QR Code to Reach Your Congressman
I went to the dermatologist today and discovered something very disconcerting. There is a new proposed Medicare rule before Congress which would penalize doctors for performing necessary procedures on the same day as an office visit or exam. This ruling sets a precedent which could then be applied to all doctors not just dermatologists.
The new rule would make it harder for doctors to treat Medicare patients promptly and effectively in the following ways:
- Increased costs. You may be required to return for a second separate appointment just for your needed procedure, leading to additional copays and coinsurance.
- Delayed treatment. Essential diagnoses and treatments for skin conditions, including skin cancers, would be delayed until a follow-up visit can be scheduled.
- Inconvenience & hardship. This ruling creates an undue burden for patients, especially those with transportation challenges, who must take extra time off work, who live far away, or have mobility issues.
Your voice can protect Same-Day patient care!
You can take these actions:
- Comment to CMS. Tell CMS that you OPPOSE the proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule because it could delay medically necessary procedures and require unnecessary return visits.
- Contact YOUR Representatives. By just clicking or tapping on the QR CODE above you will be taken to the website of the American Academy of Dermatology who is helping you to fight this battle. On this page you will see links for Physicians, Staff, and Patients who want to have a voice on this matter. By clicking PATIENT, the link takes you to a page where you will be given the opportunity to send a prewritten letter to your local congressman, regardless of which state you reside in.
In the box labeled “Message”, you can scroll to read the entire letter being sent to your congressman on your behalf. By giving your address and zip code, your Congressional representatives will receive a letter telling them you want them to vote NO – IN OPPOSITION to this ruling by Medicare.
This is an urgent matter. Congress is expected to act on this ruling in September, and the September 14th deadline is REAL. ACT today! Send your Congressman a letter that could make a difference to thousands of Medicare recipients. Do it now.
Again, this ruling sets a precedent which is be applied to all doctors without specificity to their practice, not just dermatologists alone
One last thing you can do is Get The Word OUT!!!
Share this blog post with every medicare patient you can think of. Tell your church! Tell your friends!
Thank you for your help in this matter.
This image hangs in my office as a reminder of how things begin fresh every year. 2016 may have had its ups and downs, but 2017 appears like an unpainted canvas ready to capture the highlights of a new year of life. I wonder what image will appear? Will the finished painting reflect light and love? Will it be dark and painful? Will hope and joy be the dominant theme? The finished product is not mine to know, for I haven’t lived it yet. I’m not one of those people who wishes they could see the future (finished product). My life has been filled with a wide array of experiences, each so different in nature and length, it is impossible to predict with any accuracy which if any might be duplicated in 2017. That said, anticipating 2017 as a whole is pretty easy for me. I’m hoping to publish my first book sometime in the first quarter. Golf has always been my primary leisure activity, and I hope to lower my handicap and be outside more this year than last. Traveling this year, or really how much we travel this year is still a question. We still have places we want to go before we slow down too much. Rebuilding some relationships, and starting new ones, holds great promise for restoration and healing. So, as of right now, the past 7 days of the new year have been great days filled with laughter and love, good food and family meals, practice putting and editing. Only 258 days to go in the discovery of the 2017 finished canvas.
As I was saying... 