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November 10, 2016
Published by Liz Vogt at November 10, 2016
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ISASS Recommendations/Coverage Criteria for Decompression with Interlaminar Stabilization – Coverage Indications, Limitations, and/or Medical Necessity Authors: Richard Guyer, MD; Michael Musacchio, MD; Frank P. Cammisa, Jr., MD; and Morgan P. Lorio, MD, FACS This paper was originally published here. A PDF version of this Policy Statement can be accessed here. Introduction Broadly defined, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is the progressive narrowing of the spinal canal and neural foramen resulting in pressure upon the nerve(s) leading to pain and/or numbness in the extremities, muscle weakness, bowel and bladder issues, and/or other pain related issues. However, the difficulty arises in that spinal stenosis is a heterogeneous condition with multiple etiologies which may present with disc height loss, facet hypertrophy, spondylolisthesis, retrolisthesis, coronal […]
November 3, 2016
On November 3, ISASS submitted comments to Novitas Solutions Inc., the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) covering Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Delaware, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, on its draft Local Coverage Determination (LCD) on Percutaneous Vertebroplasty and Vertebral Augmentation (Kyphoplasty). The comment letter focused on three aspects of the draft LCD: Proposed non-coverage of percutaneous sacral augmentation (0200T and 0201T) Proposed non-coverage of prophylactic use of percutaneous vertebroplasty Proposed non-coverage of treatment for more than two vertebral levels ISASS asked Novitas to revisit these issues prior to finalizing the LCD.
October 31, 2016
Published by Liz Vogt at October 31, 2016
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News and noteworthy information for October 2016: CMS Releases MACRA Final Rule Preparing Your Practice for MACRA CPT Editorial Panel – Summary of Panel Actions Palmetto Draft LCD: Noncovered Services Understanding the RUC Survey Instrument CMS Announces New Initiative to Improve Physician Experience with Medicare Deadline for Seeking Review of Potential Payment Penalties CMS Releases MACRA Final Rule On October 14, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final rule implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). MACRA was bipartisan legislation signed into law in April 2015 to permanently repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), streamline physician quality reporting programs, and provide incentive payments for physician participation in alternative payment models. MACRA sunsets […]
September 30, 2016
Published by Liz Vogt at September 30, 2016
Categories
ISASS Policy & Advocacy News – September 2016 News and noteworthy information for September 2016: MACRA Update: Pick Your Pace Novitas Draft LCD: Percutaneous Vertebroplasty and Vertebral Augmentation FDA Announces Voluntary Payer Participants for Device Pre-Submission Meetings PQRS Negative Payment Adjustment Notification Physicians Spend Nearly Twice as Much Time on EHR/Desk Work as Patients MACRA Update: Pick Your Pace On September 8, 2016, Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt announced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) plans to allow flexibilities in participation in the Quality Payment Program for the first performance period that begins January 1, 2017. Slavitt acknowledged that the agency heard concerns expressed by physician organizations about the proposed start date for performance reporting by physicians under […]