2023

Effective July 1, providers and suppliers are required to report the JZ modifier on all claims that bill for drugs and biologicals from single-dose containers that are separately payable under Medicare Part B when there are no discarded amounts.

APMA presented oral testimony to HHS' Interdepartmental Substance Use Disorders Coordinating Committee (ISUDCC) on June 5, requesting that APMA and CPME be approved as a provider and accrediting entity, respectively, for the new DEA MATE Act requirements.

APMA joined with AMA and other specialty medical societies to submit a comment letter regarding Cigna’s modifier 25 policy.

Last week, APMA submitted formal comments to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), expressing our ongoing concerns related to the DEA MATE Act, and following up our meeting on April 28.

Registration for the 2023 State Advocacy Forum will open soon! We ask that all state components and societies share the application provided here with their young physician members and encourage them to apply by the May 31 deadline.

The implementation date for the revised fellowship documents, CPME 820 and 830, is July 1.

The DEA recently released a temporary rule extending COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities for the prescription of controlled substances.

APMA is pleased and proud to announce that the Alabama Podiatric Medical Association (ALPMA) has succeeded in its long-term efforts to modernize the Alabama scope of practice statute. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed Senate Bill 28 into law on May 3, updating podiatrists’ scope to include the ankle. The bill will take effect August 1.

Among the topics discussed at the meeting were the Same or Similar update, the transition to NPE East/NPE West, competitive bidding, and legislative updates.

APMA representatives participated in the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC) meeting April 26–29 in San Diego.

APMA met with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on April 28 to discuss regulatory avenues for correcting the omission of references to podiatric physicians, APMA, or CPME in its original statutory language and subsequent guidance. We have created a resource page for members.

The US Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has announced its plan to review Medicare fee-for-service claims and Medicare Advantage encounter data for remote patient monitoring services.

Last week, in conjunction with its Health Policy and Practice Committee Initiatives and Strategic Plan, APMA met with its Private Insurance/Medicare Advantage consultant to review and update its strategy related to private insurance matters.

APMA’s highly anticipated Spring Virtual Coding Seminar was held on Saturday, April 22.

At this time, the NPEast and NPE West DMEPOS contractors may require suppliers to provide copies of contracts that establish their relationship with vendors at the time of enrollment/re-enrollment application.

Mark your calendars for APMA 2023 Advocacy Week, May 8–12, to advocate for the future of the profession.

While APMA is working with Congress to obtain a technical correction for the law as well as outreach to SAMHSA to add APMA as an approved entity, we have identified a pathway forward for members whose renewal for licensure is on or shortly following the June 27 deadline.

Last week, APMA submitted comments in response to the solicitation by Mathematica to develop and test the Diabetic Foot Assessment and Follow-Up clinical quality measure (CQM) and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM).

APMA is deeply saddened by the loss of California member Franklin Kase, DPM. Dr. Kase died in March after a protracted illness. Dr. Kase was extremely active in California and at the national level in podiatry’s payer advocacy efforts. He was instrumental in APMA’s victory with Anthem, where an onerous policy would have significantly cut reimbursements for evaluation and management (E/M) services billed with CPT modifier 25.

All seven Part B Medicare Administrative Contractors have announced a multi-jurisidictional CAC meeting to discuss the evidence relating to trigger point injections.