Tag: Medicare
I’m just a bill: An overview of health-related committees on Capitol...
In the U.S., the legislative process is complex. Among the most important in this process are congressional committees, which play a pivotal role in...
Budget neutrality and code valuation basics
So, what is budget neutrality and how does it affect physician payment? The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) is a resource-based relative value scale...
Society for Vascular Surgery addresses latest mainstream media reports on atherectomy
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has issued a statement addressing the latest reports published by ProPublica on atherectomy use in the U.S.
The nonprofit...
The top 10 most popular Vascular Specialist stories of November 2023
In November, the most read stories from Vascular Specialist include a reassessment of which carotid revascularization treatment modality is best after the recent Centers...
Change: A driving force behind SVS advocacy initiatives
Change is a constant in life, and advocacy is no exception. The healthcare landscape is always evolving, and the SVS Advocacy Council is working...
CMS confirms broadened Medicare coverage of carotid artery stenting in final...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final decision regarding National Coverage Determination (NCD) 20.7 covering carotid artery stenting (CAS),...
From the editor: Sex, lies, and carotid stents
First, a disclaimer. This commentary is woefully short of sex-related content. Not even the wholesome gender-based outcomes stuff. So, if that key term brought...
Why CMS should still not extend reimbursement indications for carotid stenting...
This commentary—authored by Anne Abbott, PhD, MBBS, Lawrence Schott, MD, Lan Gao, MMed, PhD, Hrvoje Budincevic, MD, PhD, Rishad Faruqi, MD, Tatjana Rundek, MD,...
SVS members rally to respond to CMS carotid stenting coverage proposal
Nearly one-third of the public comments submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on a controversial proposed coverage decision affecting carotid...
Empowering vascular surgery to promote five pivotal healthcare bills before Congress
Welcome back to Government Grand Rounds, a campaign aimed at expanding vascular surgeons’ understanding of—and comfort with—the SVS’ many advocacy tools. In the dynamic...
Congress considers incremental steps towards Medicare payment reform
There is no doubt that the Medicare payment system needs reform. At this moment, the SVS is aiming to inspire reform through all facets...
Learn coding intricacies at October workshop on reimbursement
The SVS will host the SVS Coding and Reimbursement Workshop this fall, providing a comprehensive program designed to equip vascular surgeons and their support...
SVS responds to CMS proposed coverage expansion for carotid stenting
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) and its affiliated Patient Safety Organization (PSO)/Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) have submitted a formal response to the Centers...
SVS urges members to make voices heard on CMS carotid stenting...
The SVS has created a template to help members transmit comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding proposed major adjustments...
Comments sought on CMS proposed coverage expansion for carotid stenting
SVS members are encouraged to submit comments—due Aug. 10—to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposed national coverage determination on...
SVS coding workshop coming in October
The SVS’ 2023 Coding and Reimbursement Workshop will help participants learn about accurate coding and reimbursement for vascular surgery. The intensive two-day program will...
SVS member elected to RUC committee
SVS member David Han, MD, has been re-elected to the American Medical Association (AMA) Relative Values Scale (RVS) Update Committee (RUC). Han’s two-year term...
Early data show ‘dramatic improvement’ in amputation-free survival after initiation of...
This advertorial is sponsored by Tampa General Hospital.
In cases of acute limb ischemia (ALI), time is of the essence, says Charles J. Bailey, MD—from...
Has the risk in the value-based payment model been sold as...
Value-based payments (VBP), or “volume to value,” was the new buzz word over a decade ago, promising yet another chimera in ways to reimburse...
New SVS series zeroes in on government’s impact on vascular surgery
Starting next month, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) will begin a series of articles focusing on how the actions of Congress and regulatory...
SVS ends 2022 with latest ‘Week of Action’ to prevent Medicare...
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) issued its thanks to December “Week of Action” participants.
Once again, SVS members showed incredible support for the Society’s...
CMS: An update on quality measures for vascular surgery
An upcoming national reporting change/addition from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) includes three important elements of which Society for Vascular Surgery...
SVS weighs in on 2023 Medicare payment rules for physicians and...
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has submitted comment letters in response to the proposed rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...
Trainees step up to learn coding, reimbursement
The Society for Vascular Surgery’s (SVS) efforts in coding and reimbursement work have taken another step forward, with four new doctors now in training...
SVS advocacy in action: Protecting and advancing the interests of vascular...
Deep in to the second half of the year, there is no rest for the weary regarding Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) advocacy initiatives....
Maximize reimbursement: Learn latest in coding at SVS workshop
When it comes to coding, information gaps can lead to revenue gaps. Proper coding and documentation are integral to receiving appropriate reimbursement for vascular...
SVS addresses pair of critical payment-related proposed rules
In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two critical payment-related proposed rules for CY2023—the highly anticipated Medicare Physician Fee Schedule...
Medicare cuts: ‘It is crucially important we stay engaged in the...
Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) members deemed payment and reimbursement among the top advocacy priorities for 2022. A session Wednesday at VAM informed attendees...
SVS turns its sights to FY2023, long-range future
In January, the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Strategic Board met and forged its objectives for the coming fiscal year. Two months later the...
Diabetes: Impact of local medicolegal landscapes on costs
More litigious U.S. states did not see decreased amputation rates over those where the medicolegal environment was less adverse, according to an analysis of...
SVS PAC: A voice for vascular surgeons on Capitol Hill
As everyone turned the page on 2021 and entered 2022 with a new hope for a return to normalcy, vascular surgeons continue to be...
Senate passes bill to halt 2022 Medicare cuts
Last night, the Senate passed legislation to halt Medicare physician payment cuts that were scheduled to take effect on January 1. President Joe Biden...
We need voices as well as opinions
I have a message for my colleagues on behalf of Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Political Action Committee (PAC), quoting the famous lines from...
