Preserve Your Choices
Stop Medicare Endoscopy Center Cuts!
Support House Bill HR 1823
One of the most satisfying aspects of practicing gastroenterology is the positive feedback constantly received from the many patients who undergo "scope tests" at an Endoscopy Center facility. It's a challenge to make having a test such as colonoscopy a pleasant experience, but daily, our patients voice their appreciation for the comfortable environment that we have created as well as the efficiency, safety, privacy, and professional expertise that we constantly try to provide. When surveyed, patient satisfaction scores consistently are high with most patients stating that they would gladly recommend a freestanding Endoscopy Center to their friends and family who need such services. We are truly honored to receive such positive feedback. Many have stated that having a test such as colonoscopy is much more pleasant in a freestanding center when compared to the local hospital outpatient department. That's the good news.
The bad news is that your Federal Government is trying to change all that. On August 8, 2006, Medicare published a proposed rule change that would drastically reduce insurance reimbursement for tests such as colonoscopy when performed in an freestanding ambulatory surgery center - while raising fees paid to hospital-based centers. Their plan is to radically reduce reimbursements to freestanding centers to about 62% of what hospitals are paid for providing the same services.
If this rule is allowed to become law, things will obviously have to change. Some Endoscopy Centers will no longer be able to see Medicare patients who will be forced back into the busy impersonal hospital environment (at a greater cost to Medicare). This will also affect many of commercial insurance patients as those payments often parallel Medicare charges. It just will not be possible to provide the same high quality staff and personalized care with out the funds to do so. In the end, Mediare will pay more and patients will suffer. It makes no sense, but hospitals have strong lobbyists.
Freestanding ambulatory Endoscopy Centers (ASC) have proven to be very cost-effective for Medicare. In fact, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reported in 2004 that, if all surgical procedures performed in an ASC were instead furnished at a hospital, Medicare would have to pay approximately $464 million more per year.
What can you do?
Support House Bill HR 1823 On March 29, 2007, this bill was introduced before Congress to preseverve funding for ambulatory surgery centers. If you are over age 18 and wish to preserve your ability to be seen in a freestanding endoscopy center in the future, please contact your local US Congressman and ask him to co-sponsor HR 1823. There are two things you can to do help:
1. CONTACT CONGRESS.
An email to your local U.S. Representative would be very helpful.
You can do this on line at ---> www.house.gov/writerep website.
You can cut and paste the sample text below for your email:
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Re: HR 1823
As a U.S. citizen and taxpayer, I wish to voice my concern and opposition to the CMS proposal to reduce markedly the Medicare fee schedule and to change the payment structure for facility fees at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). I am especially concerned about CMS attempts to create incentives to steer patients from freestanding centers back into the less cost-efficient and less patient-friendly hospital environment. CMS should suspend its plans to implement the proposed changes and defer indefinitely the proposed new ambulatory surgery rules. Instead, please co-sponsor and support the Ambulatory Surgical Center Medicare Payment Modernization Act of 2007 (HR 1823 IH) introduced in the House.
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2. LET US KNOW
If you were able to help, please send an email to let us know at gihealth@comcast.net.
Please take the time to log on and let your elected officials know that you oppose this plan. Please help us continue to provide the same high quality patient-friendly services to you and your family.
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