Thread by @MarilynHeineMD

1/ Check out this detailed summary by AMAzing ⁦@AmerMedicalAssn⁩ advocacy staff:

•Select provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, a comprehensive omnibus spending package

•AMA table of #Medicare physician impact broken down by specialty

2/ Dec. 22, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 that:

•Funds the federal government through FY 2021,

•Provides a new round of #COVID19 relief and economic stimulus, and

•Imposes new restrictions on #SurpriseMedicalBilling.

3/ For an @AmerMedicalAssn summary of select provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, please see here: tinyurl.com/y65utfno

4/ With respect to #COVID relief, the legislation would:

•Ease the impact of #Medicare fee schedule budget neutrality adjustments in calendar year 2021 due to improved E/M office visit payment and coding rules

•Extend the 2% Medicare sequester moratorium through March 2021

5/ For an @AmerMedicalAssn analysis estimating the impact of the Medicare payment changes for each specialty (excluding the sequester moratorium extension), please see here: tinyurl.com/y3e8j82e

6/ #SurpriseBilling provisions include significant improvements over previous proposals, including a robust independent dispute resolution (#IDR) system. (Work pending on regs)

Other significant provisions related to #healthcare, #MedEd, and #PublicHealth include the following:

7/ 1.Additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund and continuation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP);

2.Distribution of an additional 1,000 Medicare Funded #GME slots;

8/ 3. Flexibility for hospitals to host a limited number of residents for short-term rotations without being negatively impacted by a set permanent full time equivalent (FTE) resident cap or PRA;

4. Delay of Medicare Radiation Oncology Model implementation until January 1, 2022;

9/ 5. Several provisions to expand #broadband accessibility with a particular focus on #rural and #tribal communities;

6. Creation of an evidence-based national #vaccine awareness campaign to combat misinformation;

10/ 7. Implementation of a #Rural Health Clinic payment reform plan and creation of a voluntary #Medicare payment designation for conversion of Critical Access Hospitals to Rural Emergency Hospitals in order to preserve #EmergencyCare access to beneficiaries;

11/ 8. Provisions designated to strengthen parity of mental health and substance use disorder benefits;

9. Enhanced funding for federal nutrition assistance programs.

10. Enhanced access to clinical trials for Medicaid enrollees; and

11. Much more.

12/ As the 116th Congress came to a close, @AmerMedicalAssn and Federation members confronted some extraordinary challenges beyond those directly associated with the #COVID19 #pandemic.

13/ Thanks to combined strength and close collaboration, medicine faced these challenges head on, and this final legislative package shows a meaningful result.