American Association of Clinical Urologists, Inc.

John Lam, MD, outlines the legislative efforts underway, the impact of prior authorization on patient care, and the role organized medicine can play in pushing for meaningful change.

"The AACU has been discussing the evolution of state policy to ensure that biomarker testing, including PSA screening, is covered by payers," writes Ron Lanton, Esq.

This year, the AACU 2024 Advocacy Summit & Annual Meeting will focus on the intersection of health policy and clinical practice, as well as the impact of current state and national legislative trends on urology.

The AACU is excited to announce its March 19, 2024 8PM EST webinar with Congressman Murphy.

"The pressures on physicians are making it extremely difficult to run a medical practice, and something needs to be done," says William C. Reha, MD, MBA.

The bill, H.R. 2474, would tie the Medicare physician fee schedule to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), something the AACU and the AMA have long supported

The AACU is in favor of this effort in order provide an accurate update of the Medicare Economic Index

The AACU has strong concerns regarding this policy and its associated administrative waste and burdens.

The American Association of Clinical Urologists is hosting a happy hour at the 2023 AUA Annal Meeting.

The AACU joined thirteen other organizations in asking the House and Senate appropriations committees to allocate $60 million in FY24 for the KCRP at the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

This legislation a bipartisan bill designed to improve affordability and access to prescription medications.

The Free Coverage for Prostate Cancer Screening Amendment Act of 2023 has been processed and given a bill number.

"The AACU joined 1 effort calling for the administration to remove the directive that arbiters anchor their determination to the qualifying payment amount, and instead let them consider all allowable information submitted by the parties to support their offer," says Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

“My opinion is that the practices that continue to utilize telemedicine moving forward after the pandemic are going to be the leaders in urology,” says Lisa J. Finkelstein, DO.

Among the highlights will be a talk from Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA).

A “perfect storm” of Medicare cuts threatens patient care.

Commercial real estate can be one of the highest expenses for health care practices.

Ernest Sussman, MD, FACS, explains why all urologists must also be risk managers.

When a miscoded procedure is the result of substantial negligence or fraud, it can be detrimental to a medical practice or physician.

In this interview, Jacob Corlyon, co-founder and CEO of Capital Collection Management, discusses the right ways to handle collections along with how to approach difficult cases.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a statement on the Health Breach Notification Rule.

"Urologists entering contract discussions with potential employers should have a base understanding of the multiple factors that impact how compensation is structured in physician contracts," writes Yehuda A. Sugarman of the AACU.

"A lot of ancillary providers want more privileges that the physician has, and we have to be the guardians and the reason we're doing this is to protect our patients so that they get the best care available to them," says William C. Reha, MD, MBA.

The SAP program cultivates a community of advocacy groups, medical associations, and medical institutions to foster collaboration and an open exchange of information among trusted peers for the ultimate benefit of patients and their families.

"Our success depends on your assertive action and membership in organizations serving our specialty—the AACU in particular—as well as your state medical association," writes William C. Reha, MD, MBA.

Terrence Regan, MD, also discusses appropriate use criteria for advanced imaging from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“[Prior authorization is] becoming a bigger and bigger problem for each practice,” says urologist Terrence Regan, MD.

“[Prior authorization has] become part of our everyday practicing life, but it does very little to advance quality of care,” says Terrence Regan, MD.

"In any examination of scope-of-practice issues in 2021, one cannot ignore the official 'rebranding' of PAs," writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.

"As the demand for reforms to prior authorization has grown, policymakers have begun to take steps to address the issue," writes Yehuda A. Sugarman of the AACU.