College of American Pathologists Hosts Annual Policy Meeting

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Expert Speakers Address Critical Policy Issues Affecting Pathologists and the Patients They Serve

WASHINGTON, DC At its annual policy meeting occurring May 5–6, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) will convene physician expert members, leaders in health care quality improvement, academics in pathology and laboratory medicine, health policy experts, a former US senator, and representatives from congressional staff and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to examine pathologists’ contributions to physician payment reform, pathology’s role in the provision of accountable care, pathologists’ participation in CMS’s quality improvement and pay-for-performance programs, and pathology workforce issues.

“This is a critical time in American medicine. As key members of the health care team, never has the need been greater for pathologists to gain information and resources to advance pathology and laboratory medicine’s advocacy efforts. Pathologists, who make the majority of medical decisions about a patient’s diagnosis, treatment, hospital admission, and discharge are facing a dynamic health policy landscape. The annual CAP Policy Meeting features nationally recognized thought leaders providing in-depth analysis on regulatory and legislative issues and emerging policy trends that every pathologist working in the United States today needs to understand,” said Gene N. Herbek, MD, FCAP, president of the CAP. On May 5, speakers and topics include:

  • “Pathology’s Current Payment Challenges,” 10:30 AM–Noon (EDT)
    •      Jonathan L. Myles, MD, FCAP, Chair, CAP Economic Affairs Committee
    •      Karen Fisher, Senate Finance Committee
  • “Solving Health Care’s Greatest Riddle: How do we improve health care quality while managing its cost?,” Noon–1:30 PM (EDT)
    • Elliot S. Fisher, MD, MPH, Director, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Professor of Health Policy, Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
  • “CMS’s Quality Improvement and Pay-for-Performance Programs,” 1:30–3:00 PM (EDT)
    •      Patrick H. Conway, MD, MSc, Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality, Chief Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
    •      Frank G. Opelka, MD, FACS, Medical Director, American College of Surgeons; Chair, American Medical Association, Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement
  • “National Pathology Organization Leadership Panel: Workforce Issues for Pathology”, 3:15–4:45 PM (EDT)
    •      Gene N. Herbek, MD, FCAP, President, College of American Pathologists
    •      Steven H. Kroft, MD, FASCP, President, American Society for Clinical Pathology
    •      Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP, President-elect, Association of Pathology Chairs, Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Director, George Washington University Medical Center
    •      J. Allan Tucker, MD, Vice President, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology
    •      Gregory G. Davis, MD, FCAP, Vice President, National Association of Medical Examiners
    •      Ritu Nayar, MD, FCAP, President, American Association of Cytopathologists
    •      Jennifer L. Hunt, MD, MEd, Immediate Past President, Association for Molecular Pathology

Following the panel discussions, CAP members will meet with members of Congress and congressional staff to advocate for legislation on closing the self-referral loophole, preventing pathologists from being penalized for failing to comply with electronic health records’ (EHR) meaningful use (MU) rules that do not apply to their practices, and permanently repealing and reforming the sustainable growth rate.

The CAP’s policy meeting advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill include:

  • Urging members of the House of Representatives to cosponsor HR 2914, the Promoting Integrity in Medicare Act, and members of the US Senate to introduce companion legislation to HR 2914.The legislation, introduced in Congress by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), closes the loophole protecting physicians who refer anatomic pathology (AP) services to laboratories in which they own or have a financial interest. In a victory for pathology, the CAP was pleased that President Obama’s budget proposal for 2015,  released March 4, for the first time recommended the exclusion of AP services from the in-office ancillary services (IOAS) exception to the Stark Law. According to the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the estimated savings to the Medicare program for removing AP, advanced imaging, physical therapy, and radiation therapy will be $6.03 billion over the standard 10-year budget window.
  • Collecting signatures to the congressional letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, asking that CMS grant pathologists the significant hardship exception from the EHR MU incentives and penalties for the full five years allowed under current law.
  • Telling Congress to pass the bipartisan, bicameral SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act f of 2014, (HR 4015/S 2000) to permanently repeal the SGR formula and ensure that pathologists can fully and fairly participate in a new payment system tied to meeting quality measures.

For a copy of the policy meeting agenda, please visit www.cap.org.

About the College of American Pathologists

As the leading organization with more than 18,000 board-certified pathologists, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. The CAP’s Laboratory Improvement Programs, initiated 65 years ago, currently has customers in more than 100 countries, accrediting 7,600 laboratories and providing proficiency testing to 20,000 laboratories worldwide. Find more information about the CAP at cap.org. Follow CAP on Twitter: @pathologists.

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