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AMA/Multi-Specialty Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) Reimbursement Surveys for Spine Surgical Procedures The RUC acts as an advisory body to CMS in setting Relative Value Units (RVUs) in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. As part of their valuation process, the RUC works with specialty societies like ISASS to survey specialty society members on their relative resource use in providing services. In the coming weeks, ISASS will be working with the RUC on multiple resource surveys for spine procedures. We ask ISASS members to be prepared to respond to any requests to participate. The surveys take 15-20 minutes to complete and provide important information to the RUC and to CMS in determining RVUs. The procedures being surveyed include ablation of the […]

ISASS Comments on 2021 Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System/Ambulatory Surgical Center (OPPS/ASC) Proposed Rule ISASS submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the 2021 OPPS/ASC Proposed Rule on October 2, 2021. The ISASS letter addressed several areas of interest and relevance to ISASS members, including the proposed reduction in Medicare physician payments for 2021. In the letter, ISASS objected to the CMS proposal to require prior authorization for cervical fusion and spinal neurostimulator simulation procedures performed in the OPPS or ASC settings. ISASS cited several published studies on the costs to patients and providers with prior authorization requirements and urged CMS to revise their proposal and not require prior authorization for these procedures. […]

ISASS Comments on 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule ISASS submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule on October 2, 2021. The ISASS letter addressed several areas of interest and relevance to ISASS members, including the proposed reduction in Medicare physician payments for 2021. In the proposed rule, CMS proposed an 11% reduction in the Medicare conversion factor used to calculate physician payments. ISASS pointed out the unfairness of imposing a substantial payment reduction on physician and physician practices facing shortages and difficulties due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency. ISASS urged CMS to reverse the proposed reduction and maintain the current conversion factor, thus […]