News from ACOI

Join Dr. Hermann on this week's podcast and learn how OMT can improve patient outcomes, what additional tools OMT gives osteopathic internists, and more.

Remembering those who have recently passed on.

As many members may know, I am the Dean & Chief Academic Officer of the Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM), Central Florida’s first osteopathic medical school. Since I frequently get asked about OCOM by ACOI members, I thought it may be of interest to readers.

Read the latest updates from ACOI members who have received promotions, awards, and other recognitions. Hear about new and exciting projects spearheaded by members. ACOI also remembers those who we have lost.

ACOI is renewing its Call to Action and encouraging every ACOI member to ask their members of Congress to make physician payment relief a priority. With the payment cut already in place, if lawmakers do not hear from physicians, they may construe the silence as a signal the 3.37 percent cut is not being felt by physicians and will not harm beneficiary access to care.

A first-generation American, Suhas Tatapudi, DO, PGY-1, grew up always wanting to become a doctor. In high school, Dr. Tatapudi, DO, PGY-1, felt frustration standing at his mother’s hospital bedside. A chronic illness kept her in and out of hospitals during his teen years and what he witnessed was a system that didn’t compassionately conform to the needs of patients. Unfamiliar jargon, disturbing noises, robotic-acting medical teams, and minimal communications began to form his perceptions of healthcare. A loving son witnessing his mother being treated impersonally - as simply a cog in an inefficient wheel - didn’t sit well with him.

What does it mean and when can it be used? The descriptor for this add-on code reads, “Visit complexity inherent to evaluation and management associated with medical care services that serve as the continuing focal point for all needed health care services and or with medical care services that are part of ongoing care related to a patient’s single, serious condition or a complex condition.” After the 2021 PFS Final Rule was released, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 imposed a moratorium on Medicare payment for this service. It prohibited CMS from making payment for the G2211 code before January 1, 2024. The code was assigned a bundled payment status.

The ACOI 2024 Spring Meetings are being held earlier this year and they’re going to be here before you know it. This year they are scheduled for April 8-12. That’s good news for internists looking to get a head start on their 2024 CME goals!

2023 was the warmest year on record in the United States and abroad. Climate change is already exacerbating existing health problems and leading to the emergence of new health threats.

As we begin a new year, many of us will think of new beginnings. We don’t need to wait until January of every year to start fresh. Popular poet, Juansen Dizon, wrote “I hope you realize that every day is a fresh start for you. That every sunrise is a new chapter in your life waiting to be written.” We can write new chapters every day, and our story can take a new course any time in the year, not just on January 1.

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule was released on November 3, 2023. Included in the final rule are significant policy changes for 2024 of which offices and physicians should be aware.

“It really took me back when I when I found out I was getting this; it was so humbling,” she says. “My entire career has been about teaching, and I've been involved with students and residents since I was a resident. That's when I fell in love with teaching. I don't do it for awards or accolades. So, it caught me off guard to even think that one of my residents would even think to nominate me because it's just part of what I do every day and I get such joy out of it”.