Moderator ventana Posted February 10, 2018 Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2018 FINALLY!!!! Now for VNA!!! Dear AAPA Members, I am thrilled to report great news for our patients and for PAs! Early this morning, Congress passed and the President signed into law a provision that allows PAs to manage and provide hospice care to Medicare patients. This success comes after years of hard work from literally hundreds of PAs who have personally made the case to federal lawmakers, and from AAPA’s terrific advocacy team. AAPA is particularly grateful to Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) who championed this legislation, as well as Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and Representatives Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), key supporters of the hospice provision. And hospice wasn’t the only hard-fought, significant victory. The new law also allows PAs to supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs under the Medicare program. I’d like to thank all AAPA members for their support as we advocated for this important provision. Improvements like these make it possible for thousands of vulnerable Medicare patients to continue to receive high-quality healthcare from PAs. Sincerely, L. Gail Curtis, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA President and Chair of the Board American Academy of PAs P.S. Keep the momentum going by renewing your AAPA membership, volunteering on an AAPA committee, or by contributing to PA PAC, the only federal healthcare political action committee representing PAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted February 10, 2018 Author Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2018 New Law Permits PAs to Provide Hospice Care to Medicare Patients Contact: Berit Mansour, 571-319-4394, bmansour@aapa.org ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Feb. 9, 2018) – This morning, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law two improvements to Medicare that represent significant victories for PAs and the patients they serve. The first improvement will allow PAs to manage and provide hospice care to terminally-ill Medicare patients; another will allow PAs to supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs under the Medicare program. Specifically, the new law modernizes outdated Medicare law with language specific to PAs in the Medicare Patient Access to Hospice Act. “Literally hundreds of PAs have made the case to members of Congress about the necessity to eliminate the unwarranted restrictions which have prevented PAs from providing hospice care to their Medicare patients. Too many PAs have patients that have been under their care for years who have been forced to choose between continued care and hospice,” said L. Gail Curtis, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, president and chair of AAPA’s Board of Directors. “This new law will empower PAs to offer continuity of care at a time when patients and their families are most vulnerable.” Medicare beneficiaries throughout the nation, especially those living in rural and other medically underserved communities where PAs may be the sole healthcare professional, will benefit from this important legislation. This change will take effect Jan. 1, 2019. AAPA is thankful to the Congressional champions who supported this legislative change, including Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Tom Carper (D-DE), and Representatives Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Mike Thompson (D-CA). The new law also includes language from the Improving Access to Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024, to allow PAs and other advanced practice providers to supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs for Medicare patients. The Congressional champions for this legislative change include Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Representatives Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and John Lewis (D-GA). These healthcare provisions were part of a two-year budget agreement that includes stopgap government funding that runs through March 23, 2018. AAPA will continue to push for additional changes to improve PA practice for the more than 123,000 PAs and the patients they serve. ### Well those are not quick time frames........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 While not many of us do Hospice this is still a big step forward and may open the door for more PAs to provide hospice care. Anytime we get a major entity like Medicare to take down one more barrier it is a great thing. AAPA deserves big kudos for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cideous Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Change our name. That will impress me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camoman1234 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Cideous said: Change our name. That will impress me. Probably won't ever happen so use your energy on constructive issues other than a stupid name. I would rather see OTP with our same name than no changes, but we are "Medical Practitioners" now. Let's get real and start chopping at real issues that matter to our everyday work and then we maybe can not have to worry about our name so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas5814 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 I think name change will happen eventually but that issue doesn't detract from the steps we take in the mean time. I have done hospice work and this change will make it much easier for those who provide that care to people that need it. It may even encourage more to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Check 2 Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Now, one more step toward signing home health, diabetic shoes and all the other stupid things we are restricted from. My motto still stands - I can declare you dead, give you Cat 1 meds but can't get you a pair of diabetic shoes or home health after a total knee..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted February 10, 2018 Author Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Reality Check 2 said: Now, one more step toward signing home health, diabetic shoes and all the other stupid things we are restricted from. My motto still stands - I can declare you dead, give you Cat 1 meds but can't get you a pair of diabetic shoes or home health after a total knee..... Cat1 meds?? RC2 i hope you are not providing Sch 1 meds??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Check 2 Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 6 hours ago, ventana said: Cat1 meds?? RC2 i hope you are not providing Sch 1 meds??? Fat finger or got help from a cat - was supposed to be Sch II. I have jet lag and always seem to have help typing. Oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted February 12, 2018 Author Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2018 Phew. If you were writing for schedule 1 meds we might have had to have a little chit chat. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted February 12, 2018 Administrator Share Posted February 12, 2018 Why on earth the ridiculous delays? Justice delayed is justice denied... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cideous Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 15 hours ago, ventana said: Phew. If you were writing for schedule 1 meds we might have had to have a little chit chat. ??? His supervising physician's name is Dr. El Chapo. Currently, unavailable to consult with. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkth487 Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 That's great! I'm probably going to end up doing a palliative care fellowship (though focused on pediatrics) after my neonatology fellowship and people who do palliative and hospice work are always sorely in demand! Great to see this barrier come down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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