Art Imitates Life

Carter L. Alleman, J.D.

Oscar Wilde said that, "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” if that is so he certainly never saw a single medical drama on television. While I was watching Code Black, a CBS version of E.R., I was surprised to hear the following line, “All this charting is like LeBron (James) having to record his stats as he plays.” I stopped the show and watched the scene a couple of times, engrossed by the simplicity of the delivery of one of the biggest challenges and angsts in the medical community. My hope is that there will be more scenes in future episodes discussing this issue, maybe even for sweeps the show can discuss the new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and alternative payment models (APMs) payment methods. It would make for some riveting television.

Unlike television, where the impact of electronic health records and quality measurements last only an hour before the next episode, ACOS is constantly working to unburden our members from the administrative hurdles of quality mandates. Recently, ACOS submitted its comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its request for information on the implementation of the MIPS and APMs payment models. The comments focused on the need for more transparency and interaction between CMS and specialty professionals. Once again, in developing the new payment models, primary care is the focus making it difficult for specialty professionals to participate in the programs in their present state. ACOS commented on the need for more flexibility with requirements to allow more involvement and participation options for small and rural practices. The ACOS also is asking CMS to provide better and constant educational material and engagement on the transition and to be more willing to assist those who are participating. A copy of the comment letter is available here.

ACOS participated at the recent Surgical Coalition Leadership meeting. The purposes of the meeting are to build relationships across surgical specialties and to exchange policy concerns. ACOS President Dawn Tartaglione, D.O., FACOS presented policy issues concerning the announcements of health insurance companies’ proposed mergers. The presentation was well received and resulted in engagement efforts on the federal and state levels as these mergers proceed through review. Further information on these efforts will be available in the future.

Please feel free to call me at 800-888-1312 or send an email to share your thoughts or concerns on any policy matter.