WASHINGTON, D.C. (November
9, 2019) — American
Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) President Kristy L. Weber, MD,
FAAOS, issued the following statement in response to concerning changes that
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized in its newly
released 2020 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and
Ambulatory Surgical Center (OPPS/ASC)
Payment System Final Rule and the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)
Final Rule:
“AAOS is extremely disappointed with CMS’ decision to remove hip replacements
from the inpatient-only list beginning 2020, especially as the removal of knee
replacements in 2018 and the unintended consequences of that policy change
continue to plague Medicare providers and threaten patient safety. It is both
troublesome and disheartening to know that the repeated concerns of the
surgical community were not heeded in making this critical change to the
delivery of care.
“Furthermore, CMS is setting a dangerous precedent for the future of
musculoskeletal procedures and their perceived value—despite our aging
population. In failing to apply updated evaluation and management values to
global codes for 2021, the agency has chosen to blatantly disregard recommendations
from the medical community and disrupt the relativity mandated by Congress for
the Medicare fee schedule. For orthopaedics, this will mean an unfair
differential in future reimbursements for specialty care.
“Our ask now is that CMS adequately prepare for the effect of these concerning
changes. Physicians must be trusted and empowered to designate the best
practice setting for their patients, and not be crippled by the burden of
proof. Additionally, the statutory requirements of MACRA section 523(a) must be
upheld to ensure integrity of the relative value scale and appropriate access
to surgical care. We hope that the agency recognizes these impending challenges
and is thoughtful about the enforcement of these new policies.”
For more information:
About the AAOS
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Office of Government
Relations promotes and advocates the viewpoint of the orthopaedic
community before federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive
agencies. Based in Washington, D.C., with additional staff in the Academy’s
headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois, the Office of Government Relations
identifies, analyzes, and directs all health policy activities and initiatives
to position the AAOS as the trusted leaders in advancing
musculoskeletal health.
For more information on all AAOS advocacy efforts, visit http://www.aaos.org/dc.
Follow the AAOS Office of Government Relations on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AAOSAdvocacy.
