ACTION NEEDED:ABMS Seeking Comments on the Proposed CV BoardThe American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced the start of a 90-day Public Comment Period seeking input on the new, independent Board of Cardiovascular Medicine proposed by the ACC, American Heart Association, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society and The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions. The comment period is a critical part of the ABMS application review and an important opportunity for the cardiovascular community, hospitals and health systems, patients and other stakeholders to show their support for the new Board and engage in the decision-making process. All comments must be submitted electronically by July 24. In addition to providing basic identifying information, including your name and email, the comment form consists of three main questions: 1) Do you agree with the creation of a new American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine; 2) Does the new Board meet ABMS requirements for initial certification; and 3) Does the new Board meet ABMS requirements for continuous certification? Along with indicating your agreement, the form includes opportunities to provide any comments related to your responses, as well as a chance to upload a letter or document. Additional comments on the ways a specialized, independent Board of Cardiovascular Medicine would benefit you, your hospital, practice and/or your patients are strongly encouraged. To submit your comments, as well as access detailed FAQs, on-demand webinars and a listing of the initial Board of Directors, visit CVBoard.org. In addition, we encourage you to help spread the word about the comment period using the social media graphic and sample messaging below. Should you need any additional communication support, please contact Shalen Fairbanks (sfairban@acc.org).Advocacy UpdatesView MDACC's 2024 Annapolis Session Priorities Click here to support the Non-compete Ban legislation MDACC SUPPORTS CHANGES IN PRIOR AUTHORIZATIONBills in both the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate have been introduced to reform prior authorization and step-therapy. MDACC is supporting these reforms through letters, in-person testimony, and an email campaign to the membership. See below for more details. RE: SUPPORT FOR SB 308 Health Insurance – Utilization Review – Revisions and SB 515 Health Insurance – Step Therapy or Fail First Protocol – Revisions These bills target the unnecessary denial of health care services by health insurers. Commonly known as prior authorization or step therapy, these practices often delay or deny medications and services that have received clinical consensus through stringent vetting and are published and updated regularly in medical journals and literature. Time is critical for cardiovascular patients. The sooner a cardiologist can treat and monitor a patient, the more likely the patient is to recover and thrive. Unfortunately, insurer prior authorization program denials in Maryland are rising. Increasingly, cardiovascular professionals use point of care tools (ACC Practice Tools) and other technological resources (NCDR National Cardiovascular Data Registry) to access information that provides update information that guides treatment decisions and helps them provide timely care.
In 2021, an American Medical Association (AMA) survey revealed the following about the impact of prior authorization on physicians and patients:
Not only are these policies hurting patients, but they are hurting physicians, too. The process to secure prior authorization is labor intensive, costly, and stressful. Surveys consistently reveal that undue administrative burden is a leading cause of physician burnout and depression. @ACCMarylandTwitter's embedding functionality is temporarily?? out of service. When it is working again, we will restart it on this page. In the meantime, feel free to click on our handle @ACCMaryland to see the latest from the Chapter. |