Congressional Update: Action Needed to Fix Medicare
An Update from the American Medical Association Contributor: Jim Pawelski | AMA Director, Federation Relations The need for Congress to act quickly and decisively to fix a broken Medicare payment system cannot be overstated. The fiscal stability of physician practices and the long-term viability of our nation’s entire health care system hang in the balance. […]
POLST Legislation Introduced in PA Senate: What’s in the bill?
By: Lisa George, MPH, CHES – Jewish Healthcare Foundation A significant step has been made toward establishingPennsylvania Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) as law in the Commonwealth. On April 19, Senator Gene Yaw (R-23rd District) introduced Senate Bill 631, which would codify POLST for use by medical professionals across all healthcare settings to document treatment […]
Information on the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act Training Requirement – Information and FAQ’s
On June 27, 2023, a new one-time requirement will go into effect for all DEA prescribers to complete 8 hours of education on the treatment of management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorder. The team at the Allegheny County Medical Society has worked with the DEA to put together some information and […]
FTC Proposes a Rule to Prohibit Non-Compete Agreements
Article written by: Jeremy V. Farrell, Esq., Ryan James, Esq. and Michael A. Cassidy, Esq. of Tucker Arensberg, P.C. On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took a dramatic step by proposing a new rule that would prohibit companies from entering into non-compete agreements with its workers. The proposed rule, if approved, takes sweeping action to […]
POLST Legislation and Education Are Key to Successful Implementation
By: Lisa George, MPH, CHES – Jewish Healthcare Foundation The POLST (Pennsylvania Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form has been used in Pennsylvania since 2010 (and the Oregon POLST form in use from 2000 to 2010)—providing a standardized way to translate patients’ wishes for care into actionable medical orders. Given this long history of use, it may be […]
Non-Competes: What’s Happening to Your Employment Contract?
The ACMS, in collaboration with the Philadelphia County Medical Society, has put forth this blog post as informational-only. The ACMS team is keeping a pulse on the ongoing FTC proposed rule change regarding non-compete clauses and we will continue to update members accordingly. Restrictive covenants have been a hot button issue that the physicians of […]
Prior Authorization Reform
On November 3, 2022, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed PA Senate Bill 225 into law as Act 146. This new law does not eliminate prior authorization but it does aim to streamline the prior authorization process. It provides parameters that govern the relationships between patients, providers, and insurers for health care coverage decisions. Pennsylvania will now join […]
What the Venue Rule Change Means for Healthcare
Venue Rule Change Will Likely Increase Cost of Healthcare and Threaten Patient Access in Pennsylvania By: Curt Schroder, Executive Director, PA Coalition for Civil Justice Reform Pennsylvania is at risk of history repeating with another medical malpractice healthcare crisis thanks to a change in the state’s venue rule. In August, the state Supreme Court rescinded […]