Carroll D. Koscheski, MD, FACG
Carroll D. Koscheski, MD, FACG

The College is grateful to ACG Members who are helping to lead the charge opposing Medicare’s cuts to colonoscopy with an online petition that so far boosts over 5,150 signatures.  Many of you promoted the paper petition on your practice walls and received hundreds more signatures.  Thank you so much for your efforts and help.

Let’s take this a step further.

 

Now is the time to reach out to your elected officials in Washington DC.  Tell them how many gastroenterologists and patients in your state signed this petition (ACG staff will continue to update this summary sheet).  Then explain how they can actually help. Specifically they need to:

      1.  Sign the House member letter to CMS currently being circulated by Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ).  The letter expresses concern over these recently announced Medicare reimbursement cuts precisely when Medicare and our country has really started to make progress in the fight again colorectal cancer. ACG and the GI societies sent you this action alert on August 18.    Please contact your Representative and urge him or her to sign this letter!
      2. Support the SCREEN Act (HR 2035; S 1079).  The SCREEN Act is the only bill in Congress that addresses colonoscopy reimbursement, by maintains 2015 reimbursement levels until Medicare transitions in a fee for service payment system beginning in 2019.  Tell with Congressional delegation that outside exerts reviewed the bill and concluded that the SCREEN Act as drafted should in fact be considered “budget neutral.”  Please contact your Representative and Senators and urge them t support the SCREEN Act (S.1079, HR 2035). (http://www.capwiz.com/acg/issues/alert/?alertid=65516641)

Remember: Tell CMS to Reconsider the Cuts 

ACG and the GI societies sent on August 12 a tri-society alert urging members to voice their opposition to CMS over these proposed cuts. We thank the nearly 275 gastroenterologists who have already reached out to CMS about how these cuts will affect their patients and practice. But, CMS needs to hear more voices of GIs throughout the country. Comments on the proposed fee schedule rule are being accepted by CMS until Tuesday, September 8.

 Follow these steps to comment:

  1.  Visit the official federal government portal for submitting public comments on the proposed rule here.
  2.  Copy and paste the template letter into the box labeled “Comment.”
  3.  If interested, supplement the letter with any of your personal experiences that you want considered.
  4.  Enter your individual contact information and press the blue “continue” button at the bottom of the page.
  5.  Review and submit.

 What Else You Can Do: 

Sign this Online Petition to add your voice to demand that Congress not allow cuts to colonoscopy and help stop Medicare bureaucrats in their tracks.

ACG Urges Members to Support this Petition.  Over 5,150 people have added their signatures in opposition to the proposed Medicare cuts.  Sign Now