Patient access to care is directly tied to fair physician reimbursement. Fair reimbursement is more than just payment for procedures performed; it is also fair and appropriate payment policy that does not make the practice of medicine overly burdensome or prohibitively expensive for physicians.  The appeals process for disputed claims should be just and expedient. Incentives and penalties for e-prescribing, Maintenance of Certification, and the Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) should be reasonable and realistic. 

Sustainable Growth Rate & Medicare Physician Payment Cuts 

In order to ensure access to care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must address the inherent problems with the deeply flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula to accurately reflect changes in medical practice costs. ASDSA will continue to urge CMS to work together with Congress and the physician community to address this issue, which becomes increasingly critical as more Americans reach retirement age and eligibility for Medicare. 

Mohs Codes & Multiple Procedure Reduction Rule 

Together with the Mohs Coalition, ASDSA will continue to address the issue of the loss of the Mohs Micrographic surgery codes exemption from the Multiple Procedure Reduction Rule of the Medicare Physician Payment Schedule.  

Physician Gifts  

ASDSA strongly supports policies which put patients first, promote the highest level of ethics for physicians and industry, and ensure medical and investigational decisions are not motivated or influenced by the promise of financial gain. 

Public policy relating to physician relations with industry should clearly distinguish between gifts which are effectively inducements intended to influence treatment decisions in prescribing the use of specific drugs and medical devices versus justifiable compensation for clinical trials and research, legitimate ACCME-approved Continuing Medical Education (CME) and other irreproachable scientific and educational uses. The burden of reporting and compliance should rest on the donor pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, not physicians.