Philips announces large-scale study outcomes on use of IVUS in peripheral...
Royal Philips has announced the results of a new large-scale real-world analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data on the health...
SVS: Impact of Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule remains threat...
The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule released Nov. 2 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) doubles down on the...
SVS task force continues fight to stop cuts
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Medicare Cuts Task Force is continuing its work to stop the proposed cuts in physician reimbursement from going...
Cuts to Medicare: ‘As vascular disease complexity increases, reimbursement for complex...
Outgoing Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society (MVSS) President Kellie Brown, MD, has seen fundamental changes to the way vascular surgery is practiced during her 20...
Physicians draw attention to Medicare cuts as PAD Awareness Month kicks...
A coalition of physicians and other interested parties focused on peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has called on Congress and the Centers for Medicare and...
Medicare: Surgical Care Coalition urges Congress to halt proposed cuts to...
The proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for calendar year 2022 (CY2022) released Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fails to...
Why donate to the SVS PAC?
A few years ago, in his presidential address to the Midwestern Vascular Surgical Society (MVSS), Mark Mattos, MD, spoke eloquently about the need to...
‘Disproportionate decrease’: Vascular surgeons see buying power fall, study finds
Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates for the 20 most common vascular surgical procedures decreased by more than 20% in the last decade, a new analysis...
Key MACRA changes highlighted
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is in its fifth calendar year, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues...
SVS PAC recaps 2020, offers goals for 2021
It is difficult to put 2020 into words. However, despite everything bad that has gone on in the U.S. and nationally, the SVS PAC...
How to succeed in vascular surgery: A guide for the aspiring...
Disclaimer: The views expressed here do not reflect those of Mayo Clinic, the Society for Vascular Surgery, Vascular Specialist, or even the author, for...
Democrats take control with Biden presidency, majorities in both chambers
Democratic victories for Georgia’s two Senate seats in the runoff election Jan. 5 have solidified the Democrats’ control of the federal government for the...
Fempop atherectomy: Are high reimbursement amounts incentivizing inappropriate medical provider care?
Reimbursement-per-procedure for femoropopliteal atherectomy and stenting has increased at about the same rate for national providers as a whole and vascular surgeons specifically—at the...
‘Inordinate amount’ of vascular surgery’s Medicare payments go to narrow group,...
Just 1% of vascular surgeons receive “an inordinate amount” of the total Medicare payments that flow toward the specialty, with disproportionate use of outpatient...
Target 2021: SVS councils and committees drill down on key goals...
While there is little doubt the pandemic has impacted each vascular surgeon and the SVS as a Society in numerous ways, the commitment and...
Medicare cuts: Avoiding the ‘tragedy of the unprepared’
*The January 2021 issue of Vascular Specialist, which contained this story, went to press prior to the news that Congress had moved to halt cuts to...
Outpatient evaluation and management codes extensively revised
For the first time since 1992, office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes have been extensively revised. As of Jan. 1,...
Congress delays steep Medicare payment cuts
Both the House of Representatives and Senate have approved legislation to delay steep cuts to Medicare that were set to take effect Jan. 1,...
The power of groups: Invest in the SVS PAC
Humans are social animals, and, over time, they have found that their best times are spent in groups. We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, spending...
CMS confirms Physician Fee Schedule cuts; SVS members asked to contact...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) has delivered a blow to vascular surgery in the form of a 7% cut in total...
Healthcare on a precipice: SVS PAC stands ready to fight coming...
Since 2002, the SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) has been a vehicle for advocacy specifically for vascular surgeons. As the only voice geared for...
SVS details opposition, support to CMS proposed rules
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has submitted comment letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on two proposed rules that...
SVS PAC: We know who you are—do you know who we...
Let’s start with our mission statement: We at the SVS Political Action Committee (PAC) exist as the fundraising arm for the advancement of the...
Quality Payment Program: The proposed updates slated for 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on surgery and medicine continues, prompting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to propose changes in year five...
Medicare reimbursement fails to adequately cover cost of care after open...
For most patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), Medicare reimbursement for lower extremity bypass surgery does not adequately account for case complexity in the...
Join the fight: The useful job of lobbying members of Congress
Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) members can help in the fight against announced reimbursement reductions included in the calendar year 2021 Medicare Physician Fee...
Action plan: How to help halt sharp cuts to Medicare
They are the sort of cuts the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) says will have a massive impact on vascular surgery practices for years...
Coding issues: We got you covered
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Coding Committee is best known for its work developing CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes, recommending physician work relative...
Take action to stop projected Medicare surgery cuts
The proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule for 2021 was released Aug. 3 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), revealing vascular...
Vascular surgeons: Avoiding burnout and achieving wellness
Coaching, institutional and cultural changes, advocacy, identifying issues and banding together all can play a part in vascular surgeons’ avoiding burnout and achieving wellness....
Patients with large AAAs see higher five-year mortality with EVAR compared...
Large abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is associated with higher adjusted five-year mortality, reintervention and rupture rates after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)—but not after...
SVS joins Surgical Care Coalition in fight against Medicare cuts
The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has joined the Surgical Care Coalition as part of a show of solidarity against pending Centers for Medicare...
Advocating for our members
COVID-19 has altered almost all of our lives to a degree previously unimaginable. Millions of Americans continue to lose their jobs, hundreds of thousands...
National emergency loosens restrictions on use of telemedicine, says VESS secretary
Performance of telemedicine has been made easier and more accessible after regulations and limitations on its use were waived in the wake of the...
Persistently high-cost Medicare patients are more likely to be younger, come...
Persistently high-cost patients are younger, more likely to be members of racial or ethnic minority groups, eligible for Medicare based on having end-stage renal...