adminPennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) physician and patient advocacy may begin at the state level, but its reach extends well beyond the state. On July 21, PAMED staff scheduled meetings in Washington, D.C., to discuss health care issues and legislation, including HR 2568, the Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015.
PAMED staff attended meetings held in five congressional offices to seek support and co-sponsorship of the Fair Medical Audits Act. PAMED supports the bill and issued a news release on the topic in June. Read the release.
The Fair Medical Audits Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. It aims to increase Medicare’s Recovery Audit Contractors’ (RACs) accountability for inaccurate audit findings and promote provider education to prevent inadvertent mistakes, as the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) reported recently.
The bill would add transparency and efficiency to the Medicare audit program which addresses Medicare coding, documentation and coverage requirements. It would also improve the claim review process by requiring RACs to have appropriate knowledge and experience requirements.
PAMED staff also participated in meetings held with staff in the offices of both Pennsylvania senators, Sen. Toomey and Sen. Casey. Toomey chairs the Health Care Sub-Committee of the Senate Finance Committee and will soon introduce legislation aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse.
Stay tuned to the Daily Dose for updates on the Fair Medical Audits Act of 2015 and for all the advocacy and legislative news that physicians and practices need to know.