[humanser] FW: [APAGSREP] ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Pass the Psychology Payment Restoration Extension Today!

[Mary Chappell]

This legislation will make a difference in our tomorrows.
Mary Tatum Chappell


-----Original Message-----
From: To dissiminate information among the Committee, Reps and APA.
[mailto:APAGSREP at LISTS.APA.ORG] On Behalf Of Greg Matos
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 2:41 PM
To: APAGSREP at LISTS.APA.ORG
Subject: [APAGSREP] ACTION ALERT: Urge Congress to Pass the Psychology
Payment Restoration Extension Today!
Importance: High

Urge Congress to Pass the Psychology Payment Restoration Extension!

  
ACTION ALERT

 

APAGSACT_button1
<http://capwiz.com/apapractice/issues/alert/?alertid=14479701> 

 

http://capwiz.com/apapractice/issues/alert/?alertid=14479701
<http://capwiz.com/apapractice/issues/alert/?alertid=14479701> 

 

Why This Is Important for Students

 

Whether you're providing clinical treatment at a field placement or
supporting it through research, help your elected officials understand how
valuable the therapy you and your peers provide. Tell congress to pass the
5% Medicare Psychotherapy Restoration Extension.

 

Until a final health care reform bill is signed, we as
psychologists-in-training must continue to advocate for the science and
practice of psychology as well as its importance to a reformed healthcare
system.

 

More Information

From:    Marilyn Richmond, J.D., Assistant Executive Director for Government
Relations
American Psychological Association Practice Organization

 

After a lengthy process and debate, the Senate finally passed its health
care reform bill on December 24.  The House and Senate will next meet in
conference in January to begin to meld the two chambers' versions together.

Especially important for practitioners, both bills include our 5% Medicare
psychotherapy restoration extension, as has each bill considered in
committees of jurisdiction in both chambers.  Following the implementation
of across-the-board cuts resulting from the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) five-year review, the APA Practice Organization
successfully persuaded Congress in 2008 to restore payments for
psychotherapy, the only codes that received relief.  

Because this critical provision remains a part of the health care reform
bills and has not yet been enacted into law, it is possible that January
claims may be processed without the 5% payment boost.  However, we continue
to expect Congress to enact the restoration as part of health care reform
early next year, and the Senate Finance Committee has indicated that it
intends to apply the provision retroactively to all 2010 payments.

On another important reimbursement issue, the President signed legislation
on December 19 postponing the scheduled 21.2% Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)
cut for two months through February 28.  Congress will have to address this
cut again by that deadline.

Our Government Relations team continues to work with our grassroots
practitioners across the country to keep the pressure on Congress to ensure
our provision is extended, and retroactively if necessary.  This is a
critical time for psychology.  

Your Senators and Representative need to hear from you TODAY that they
should pass the restoration extension as soon as possible. 

Message

Note: Sample message modified for students and should be copied to CAPWIZ if
you're not writing a personalized message.

 

I am writing as a psychology student and constituent to share my deep
concern that Congress has not yet taken action on several key Medicare
priorities.  While I am grateful that the Sustainable Growth Rate cut has
been prevented for two months, Congress must move quickly to stop the cut
from endangering Medicare patients' access to quality mental health care and
should pass a permanent solution that fairly reimburses psychologists and
other providers.

Moreover, Congress must extend the 5% psychotherapy payment restoration,
which was enacted as part of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and
Providers Act to protect Medicare mental health services that were
previously cut by CMS's five-year review.  An extension of this critical
provision was passed by the House (Sec. 1309 of H.R. 3962) and is included
in the Senate bill (Sec. 3107).  My clinical placement is already facing
significantly lower reimbursement in 2010 due to CMS's recent practice
expense adjustments, and we simply cannot afford to provide services for
less.

Please enact the MIPPA restoration extension as soon as possible and make
sure it applies retroactively.  This is critically important to the patients
I serve.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

-------

Greg Matos, M.A.
Chair, Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT)
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS)
Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology Boston, MA
Phone: 774.266.4984 | Fax: 253.550.7019
Email: Matos.Gregory at gmail.com <mailto:Matos.Gregory at gmail.com>  |
www.GregMatos.com <http://www.GregMatos.com> 

APAGS - Your Future In Psychology Begins Here! <http://www.apa.org/apags> 

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