma Control Test of >20. As more insurers recognize
and start to reimburse for telemedicine, it may be a cost effective service for specialty practices.
Have you heard that JACI: In Practice will soon have its first impact factor? The impact factor is a performance benchmark among scholarly publications that measures how often its contents are cited over a specific period. Read more here.
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Remember to Submit Comments on Anaphylaxis Practice Parameter Draft by March 25
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 practice parameter titled "Anaphylaxis – A Practice Parameter Update 2015."
Elevate Your Practice at the 2015 Practice Management Workshop
Registration is now open for the 2015 Practice Management Workshop in Denver, July 17-19. Members and their office staff can use coupon code SAVE100 to take $100 off the registration fee.
AAAAI Efforts Lead to Reimbursement of CPT Code 95018 in Florida
At the request of an AAAAI member, the Office of Practice Management successfully resolved the inadvertent omission of CPT code 95018 from the 2015 Physician Medical Services Fee Schedule for the state of Florida. As a result of direct communication with the Agency for Health Care Administration, practitioners will now be reimbursed for this service that encompasses, "allergy testing with drugs or biologicals into or within the skin, immediate type reaction, including test interpretation and report." It is anticipated that the correction will occur by March 20, 2015, and that providers will now be reimbursed for providing this care to Florida Medicaid patients.
AAAAI QCDR Offered for 2015 PQRS Reporting Year
The AAAAI Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Quality Clinical Data Registry (AAAAI QCDR) in collaboration with CECity has been designated as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry by CMS for the 2015 PQRS reporting year. Now in its second year, the registry will offer additional measures from the PQRS program and non-PQRS measures approved by CMS. Measures on asthma, allergen immunotherapy, drug allergy, sinusitis and general care will be included.
New Article on the Flu Vaccine for Your Patients
Earlier this month, a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged the government to explore ways to improve how each year's flu vaccine is created. This comes after the virus strains included in the 2014-2015 influenza vaccine were not a good match with the circulating strains and resulted in the vaccine being less effective. The AAAAI has a new patient education article that explains how each year's influenza vaccine is produced and why it is important to get vaccinated annually.
ICD-10 Coding Webinar Available On Demand
The AAAAI received a great deal of positive feedback on Teresa Thompson's coding sessions at the 2015 Annual Meeting. Do not forget there is a free AAAAI ICD-10 coding webinar available online. It was presented by Teresa Thompson last year and both the slides and audio of the presentation are available for your convenience.
Looking for past issues of Practice Matters? An archive is available at: aaaai.org/practicematters
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