CMS Proposes Improvements to Modernize Stark Law

On October 9, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule that seeks to add new, permanent exceptions to the Stark Law for physicians participating in value-based care models. Enacted in 1989, the Stark Law prohibits physicians from making referrals for certain services reimbursable by Medicare if he/she or an immediate family member has a financial relationship with the entity performing the referred service.

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Prior Authorization Reform Efforts Underway in Michigan

The Health Can’t Wait coalition, spearheaded by Michigan State Medical Society and of which MAFP is a founding member, has been working hard during 2019 to educate state lawmakers about how the current prior authorization process puts patients’ health at risk. Your voice and the voices of patients are needed to amplify the Health Can't Wait message. The coalition is calling on physicians to take three actions to help change the prior authorization requirements to protect the health and well-being of your patients.

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MIDOCS Funding on the Chopping Block in State Budget

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget on September 29—in time to prevent a government shutdown—vetoing an unprecedented number of 147 line items totaling $947 million in spending cuts. On the chopping block is MIDOCS—a new loan repayment program, entering its second year, that places medical residents in primary care specialties in underserved areas of the state. Governor Whitmer initially proposed reducing MIDOCS funding from its FY 2019 level of $3.5 million to $1.3 million in FY 2020, due to a lower than anticipated inaugural cohort, while the legislative conference committee recommended increasing funding to $3.75 million. It is yet to be seen how MIDOCS will fare through the supplemental budget negotiations underway between the Governor and legislative leaders.

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Michigan-proposed Resolutions Widely Accepted at 2019 AAFP Congress of Delegates

During the two and one-half days of AAFP’s 2019 Congress of Delegates (COD) convention in Philadelphia, MAFP Delegates David Walsworth, MD, FAAFP (East Lansing) and Robert Jackson, MD, MMM, FAAFP (Allen Park) and Alternate Delegates Tina Tanner, MD, FAAFP (Montague) and Loretta Leja, MD (Cheboygan) took active roles in helping shape AAFP policy. Also in attendance from Michigan were Harshini Jayasuriya, MD, FAAFP (Holt), who served as the Minority Constituency Delegate, as well as members of the MAFP leadership and staff, and other MAFP members speaking on their own behalf. MAFP was successful in receiving support for seven proposed resolutions.

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