In a very encouraging development, on December 12 APMA’s signature HELLPP Act legislative language—recognizing DPMs as physicians under Medicaid—was adopted as an amendment to the US Senate Finance Committee’s Medicare physician payment reform legislation. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) were our committee champions who made this happen. This is an exciting and…

Ode to the feet The human foot is a perfect example of the impressive engineering of the human body. Relative to the staggering list of its components – 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 tendons and muscles – the foot is quite compact. In order to fit more than 25% of our bones…

Budget Deal Whacks Medicare Providers WASHINGTON — It’s hard to discern in the budget deal announced Tuesday night, but the bulk of its deficit savings come from fresh cuts to Medicare providers. Under the proposal announced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairs of their chambers’ respective budget committees, lawmakers will…

Details Of The Ryan-Murphy Budget Deal Reveal GOP Holds The Winning Hand speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on Februar… (Photo credit: Wikipedia) House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) and Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Oregon) have reached a two-year budget agreement guaranteed to make most Republicans and Democrats unhappy—with Democrats taking the bigger hit.…