Health Law & Policy

In a series of articles this year, Robert A. Dowling, MD, will examine what you need to know about the law, what the CMS proposed rule for implementation implies for the near and long-term future, and-when it is issued later this year-what the final rule means to your urology practice.

The ACA is a large step forward in allowing men to embrace their health concerns, and for health care practitioners to understand men and the challenge of help seeking, masculinity, and disparity in their quest for wellness (Men’s Health in Primary Care [Current Clinical Practice]. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016).

"As evidenced by the flurry of activity at the state and federal levels of government, many physicians are fighting back against increasingly burdensome recertification requirements," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

"The world of physician measurement is rapidly evolving and residents need to understand the changing landscape," writes urology resident Alan L. Kaplan, MD.

As a result of strong opposition from organized medicine, including the AUA and patients, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has put on hold its development of a draft plan to penalize physicians for ordering “non-recommended” PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer.

The next few years may bring more change for urologists in a more compressed time frame than ever before. Could a perfect storm be brewing, and what should you be doing about it?

If medical specialties were competing for which would have the most dire shortage of practicing physicians by 2025, urologists would likely win.

In this letter to the editor, Faris Azzouni, MD, makes his case for foreign urologists as a solution to the urologist shortage.

To guide you through the 2016 AUA annual meeting and help maximize your time, Urology Times’ editorial board has reviewed the program to identify the key trends and noteworthy research at this year’s meeting.

In the latest AACU Legislative Update, Ross E. Weber examines so-called “public options” being weighed in several states and the nation’s capital. Learn more.

A recent a White House Dialogue on Men’s Health brought together experts on men’s health from government, professional sports, nonprofit organizations, and health care, who together raised awareness of the need for increased focus on men’s health.

A 2016 study of certificate of need laws showed at least 20 states restrict the technology used for MRI, CT, and PET scans. Many states are now weighing proposals to reform the process by which health facility projects are reviewed, writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

Richard “Buz” Cooper, MD, an outspoken figure on health care work force shortages, dies at 79.

At the AUA, there is a list of 10 top priorities on which association lobbyists hope to gain traction.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which in 2012 recommended against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer, is developing a new research plan for updating recommendations that urology practices will be expected to follow once it is finalized.

In 2015, more than 200 bills were introduced in 42 states addressing telehealth. The use of telehealth services is expected to grow from 250,000 patients in 2013 to 3.2 million in 2018. These are just some of the findings contained in an extensive report on telehealth by the National Conference of State Legislatures..

The State of the Specialty survey, now in its tenth year, takes the pulse of urologists’ current challenges, business and clinical practices, satisfaction, and opinions on a variety of hot-button topics. I

Look back on the year that was with this roundup of the 10 most-read Urology Times articles from 2015.

We asked members of our editorial board what they hope to see in the world of urology in the coming year.

Recent developments in PSA screening point out why policy truly does matter to residents, writes Alan L. Kaplan, MD, in this blog post.

There was generally positive news for Medicare providers in the new 2-year budget agreement signed into law by President Obama Nov. 2 as well as the 2016 physician fee schedule just released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. But hospital-owned physician practices will take a hit under the budget deal, and urologists will see an ever-so-slight average decrease in payments for their services under the new fee schedule.

"Urologists are not a happy bunch, and many are looking to leave their practice or adapt to new practice models," writes Jeffrey Kaufman, MD.

"If defining quality is left only to payers, there is cause for alarm," writes the AACU's Ross E. Weber.

A new challenge to Obamacare has even its most ardent supporters nervous.

Proposed cuts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Medicare payments for radiation oncology services would force an estimated 30% of community-based radiation therapy centers to close their doors, according to a statement sent to CMS by the American Society of Radiation Oncology.

With the U.S. now spending nearly 18% of its gross domestic product on health care, Congress has targeted for drastic budget cuts the one agency of the government whose sole purpose is to improve the health care system.

“Value” is more than a buzzword in medicine. It’s the way of medicine’s world. Understanding just what it means and how to achieve it could make or break urology and other specialties.

Leaders of more than 30 organizations representing urologists and scores more attendees came away from the 2015 AACU state advocacy conference with a better understanding of the complicated socioeconomic issues facing the profession and a resolve to not stand idly by as public policies impacting their patients and practice are developed in Washington and state houses across the country. Learn more.

In this interview, David F. Penson, MD, MPH, discusses the ACA’s impact on urology, the pros and cons of a single-payer system, and why collecting and reporting outcomes data will be crucial going forward.

The first annual Medicare physician fee schedule rule in the post-sustainable growth rate era has been proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and includes several provisions of specific interest to urologists, including attention to certain services that are considered misvalued by the agency and some modifications to Stark law regulations.