Moderator: Philip L. Schneider, MD, Advocacy Council Chair
The repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate and its replacement with the Medicare Access and CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program] Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) accelerated the transition from volume to innovative value-based payment arrangements called Alternative Payment Models (APMs). These new payment models are a form of payment reform that incorporate quality and total cost of care into reimbursement rather than a traditional fee-for-service structure. Presenters will take an in-depth look at the various alternative reimbursement models offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and explain how spine specialists can benefit from adopting such models into their practices. The discussion also will focus on how NASS is working with CMS on developing episode cost-based measures in spine for potential use under the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Finally, nationally syndicated radio broadcast journalist Hugh Hewitt will examine the current political landscape and provide his insights on the outcome of the 2018 mid-term elections.
Upon completion of this session, participants should gain strategies to:
- Gain an understanding of NASS' current federal legislative priorities and emerging trends in healthcare policy in Washington, DC.
- Describe the Advanced Alternative Payment Model participation in 2018.
- Discuss the Advanced Alternative Payment scoring standard and identify scoring differences between year 1 and year 2 of the program.
Agenda
Update on NASS Legislative Agenda
Philip L. Schneider, MD, Advocacy Council Chair
Discussion on Advanced Payment Models and Bundled Payments in Spine Care
Robert S. Jasak, JD, Vice President, Coverage and Payment Policy, Hart Health Strategies Inc.
The Implications of the 2018 Elections on Healthcare
Hugh Hewitt, American Radio Talk Show Host
Symposium Guest Speaker: Hugh Hewitt, Acclaimed Radio Talk Show Host, The Hugh Hewitt Show; Host, MSNBC's Hugh Hewitt; Political Analyst and Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC; Lawyer; Professor; and Author
Hugh Hewitt is an acclaimed talk show host, political analyst/contributor, professor, attorney and author. Hewitt is the host of The Hugh Hewitt Show on the Salem Radio Network, and also host of Hugh Hewitt, which airs on MSNBC. In addition, Hewitt is an NBC News analyst, a professor of law at Chapman University Fowler School of Law in Orange County, CA, and a partner with the Los Angeles law firm of Larson O’Brien LLP. Hewitt is the author of a dozen books on politics, public policy, religion and happiness. Hewitt describes himself on air as an “Evangelical Roman Catholic Presbyterian” and is a frequent commentator on religion in America. He has conducted more than 25,000 interviews in his quarter century of broadcasting. His mid-career memoir The Happiest Life published in 2014 to critical praise.