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- March 7, 2023
March 7, 2023
In this Issue:
Advocacy Win: Washington State Pathologists, CAP Deter Move to Federal IDR System
The Washington State Pathology Society (WSSP), in collaboration with the CAP, and the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA), delayed a switch from the states’ balance billing dispute resolution process to the federal independent dispute resolution system for at least six months (January 1, 2024).
On February 27, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner released the decision to delay the transition to the federal No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution process (IDR) for at least six months.
Previously, the insurance commissioner requested information on whether to transition to the federal IDR process on July 1, 2023 or continue to utilize the state’s arbitration system to resolve out-of-network disputes.
In 2022, the WSSP, the CAP, and the WMSA opposed legislative changes, since enacted, to supplant the current state’s arbitration process with the federal IDR system.
Following the federal court decision on February 6 that invalidated portions of the federal arbitration process, the WSMA and the coalition noted, “Subsequently (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) CMS has paused use of the IDR system while federal regulators evaluate and update the IDR process to make it consistent with the latest Texas Medical Association (TMA) decision. And meanwhile, other lawsuits against the IDR system are still pending. It’s prudent for the state to maintain its arbitration system under the Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA) while the legal challenges play out and the federal law continues to coalesce.”
The insurance commissioner will issue an update on or before September 1, 2023. The CAP will continue to work with the WSSP and the WSMA to delay future transitions.
AMA Hosts Webinar on Physician Burnout on March 9
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced a special virtual event on physician burnout on Thursday, March 9 at 11 AM CT. The webinar features a powerhouse lineup of speakers, including the US Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, and AMA President Jack Resneck, Jr., MD.
The CAP has produced a paper on the impact of physician burnout on pathologists lead by a workforce burnout workgroup.
Register for this webinar to join the discussion.
New Month-New News Quiz
It’s March and that means a new News Quiz! Test your knowledge with the March Advocacy News Quiz. See how you compare against your fellow CAP members and brag about your top scores on social!
Breaking Advocacy News: Check out the Advocacy Twitter Channel
Want up to the minute CAP Advocacy news? Then follow us on twitter at CAPDCAdvocacy, where you will be the first to know about CAP Advocacy wins, see your fellow members engage with congressional leaders on key policies affecting the practice of pathology.