Week In Review

The "Intersection of Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCCs) and Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD)" conference, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and supported by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), the Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth (AGING) Initiative and the Alzheimer's Diagnosis in older Adults with Chronic Conditions (ADACC) Network, will be held from Thursday, March 6 - Friday, March 7, 2025 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, MD.

A major goal of this conference series is to define gaps and opportunities and to prioritize key questions for future research. We aim to assemble a diverse group of thought leaders and rising stars who bring unique perspectives and insights to the topic at hand.

Click here to view the preliminary agenda. Apply to attend by Friday, December 13, 2024.

Contact Elisha Medina-Gallagher (egallagher@americangeriatrics.org) if you have any questions.  

There is still time to register for the AGING Initiative MCCs Scholars Program Informational Webinar being held on November 21 at 12:00pm ET. In this webinar, program leads and patient/caregiver advisors will provide information and answer questions regarding the MCCs Scholars Program, which seeks to establish a cohort of emerging leaders in aging research who will align their research interests and agendas with issues relevant to the health and healthcare of older adults with MCCs.

Please click here to register for the webinar. To view the full MCCs Scholars Program RFA, please click here. Please reach out to Ollie Desrochers (Ollie.Desrochers@umassmed.edu) with any questions.

On November 1st, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2025 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule final rule. AGS was pleased to see that CMS adopted the new advanced primary care management (APCM) services codes and valuation, which recognizes elements that we consider to be vital components of primary care, including team-based care and an ongoing, longitudinal relationship with the patient. We were also pleased that CMS finalized the addition of caregiver training services to the Medicare Telehealth Services list for 2025, including the new G-codes, G0541-G0543, for direct care services and supports focused on specific clinical skills aimed at the caregiver effectuating hands-on treatment, reducing complications, and monitoring the patient. CMS also finalized its proposal to revise the regulatory definition of an interactive telecommunications system to include two-way, real-time audio-only communication technology for any telehealth services furnished to beneficiaries in their homes and maintain payment for E/M services at the same rate regardless of the modality in which the visit is conducted. In addition, the 2025 Medicare conversion factor will decrease for the fifth straight year by approximately 2.83 percent from $33.2875 to $32.3465. AGS is still reviewing the final rule and will be sharing additional updates and changes of interest with members before the year end. In the meantime, you can review the comments submitted by AGS on the proposed rule here as well as the AGS response to the request for information (RFI) regarding APCM here. Learn more in the following summary documents from CMS on the final rule. 

• Final Rule
• CMS Press Release
• CMS Fact Sheet 
• CMS QPP Fact Sheet

Given increasingly extreme weather events and hazardous environmental conditions, it is critically important to mitigate the harms on older adults who are among the most at-risk populations during severe climate and extreme weather events. Learn more in this recent article from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), "Why Older Adults are Especially Vulnerable to Climate Change," which highlights the internal and external risk factors as well as existing efforts to address the challenges and impacts of severe climate events on older adults. 

Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to complete our recent AGS 2024 Annual Meeting survey! Your feedback is vital in helping us shape future events to better meet your continuing education needs.

We're thrilled to announce that one lucky respondent has won complimentary registration to #AGS25, our upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting! After a randomized drawing, the winner has been selected —congratulations to Lisa Mount, MD! We can’t wait to welcome you back in 2025.

For everyone who shared their insights, your responses help us understand how our Annual Scientific Meetings impact your practice throughout the year. We look forward to implementing your feedback to make #AGS25 even more impactful for all attendees. 

See you at #AGS25!

Be sure to participate in the AGS Special Interest Group Virtual Meetings being held this fall!

The following Special Interest Group Virtual Meetings are being held over the next few weeks.  Be sure to add them your calendar! For the full list of upcoming SIG Virtual Meetings click here. 

• The UNC-Chapel Hill Medical Students Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program is now accepting applications for their Summer 2025 program. Attend the nationally-recognized NIH training center for aging research for an 8-week block with a diverse array of potential research projects for medical students to choose from. Applications due by January 20, 2025.