In this Issue...

IMA Physician Leaders Advocate for Medicare Payment Reform
The Ranch Podcast Features IMA Subject Matter Experts on Reproductive Health; Medical Education
Webinar: Back to the Basics of ICD-10 Coding
Groups Move to Preserve Public Health Data and Resources

IMA Physician Leaders Advocate for Medicare Payment Reform

On February 10-12th, IMA leaders participated in the American Medical Association (AMA) National Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC, including the "Fix Medicare Now" rally on Capitol Hill. Many members of Congress made their way to the conference to cover a wide gamut of health care issues and voice their support for Medicare payment reform.

Idaho AMA Delegate Dr. Patrice Burgess, Alternate Delegate Dr. Zachary Warnock (pictured above), and IMA CEO Susie Keller met with staff members of our Idaho Congressional Delegation requesting support for H.R. 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act. The measure, which has already gathered 63 bi-partisan co-sponsors, would stop the 2.83% cut in Medicare payments to physician practices this year while providing a 2% payment update, effective April 1.

As of Jan. 1, 2025 physicians have been subject to a 2.83% reduction in payments under the Medicare Physician Payment Final Rule. This cut marks the 5th consecutive year that physicians have endured reductions in Medicare payments. When adjusted for inflation in practice costs, physicians in 2025 are being paid 33% less for care to Medicare patients than doctors were paid in 2001, according to AMA research. Given this growing disparity between Medicare payment rates and the rising costs of providing care, the AMA has renewed the urgent call for Congress to reverse the new cuts as soon as possible and implement a payment update that reflects inflationary pressures.

For more information and resources to take action, visit the AMA's Fix Medicare Now website.

The Ranch Podcast Features IMA Subject Matter Experts on Reproductive Health; Medical Education

The Ranch Podcast, "focused on the people, politics and happenings of the great state of Idaho" recently featured IMA members and staff on key issues impacting healthcare delivery in Idaho, including:

"Fixing Idaho Residency and Medical Education Options" with IMA CEO Susie Keller;
"Defending Medications for Idaho Mothers" with IMA President-Elect Dr. Megan Kasper; and
"Making Families in Idaho" with infertility specialist and IMA member Dr. Kyle Tobler.

The podcast, hosted by Eagle resident Matt Todd, is conversational and informative, encompassing a broad spectrum of topics in a non-confrontational format that invites viewers to hear from speakers with varying perspectives on issues impacting the daily lives of Idahoans. Audio-only episodes are available through Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Back to the Basics of ICD-10 Coding

Join us on March 12th for this session from the 2025 IMA Education Series

In this educational session, Nicole Benson, BA, CPC, CPMA, COSC, Audit Manager of Gill Compliance Solutions will address:

General conventions and how to use ICD-10 codes
Common chapter guidelines and examples that are often mis-coded
ICD-10 coding that establishes medical necessity and can impact reimbursement

Audience: Coders, auditors, billers and staff that review, code, and/or assign ICD-10 coding to the medical record for insurance billing and reimbursement.

AAPC-Approved for one hour of CEU credit

Groups Move to Protect Public Health Data and Resources

An executive order signed by President Trump on January 20 directs all federal agencies to "remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, and other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology, and shall cease issuing such statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other messages." In the wake of this order, more than 80,000 pages from more than a dozen U.S. government websites were taken down.

On Feb. 4, Doctors for America sued the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) for the removal of a broad range of health-related data and other information used by health professionals and researchers from publicly accessible government websites.

On Feb. 11, U.S. District Judge John Bates agreed to a temporary restraining order requested by Doctors for America and ordered government agencies to restore the scrubbed webpages. According to an article in the Associated Press, the CDC restored pages and datasets on adolescent health, information on HIV monitoring and testing, contraception guidance, and data on how pollution, poverty and other factors impact certain communities. Some reinstated pages now appear with a disclaimer "rejecting" the "biological reality" of the contents therein.

Several organizations are stepping up to preserve important government health care data and guidance online. The nonprofit Internet Archive houses hundreds of CSV files, metadata files, zip files, PDFs of infographics, and more, uploaded before January 28, 2025. In addition, The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) hosts PDFs of relevant government guidance it has endorsed.

In his granting of the temporary restraining order, Judge Bates noted that the time it would take to track down public health information through alternate sources is time taken away from patient care, stating: "These doctors' time and effort are valuable, scarce resources, and being forced to spend them elsewhere makes their jobs harder and their treatment less effective."

It's Time To Renew Your IMA Membership!

Why Join IMA?

When you join the Idaho Medical Association, you hire a powerful staff to protect the viability of your practice. By protecting your practice from legal, legislative, and regulatory intrusions, your IMA membership lets you focus on what’s really important: Your Patients. Become a member today and join the IMA Community of over 4,000 Idaho physicians and medical professionals.

* Don't forget: If you pay your AMA dues through the IMA, the IMA benefits.

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