FEDERAL | ASPS Supports Congressional Efforts to Cut Red Tape
Under the stewardship of House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), the Medicare Red Tape Relief Project has developed recommendations on opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens within healthcare. The Committee understands that physicians are overstretched and overburdened by administrative responsibilities with minimal impact, which is why committee members conducted numerous town halls with physician organizations, hospitals, medical homes and other health care facilities over the past 12 months. During that period, ASPS provided recommendations to the committee on opportunities to reduce red tape in plastic surgery practices. ASPS also cosigned a letter by the Alliance of Specialty Medicine that identifies unnecessary regulatory burdens that impact specialty providers.
In September, the House Ways & Means Committee submitted three letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with a summary of recommendations received over the past year that impact hospitals, post-acute care providers, and physicians. While the letters covered many issues, they focused on: easing the burden on specialty providers, improving payment processes for skilled nursing facilities, and making the hospice auditing process more transparent. Along with those requests, Chairmen Brady and Roskam provided feedback on the physician fee schedule proposal and Medicare accountable care organizations.
ASPS members heard from Chairman Roskam during the 2018 Advocacy Summit, where he gave valuable insight on why he believes reducing Medicare red tape is an integral part of improving the U.S. healthcare system. The Society is honored to work closely with Chairman Roskam and looks forward to continuing to work to ease the burden on its members through congressional and regulatory initiatives.