Week In Review

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3/22/2024

Help us help YOU to Update Medicare Physician Payment!

The American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Practice Information (PPI) Survey is nearing completion, and we urgently need all selected clinicians to actively engage in this effort. The intent of the survey, which has been endorsed by over 170 medical societies, including the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), is to collect updated and accurate data on practice costs which are a key element of physician payment. These data have not been updated since last collected over 15 years ago and it is critically important to update these data to ensure accurate payment. Mathematica, a well-regarded consulting firm, is helping the AMA run this survey. Your practice may receive an email (from ppisurvey@mathematica-mpr.com) and a USPS mail packet from Mathematica that contains a link to the survey as well as supporting information. We urge you to speak with your practice management colleagues to determine if they have received these communications and ask them to complete this important survey. In the coming weeks or months, you may be asked to complete a brief survey on the number of weekly hours spent on direct patient care. We urge you to complete this two-minute survey. Help us help YOU to update Medicare physician payment. Click here for more information about this survey.

Updated AGS Public Education Resources on the COVID-19 Vaccine for Older Adults Now Available

The AGS public educational resources on the COVID-19 vaccine, Get the Basics and Learn More, have been updated based on the newest guidance from the CDC. All of AGS’s educational and clinical resources are included on the AGS Older Adults Vaccine Initiative website and are free to access, including the self-directed online educational curriculum (with CME available), accompanying podcasts, a Geriatrics Evaluation & Management Tool (GEMS) on vaccinations, the Essential Vaccines Mobile App, and a series of vaccine focused team webinars on-demand.

Register for the ADGAP Leadership Preconference

Please join us at the virtual ADGAP Leadership Preconference on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 2:30 –5:30 pm ET. This year’s preconference focuses on the role of the academic geriatric program from a clinical, educational, and research perspective in the emerging area of diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias.

Visit the AGS Annual Meeting website for the complete preconference agenda and to register. You can purchase a bundled registration including the Fellowship Director’s Preconference as well.

Provider Assistance in Response to Change Healthcare Cybersecurity Incident

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the reopening of the 2023 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) Exception Application to provide relief for MIPS-eligible clinicians impacted by the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident. The application will close April 15, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. ET. If you have already submitted data for the 2023 performance year and would like to take advantage of this flexibility, it requires logging into the CMS portal and updating the submission.

UnitedHealthcare has also expanded Optum’s Temporary Funding Assistance Program to provide funding solutions for its provider partners impacted by the Change Healthcare services disruption and help bridge the gap in cash flow needs. Check your eligibility here and for additional support, use the temporary funding assistance inquiry form or call 877-702-3253

For more information, check out the following links: 

CMS Announces New ACO Primary Care Flex Model

This week, CMS announced a new five-year voluntary payment model for primary care, the Accountable Care Organization Primary Care Flex Model (ACO PC Flex Model) within the Medicare Shared Savings Program. ACOs that participate in the model will receive a one-time Advanced Shared Savings Payment and monthly prospective, population-based payments, the Prospective Primary Care Payments (PPCP). The ACO PC Flex Model will test whether improved payment for primary care will empower participating ACOs and their primary care providers to utilize more innovative, team-based, person-centered, and proactive approaches to care and positively impact health outcomes, quality, and costs of care. CMS is planning to select approximately 130 ACOs to participate in the model, which will begin on January 1, 2025. Organizations interested in participating must first apply — either as new ACOs or renewing ACOs — to the Shared Savings Program. Shared Savings Program Applications are open May 20, 2024 - June 17, 2024. The ACO PC Flex Model Request for Applications (RFA) is planned to be released in the second quarter of 2024. Read more in the ACO PC Flex Model Factsheet and FAQs.

JACLP Article on Delirium MS-DRG Complexity Designation Request

AGS supported a proposal to CMS, led by the American Delirium Society (ADS), requesting that causally specified delirium be designated a major complication or comorbidity alongside toxic and metabolic encephalopathy. The rationale and analysis that supplemented the request was adapted for an article that was published in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Requesting That Delirium Achieve Parity With Acute Encephalopathy in the MS-DRG System. The CMS request is currently under review.

#AGSProud: Recognized AGS Members

The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum announced the winners of the 2023 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards, recognizing achievements in improving patient safety and healthcare quality. The Surgical Pause, an initiative of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) was recognized for its initiative the Surgical Pause, which reduced six-month mortality of patients determined to be “frail” from 25% to 8% at three VA medical centers. AGS member and Jahnigen Scholar, Dr. Jason Johanning, was instrumental in leading this work along with AGS member Dr. Tom Edes, a tireless advocate at the VA for geriatrics and palliative care as original team members of the Surgical Pause.  

Dr. Helen Fernandez and Dr. Jeremy Boal were honored at the 2024 Jacobi Medallion Awards Ceremony and Reception with one of the highest honors that the Mount Sinai Health System bestows upon current or former colleagues – the Jacobi Medallion. Ten outstanding recipients were honored that evening for their exceptional contributions to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Health System, or the fields of medicine or biomedicine. Watch Dr. Fernandez’ recipient video here and Dr. Boal’s video here.

Vote in Round 4 of STAT Madness

Round 4 of STAT Madness  - a bracket-style tournament designed to discover the top innovations in science and medicine from institutions across the nation - is underway. You can vote daily for the most innovative institutions until the conclusion of round 4 on March 27, 2024.

New Opportunities for Investigators & to the MyAGSOnline Calendar

The AGS Opportunities for Investigators resource serves as a central location for geriatrics and aging-related opportunities such as grant funding, presentation or publication submissions, travel stipends for scholarly meetings, networking events, comment periods, and in-person or virtual meetings and webinars.  
 

The MyAGSOnline Events Calendar is a valuable resource to discover and register for upcoming events, webinars, and other opportunities. We'd like to highlight the following upcoming events: 

  • The Research Centers Collaborative Network (RCCN) has organized a four-part webinar series to provide valuable information to both early career researchers seeking K award funding and their mentors. The first three webinars in the series have been scheduled as follows: 
  • The Health Care Systems Research Network's 2024 Annual Conference will be taking place this spring in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from April 9 to April 11
     
  • The AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine: Improving Antibiotic Use is recruiting primary, urgent care practices, and retail clinics that use telemedicine for a no-cost, 18-month national program to strengthen antibiotic prescribing practices. Learn more at their next information webinar happening April 11 from 12-12:30pm ET. 
     
  • The Claude D Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers 2024 Annual Meeting will be taking place in Arlington, VA from April 25 - April 26. 
     
  • The US Deprescribing Network Annual Meeting will be taking place on May 15th in Boston, MA and is open to all people who are conducting or care about research on deprescribing medications and addressing medication overuse among older adults. 
      

Have an opportunity or event you'd like to see listed? Email the details to Jennifer Fisher at jfisher@americangeriatrics.org

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