Advocacy

American College of Physicians (ACP) draft position paper "Modernizing Risk Adjustment in Health Care: A Path to Equity and Efficiency"

By request from the American College of Physicians’ Medical Practice and Quality Committee, the AACE Advocacy Committee reviewed a draft position paper “Modernizing Risk Adjustment in Health Care: A Path to Equity and Efficiency.” After review, AACE requested that the ACP "include specialty societies as important stakeholders in the process" in relation to their Recommendation #4 which calls on public and private payers, physicians, clinicians, and patient advocacy groups to participate in regular evaluation and feedback mechanisms that integrate valid and reliable metrics into the risk adjustment models.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee (EMDAC) regarding sotagliflozin (Lexicon Pharmaceuticals)

AACE Advocacy Committee member Dr. Nirali Shah and the Chair of AACE Diabetes Technology Consensus Statement Task Force Dr. Janet McGill, are scheduled to participate in the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee (EMDAC) meeting on October 31st regarding Lexicon Pharmaceuticals’ sotagliflozin for glycemic control in people with T1D who have CKD. AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson also sent a letter to the FDA expressing several key points such as gaps and unmet needs in current T1D management, benefits of sotagliflozin for T1D, risk mitigation strategies for ketosis and the need for more real-world outcome data.

September 2024

CMS–1807–P Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2025 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment and Coverage Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program; and Medicare Overpayments

At the request of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) AACE joined the BHOF and 30+ national health organizations in submitting comments regarding CMS-1807 P. The comment letter strongly urged CMS to create sufficient payment mechanisms to ensure viability of the collaborative care delivery intervention known as Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) and proven to reduce costly subsequent osteoporotic fractures in individuals experiencing an initial fracture.

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) H.R. 4818/S. 2407

AACE joined the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease (HECCD) in a letter-writing campaign calling on the House Energy & Commerce Committee as well as the Senate Finance Committee to advance the TROA (H.R. 4818/S. 2407) and make it a priority for any end of year health care package.

CY2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule & Undervaluation of Fine Needle Aspiration Procedures

In collaboration with Dr. Sethu K. Reddy, Dr. William Biggs, Dr. Howard Lando, and Dr. Johnathan Leffert, AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson submitted a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure expressing concerns with the CY2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). The letter addressed specific concerns such as the 2.8% decrease in the conversion factor, reimbursement challenges faced by endocrinologists in private non-facility based practices for Radiofrequency Ablation of thyroid nodules, the inability of clinicians to bill G2211 alongside modifier 25 when performing a procedure or providing other services, and the mis-valuation of codes 10005 and 10021 ultrasound guided FNA procedures.

August 2024

Letter to Congress re: Increase Medicare Payments for Physicians in 2025 & Beyond

AACE signed on to a joint letter spearheaded by the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) coalition, on behalf of national physician and non-physician organizations representing more than one million clinicians and the patients they serve, once again drawing attention to year-over-year cuts to the flawed Medicare physician payment system. The letter urged Congress to take action to fix the unsustainable system so Medicare payments to physicians and other clinicians reflect the cost of practice and ensure Medicare beneficiaries have timely access to care.

AACE Support for Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act (S. 4246)

On August 8, 2024, AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson sent a letter to the Honorable Bernie Sanders and the Honorable Bill Cassidy, Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, urging their support in passing and implementing the bipartisan resolution Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act (S.4246). The Act would expand federal research on menopause and help further educate health professionals and the public.

Comment Letter to CMS concerning Addressing Care Gaps in Secondary Prevention of Osteoporotic Fractures/Support for Fracture Liaison Services (FLS)

On August 15, 2024, AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson sent a letter to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services commenting on CMS-1808 P - Medicare and Medicaid Programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long- Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2025 Rates; Quality Programs Requirements; and Other Policy Changes. This proposed rule would update and refine payment policies under the Hospital Prospective Payment System (IPPS proposed rule) which AACE previously with joined other national patient advocacy organizations in submitting comments to the Physician Fee Schedule proposed rules asking that the CMS recognize, prioritize, and address the significant care gap in secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures by implementing mechanisms to facilitate a widely adopted care coordination model known as Fracture Liaison Services (FLS).

