May 6th 2025
Jennifer Miles-Thomas, MD, URPS, MBA, discusses the AUA's legislative priorities along with issues in medicine related to artificial intelligence.
Bills provide relief from meaningful use requirements
September 1st 2015Two federal bills, one recently passed by Congress and the other recently introduced in the House of Representatives, seek to address a common area of frustration among physicians: the federal government’s electric health records meaningful use requirements.
Proposed budget would cut PCa programs
August 1st 2015Congress doesn’t appear to like very much President Obama’s FY 2016 budget proposal to eliminate funding for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activities that are focused on education about prostate cancer screening and treatment, as well as tracking disease incidence and mortality data.
New initiative would speed FDA approvals
June 1st 2015Despite the common perception of Congress being filled with a bunch of politically obsessed do-nothings, there actually is a determined and dedicated group of lawmakers and staff assistants who are working practically 24-7 to develop a sweeping new initiative that would help speed drug and device approvals and increase funding for new drug innovation.
Medicare fraud/abuse charges: 4 ways to protect your practice
May 1st 2015What can urologists do to protect themselves from being accused of and charged with health care fraud and abuse? Urologist Jeffrey Kaufman, MD, and attorneys J.D. Thomas, Esq and Laura F. Laemmle-Weidenfeld, Esq provide these four suggestions.
Urology groups reiterate support for USPSTF bill
April 1st 2015The major organizations representing urologists are continuing their push for congressional approval of legislation designed to reform the operations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which in May 2012 recommended against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.
Narrow networks expand, raising concern
March 1st 2015Narrow provider networks are gaining ground among insurers and could impact patient access to urologists. While insurers tout the approach to care as a way to control costs and preserve quality, urologists and others question whether the payment model is all about cost.
Congress cuts coverage for erection devices
January 12th 2015Just over a year ago, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report declaring that Medicare payments for vacuum erection systems were “grossly excessive” and recommended steps to remedy the situation.
Congress guts the IPAB, then takes on its role
December 31st 2014The 2015 omnibus spending bill canceled a $10 million appropriation for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Congress also approved a bill that cuts Medicare funding for vacuum erection systems. Rationing care, whether undertaken by the IPAB or Congress, must be opposed when it arbitrarily selects services based on public perception and not medical necessity, writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.