bulletin - Allegheny County Medical Society

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○FEATURE2010—Year-in-ReviewACMS President John F. Delaney Jr., MD, MPH,DrPH, and the Board of Directors relied on theACMS Strategic Plan to address the challengingissues of national health care reformlegislation, Medicare funding andphysician payment schedules, and thePennsylvania MCare fund in 2010. Theofficers focused on advocacy for physiciansand patients in a very challengingenvironment for physicians and medicine.In Pennsylvania, MCare fundingand the deepening Pennsylvania budget crisis led to theDr. Delaneymisappropriation of MCare funds by the governor and thelegislature to reduce the state’s budget deficit. The PennsylvaniaMedical Society and the Hospital and HealthcareAssociation of Pennsylvania filed litigation challenging theconstitutionality of the use of those funds and won afavorable decision. Theoutgoing Rendell administrationhas appealed thedecision; cases are pendingbefore the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.The national debate over health care policy reform hasbeen at the forefront of activity, and health care reformresulted in a very broad, encompassing act that will haveenormous impact on health care. The bill creates sweepinggoals and structures with specific regulatory definition yetto be defined. The national elections in November reflectedongoing contentious debate concerning the futureof this legislation.One national issue is clear: reform of the Medicareprogram payment methodology. The SGR (SustainableGrowth Rate) formula was statistically flawed at itsinception, and each year proposes significant fee schedulecuts for physician and hospital services. For the past sixyears, Congress has appropriated additional funding toavoid deep cuts in the program. The year saw five shorttermpayment “fixes” that froze physician paymentschedules and caused financial disruptions, if not havoc,in medical offices. The medical society is focused oncorrecting the payment formula to reflect the costs ofpractices and the growing demand for services from anaging population, and it is conducting ongoing legislativecontacts to create a realistic methodology for the Medicarefee schedule.The Allegheny County Medical Society also has beenactive in our community as Dr. Delaney and other boardmembers met with hospital medical staff to discuss localissues. The medical society maintains active liaisons witha wide number of community partners, including theLeadership and Advocacy for Patients and PhysiciansAllegheny County Bar Association, Pittsburgh RegionalHealth Initiative, Consumer Health Coalition, HospitalCouncil of Western Pennsylvania, Community Collegeof Allegheny County and the Allegheny County HealthDepartment.Under the leadership of Co-chairs Lawrence John,MD, and Anthony Spinola, MD, the Primary CareCoalition (PCC) represented family and internal medicinephysicians in discussions with state and federallegislators, insurance companies and community groupsto identify the challenges and issues facing primary care30 Bulletin : January 2011