October FAL Call Minutes
October 27, 2015
8:00 P.M., EST
Replay Dial-In Numbers and Pass code:
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Replay Pass code: 462500107
October Conference Call Agenda:
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Regulatory Update
Congressional Update
Flash Action Strategy
Open Forum
Regulatory Update
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Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Home health, Outpatient Prospective Payment System
and Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR) final rules are due to be released
by October 31st.
Of note, APTA will be watching the implementation of value-based purchasing in the
skilled nursing facilities and home health over the coming year.
PQRS continues under Medicare and providers who fail to report in 2016 will receive 2%
reduction in Medicare payments in 2018
Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model proposes to bundle payment for
elective hip and knee replacements, including the inpatient stay with all related health
services, such as physical therapy, for 90 days from discharge. Proposed to start January
1, 2016 but waiting for confirmation on an effective date of implementation.
In the Fee Schedule proposed rule, CMS has identified a list of “potentially misvalued
codes,” which includes 10 CPT codes frequently billed by physical therapists. CMS
recommends these codes be reviewed.
Congressional Update
On our last call, we updated on an impending Congressional hearing on our House locum tenens
bill. The hearing was on October 1 and Sandra Norby testified on APTA’s behalf. Overall the
hearing went very well. The opening statements helped to support the bill and there were no
negative comments against it. The questions directed at our witness were good, and really helped
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highlight why this was such a smart, necessary change. The next steps in this process is for a
Committee markup. Once it passes this hurdle, it could move through the committee process
relatively quickly. We will keep you updated.
There has also been a lot of chaos within Congress itself. The heir apparent to retiring House
Speaker John Boehner bowed out of the speaker’s race unexpectedly, which threw most of
Congress into a “what to do!?” tailspin. Outgoing Speaker Boehner wanted to clear out
legislation that needed to get passed, and helped pass a continuing resolution at the end of
September, and helped shepherd through a two year budget-deal, as well as a reauthorization of
the charter of the export-import bank. Furthermore, a lifting of the debt limit until March of 2017
was included in the budget deal. This is important as 1.) it allows Congress to avoid some major
gridlock in the coming months and 2.) there are about two or three fewer possible legislative
deals to work with. It is also noteworthy that the expected Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan of
Wisconsin, said he’d relinquish more control to the committee chairs, which is a marked change
from the past several years.
The therapy cap repeal is still central on our radar, and we’ve been working to not only build
Congressional support, but to also fine-tune the Cardin Amendment to see if its language could
be fit into a larger piece of legislation moving through Congress. APTA and the Therapy Cap
Coalition have been working on the language and trying to gauge what else may be moving. We
are hopeful a tax package or an omnibus funding package could be moving through Congress.
Flash Action Strategy
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Advocacy campaign done in coordination with APTA Student Assembly and will take
place on November 4-5, and will entail PTs, PTAs and students sending letters to their
members of Congress through our online action center.
This year, the campaign will focus on the Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access
Act (HR 2342/S 1426).
Cosponsorships number for this bill remain relatively low, 60 in the House and only 2 in
the Senate.
Was advertised at National Student Conclave (NSC) by Mike Matlack and Student
Assembly Board of Directors.
Will send out an Action Alert to PTeam in the hope that we will have a lot of support from
them as well.
Jason Bellamy and Amelia Sullivan from APTA communications have created graphics
and unique social media messaging which the students will be pushing out as well.
In 2013, the FAS was extremely successful with over 20,000 letters sent to members of
Congress. This year we are hoping to achieve a strong showing like that as well.
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