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UPDATED: CMS Solicits Comments on IMPACT Act Standardized Assessment-Based Data Items

Members & Publications

August 21, 2016

UPDATE: The post-acute care (PAC) coalition letter which AAPM&R signed on to was a success and CMS has agreed to extend the comment period deadline. The original article has been edited to reflect the new comment deadline of September 12, 2016.

CMS is soliciting for public comment on a collection of standardized assessment-based data items developed under the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) to meet the domains of:

  • Cognitive function and mental status
  • Special services, treatments, and interventions
  • Medical conditions and co-morbidities
  • Impairments

Standardized assessment-based data items were developed for the Long-Term Care Hospital, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, the Skilled Nursing Facility, and the Home Health Agency settings. CMS is seeking public comment on:

  • Whether items have the potential for improving quality
  • The utility of the items for describing case mix
  • The feasibility of the items for use in post-acute care settings
  • The validity of the items

This call for public comment is open from August 12th through September 12, 2016. For more information, visit the Public Comment webpage. Your Academy will be submitting a comment letter. Due to the short time frame for comments, your Academy has signed on to a post-acute care (PAC) coalition letter, asking that CMS extends the deadline. 

Legislation Introduced to Alleviate Impact of Conversion Factor Cut for 2021

Nov 09, 2020

Last month, two bills were introduced in the House proposing solutions to the estimated 10.6% Physician Fee Schedule conversion factor cut expected to go into effect January 1, 2021.  The bills offer some relief to the cut, but do not reflect a comprehensive or long-term solution.  AAPM&R has therefore chosen to remain neutral regarding these bills. 

Your Academy continues to advocate for a permanent solution to the conversion factor cut while maintaining the important payment increases to office and outpatient evaluation and management services.

 

 

 

 

 

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