The Challenge of Payment Advocacy – Maintaining Focus and Unity

Abstract

Leadership Perspectives| July 2022 The Challenge of Payment Advocacy – Maintaining Focus and Unity Jeffrey T. Mueller, MD, FASA Jeffrey T. Mueller, MD, FASA Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar ASA Monitor July 2022, Vol. 86, 9. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000842020.64753.c9 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jeffrey T. Mueller; The Challenge of Payment Advocacy – Maintaining Focus and Unity. ASA Monitor 2022; 86:9 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000842020.64753.c9 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll PublicationsASA Monitor Search Advanced Search Topics: advocacy This is my fourth and final opportunity to contribute to this series of articles as your Vice President for Professional Affairs. During that time, ASA has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to simultaneously advocate for anesthesiologists and our patients. In the July 2019 Monitor, I described the Division of Professional Affairs' approach to payment advocacy. Most of that article remains contemporary, and the challenging environment we faced then remains today – with the unfortunate caveat that the overall level of pressure on payments has continued to increase (ASA Monitor 2019;83:6-7). Medicare now prices the anesthesia conversion factor at an inflation-adjusted rate that is less than 60% of the 1992 value, and there's a long line of sequestration, PAYGO, and other mandated Medicare payment cuts yet to be activated. At the same time, many commercial payers are attempting to destroy market-based rates through contract cancellations, vanishingly narrow... You do not currently have access to this content.