-RSL Matters-

"Countdown to ICD-10" Webinar Available Online
A record number of attendees participated in the AAAAI's "Countdown to ICD-10" webinar last month. That means 675 registrants and their practices are more prepared for the ICD-10 implementation deadline on October 1. See below for links and instructions to access the webinar.

• Visit the AAAAI's ICD-10 coding page to watch videos of the "Countdown to ICD-10" presentation or simply download the slides from the webinar. 
• Webinar participants had a chance to submit questions directly to AAAAI staff and coding consultant Teresa Thompson, CPC, CMSCS, CCCC. You can read all of the frequently asked coding questions online and submit your own questions online by emailing coding@aaaai.org.

New Member Benefits: ICD-10 Superbill and Webinar
Taking final steps toward your practice's conversion to ICD-10 on October 1, 2015? Download and customize the new AAAAI ICD-10 Superbill template to reflect your practice's most common diagnoses and frequently used ICD-10 codes. This important practice tool has been developed for AAAAI members by coding expert Teresa Thompson, CPC, CMSCS, CCCC, and has been enthusiastically received by small practices and solo practices alike.

• Download the Superbill template.

Ready for more? Mark your calendars for an "Issues with ICD-10?" webinar, with AAAAI Coding Consultant Teresa Thompson, CPC, CMSCS, CCCC, scheduled for Wednesday, November 4 at 9:00 pm ET. Look for registration information soon!

Allergists and the Sunshine Act
Does your office have pharmaceutical representatives supply meals for you and your staff? If so, the cost of what you consume (but not that of your non-physician employees) must be reported by the company to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and is searchable to anyone who visits the Open Payments website. Read more about this data collection, which was mandated by the Sunshine Act. Some allergists, or organizations to which they belong, may choose to no longer allow representatives to provide meals in order to avoid inclusion on the Open Payments site, which states that its "transparency display …does not necessarily mean any of the reported financial relationships are improper." Other options include allowing lunch for the staff but not the physicians and/or to continue to accept drug samples, which are not reported as items of value, although patient discount cards are reportable. Allergists should be prepared to explain the rationale for accepting reportable items, as the media can create public misconception by errantly linking transparency in a broader discussion of physician fraud.

• Read a New England Journal of Medicine article about the Sunshine Act and its effects on physicians.
• Read the letter the AAAAI co-signed in support of a bill to amend the Sunshine Act to exempt the reporting of transfer of value for journal reprints or medical textbooks that directly benefit patients or are intended for patient use and anything of value to a physician if it is intended solely to provide CME.

-Advocacy Matters-

AAAAI Responds to 2016 Physician Fee Schedule
The AAAAI submitted a comment letter and signed on in support of two coaltion comment letters in response to the 2016 CMS Proposed Physician Fee Schedule.

Of particular concern yet as expected, CPT codes 95004, 94010 and 95165 were included on the list of potentially misvalued codes identified in the proposed fee schedule. In addition to advocating in the comments letter below to remove these from the misvalued codes list, the AAAAI is also working with the ACAAI and the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) to address this concern through the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC).

Other issues of signficant concern in the 2016 Physician Fee Schedule addressed by the AAAAI include improving payment accuracy for primary care and care management services, proposed changes to "incident-to" billing requirements, and several areas of quality and public reporting including PQRS, the Value-based Modifier, and Physician Compare.

• Read the AAAAI's lettters in response to the 2016 Physician Fee Schedule.

-Practice & Policy Matters-

Taking a Closer Look at ICD-10 Apps
With the ICD-10 implementation deadline quickly approaching on October 1, it is a good time to review ICD-10 apps. Melinda M. Rathkopf, MD, FAAAAI, Chair of the Practice Management Committee and a member of the Office of Practice Management, has put together a list of apps that you might find helpful. Keep in mind that if you have an electronic health record (EHR) system, the codes will be right in front of you. These apps are useful if you do not have an EHR or need something for those times you are not in front of your computer. Please note that the following list is strictly looking at free apps available at the Apple App Store, however many of the apps are available for Android devices through the Google Play Store.

