Eyeworld Daily News

EW SHOW DAILY 10 Sunday, May 8, 2016 ASCRS News Today by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Staff Writer Members see value in supporting political candidates receptive to the ophthalmic perspective T his year's eyePAC reception at the ASCRS•ASOA Sympo- sium & Congress took place at 1 of the top attractions New Orleans has to offer: the National World War II Museum. More than 160 contributors and guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as they mingled among historic aircraft and military vehicles in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. Guests had private access to other exhibits and WWII artifacts within the museum, which is ranked by Trip Advisor among the top 10 museums in the United States. "This is a fabulous museum. It is the essence of America and free- dom and what we fight for in the United States everyday," said Brock Bakewell, MD, Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Bakewell is chairman of the ASCRS Government Relations Committee, Throughout the year, eyePAC, the non-partisan Political Action Committee of ASCRS, works to boost political candidates who support the causes and values important to ASCRS members and the ophthalmic community as a whole. "This event is really to show ap- preciation to people who have con- tributed to eyePAC," Dr. Bakewell said, explaining later that eyePAC funds are used to re-elect legislators who understand and "continue to push our message." Priority issues for ophthalmol- ogy that ASCRS seeks to address in order to better serve its members through strategic candidate contri- butions include the implementation of the Centers for Medicare & Med- icaid Services' (CMS) Quality Pay- ment Program; minimizing cuts to so-called "misvalued" codes, such as those to retina and glaucoma codes; repealing the independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a provision within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; cleaning and sterilization guidelines; and more. Contributions raised by the eyePAC fundraising reception are used to assist candidates who advo- cate for policies that support physi- cians, their practices, and ultimately quality patient care. "I think in the last 5 or 6 years, we have seen more government intervention, and it has changed the entire face of medicine, "said Sandra Yeh, MD, Springfield, Illinois. Dr. Yeh is a member of the ASCRS Government Relations Committee. "Now we know that we cannot just sit with our heads in the sand and ignore what happens in Washington because what happens in Washington affects every man, woman, and child in America. We have to run faster and faster, and we are trying to not only educate ourselves but also our membership. That's why it's really important that we have an event to interact with our membership and tell them what we're trying to do on their behalf." Although Friday's reception is considered eyePAC's main fund- raising event of the year, those interested in supporting eyePAC can also make donations at the Gateway Booth in the Exhibit Hall as well as online throughout the year. eyePAC also encourages members to get in- volved at their state and district lev- el, hosting fundraisers representing eyePAC or inviting representatives to visit their own practices to learn about the issues facing ophthalmol- ogy from a legislative and regulatory standpoint. "We would love people to ask their legislator to come visit their office, see what issues they're up against on a daily basis," Dr. Bakewell said. "See how the incredible regulations that are put forth by CMS, such as electronic health records, how much they impair our ability to deliver care to our patients." Dr. Yeh said she has been able to position her practice ahead of the curve thanks to information about regulatory changes provided by ASCRS. "ASCRS has done a wonderful job. They answer our questions, they help us anticipate, and they help us navigate through these impend- ing changes and try to keep up," Dr. Yeh said. "It is solely because of being part of this that I was aware these things were coming down, so we have positioned our practice so that we have gotten every single government reward so far. … It's like surfing—you've got to get on top of the wave or be at the bottom of the wave. It's all in how you position yourself, whether you get washed under or go even farther and faster with the changes that are there." EW Editors' note: The sources interviewed for this article have no financial inter- ests related to their comments. eyePAC reception draws crowd at WWII museum Get the latest legislative and regulatory news—and discover how it affects your practice B ig changes are on the horizon for Medicare physician reim- bursement. Find out the latest legislative and regulatory news at this evening's session "2016 Legislative and Regulatory Update." Nancey McCann, ASCRS director of government relations, and Ashley McGlone, ASCRS manager of regulatory affairs, will review the latest developments regarding the Merit-Based Incentive Pay- ment System (MIPS)—scheduled to take effect in 2019 based on 2017 reporting—and explain how current programs such as PQRS, EHR/ Meaningful Use, and the Value-Based Payment Modifier will impact your practice in 2016. In addition, this session will cover the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' "misvalued" code initiative that led to recent cuts to glaucoma and retina codes, and how this initia- tive may affect other ophthalmic codes in coming years. There will also be time for a discussion with attendees. The 2016 Legislative and Regulatory Update will take place today from 5:00–6:15 p.m. in room 242 of the convention center. EW Attendees of the eyePAC reception enjoyed touring the National World War II Museum on Friday evening.

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