• Read the review of ICD-10 apps.

Didn't Attend the 2015 Practice Management Workshop? Read These Pearls from Top Sessions
Over the next few issues of Practice Matters, we will include highlights from the 2015 Practice Management Workshop. Here's what Melinda M. Rathkopf, MD, FAAAAI, Chair of the Practice Management Committee and member of the Office of Practice Management, had to share:

"I had the honor to co-present with Linda Cox, MD, FAAAAI, and consultant Rosemarie Nelson for 'Meeting Government Mandates: AAAAI QCDR and More!' We reviewed the current Meaningful Use and Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) incentive programs and what the AAAAI can do to help with these confusing issues. Many allergists that met Stage I Meaningful Use are finding it harder to meet Stage II and none of us are sure what Stage III will hold. Ms. Nelson gave an update on the current status of the programs while I presented what these mean to the practicing allergist. The session closed with Dr. Cox giving a detailed overview of the AAAAI Allergy Asthma and Immunology Quality Clinical Data Registry (AAAAI QCDR). The AAAAI QCDR will provide an easier mechanism for practicing allergists to report on PQRS measures. This will allow us to avoid the 2% PQRS penalties which take effect in 2017. Additional information on the AAAAI QCDR is included below.

The other session I presented, with Tao Le, MD, MHS, FAAAAI, was 'There's an App for That: Tech Tools to Simplify Your Day.' As a follow up from that session, make sure to read the review of ICD-10 apps included in this issue of Practice Matters."

The 2016 Practice Management Workshop will be held July 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. We look forward to seeing you there.

2015 AAAAI QCDR Open for Registration
The AAAAI Allergy Asthma and Immunology Quality Clinical Data Registry (AAAAI QCDR) is now available for the 2015 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) year. This year's release hosts several updates including a new measures selection feature, 24 PQRS and non-PQRS measures to choose from, and enhanced graphic visualization of performance scores and patient outliers. The AAAAI QCDR is the only PQRS reporting option with measures covering asthma, allergen immunotherapy, penicillin drug allergy and sinusitis. Submit 9 measures, including 2 outcome measures, over 3 National Quality Strategy domains to satisfactorily report. Avoid the negative 2% PQRS payment adjustment on your 2017 Medicare Part B reimbursements and other penalties by registering today and reporting measures pertinent to your practice.

• Learn more about the AAAAI QCDR.
• Register today!
• Additional questions about the AAAAI QCDR or PQRS? Email QCDR@aaaai.org or call (414) 272-6071.

2014 Quality and Resource Use Reports Now Available
The 2014 annual Quality and Resource Use Reports (QRURs) and Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Feedback Reports are now available to all solo providers and group practices. QRUR reports contain 2014 performance information including the quality and cost measures used to calculate the 2016 Value Based Payment Modifier (VM). Payment adjustments for the VM will only affect 2016 Medicare reimbursements for groups of 10 or more providers. However, all eligible professions who did not report or did not successfully report for PQRS in 2014 will be subject to the PQRS payment adjustment. Requests for an informal review must be filed by November 9, 2015, if errors are found. Also, supplemental QRURs with specific episode-based cost measures data will be made available by mid-October.

• Learn how to obtain a QRUR report.
• Additional information about the 2014 QRURs and how to request an informal review.
• Need additional assistance? Email the QRUR Help Desk at pvhelpdesk@cms.hhs.gov or call 888-734-6433.
   

AMA and MGMA Webinar: Smart Steps for Selecting a Practice Management System
In the market for your first practice management system (PMS), or is it time for your practice to upgrade? This free webinar on Monday, September 21 at 3 pm ET will help you make the best PMS choice for your practice. Speakers from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) will provide a step-by-step approach to picking the technology that will boost your practice's efficiency and meet your unique needs.

• Register for the webinar. 
   

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