July 2024

Comments to CMS concerning IPAY2027 of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPN)

On July 1, 2024, AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson sent a letter to CMS Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare, Dr. Meena Seshamani, to provide comments and recommendations for consideration in the upcoming Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPN). CMS recently released draft guidance on how the agency will implement the newly created MDPN Program (part of the Inflation Reduction Act), which has significant impacts on the future of Medicare and access to medicines that beneficiaries need.

June 2024

American Medical Association (AMA) Meeting of the House of Delegates

AACE CEO, Johnnie White, Dr. Jonathan Leffert and Dr. Pavan Chava attended the American Medical Association (AMA) Meeting of the House of Delegates in June 2024. Dr. Leffert and Dr. Chava provided testimonies on important issues within endocrinology. Dr. Leffert provided testimony supporting the Council of Public Health’s report on looking at BMI and other alternative measures for diagnosing obesity. Dr. Chava provided testimony calling on the AMA to support efforts to have over the counter biotin supplements include a clear disclaimer on bottles that states the possibility of lab test interference. These advocacy efforts underscore AACE’s dedication to influencing public health policies for the betterment of patient care. AACE is also a member of the Endocrine Section Council along with 2 sister organizations, Endocrine Society and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, which allows AACE to represent endocrine interests on a larger scale with some of the most instrumental medical policy makers in the world. The next meeting of the AMA House of Delegates will be held in November, 2024.

Dr. Michael C. Burgess Preventive Health Savings Act/H.R. 766

Through a request from the Healthcare Leadership Council and Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, AACE signed on to a stakeholder letter along with fifty signatories to urge the Senate to hotline H.R. 766, the “Dr. Michael C. Burgess Preventive Health Savings Act” as passed in the House before the August 2023 recess.

Diabetes Management Collaborative (DMC) on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT)

AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson received and accepted an invitation from the CDC's Dr. Holliday inviting AACE to be a founding member of the Diabetes Management Collaborative (DMC) on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT). The DMC formally launched a 2-day in person forum in Chicago on June 13-14, 2024 and Dr. Sethu K. Reddy, AACE immediate past president, participated.

May 2024

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee (EMDAC) regarding icodec, Novo Nordisk’s one-per-week insulin

AACE Immediate Past President Dr. Sethu K. Reddy, AACE Board member Dr. William Biggs and AACE member Dr. Janet McGill participated in a meeting on May 24th with the FDA’s Advisory Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee (EMDAC) regarding Novo Nordisk’s one-per-week insulin to review the clinical trial data submitted for investigational once-weekly basal insulin icodec Biologics License Application (BLA) to support the approval of insulin icodec use in diabetes patients. AACE President Dr. Susan Samson also sent a letter to the FDA expressing the continued clinical need to improve adherence to insulin administration safely and to reduce under-insulinization in insulin-requiring individuals.

Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) - urging the Biden Administration to provide coverage for comprehensive obesity care

AACE joined the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) in urging the Biden Administration to provide coverage for comprehensive obesity care, including adding obesity into the category of complex, chronic disease states under the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health guidelines, providing Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage of obesity medications, and expanding the type of qualified healthcare and community providers and evidence-based community programs that can deliver intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) under Medicare Part B.

April 2024

Resolution by Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03) recognizing the importance of DEI efforts in medical education

AACE signed-on to support a resolution introduced by Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03) recognizing the importance of DEI efforts in medical education as a way of pushing back against harmful legislation.

Participation in CMS's Medicare Evidence Development Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) meeting re: Clinical end points for trials of diabetes devices

AACE provided comments and participated in the public portion of CMS's Medicare Evidence Development Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) meeting, convened to give the agency input on appropriate clinical end points for trials of diabetes devices used by people with type 1 or insulin-dependent type 2, specifically 21 end points. Dr. Sethu K. Reddy and Dr. Rifka Schulman-Rosenbaum participated in the forum and gave a presentation.

H.R. 7725 EDUCATE Act

AACE agreed to sign on to an opposition letter with the American College of Physicians to Representative Greg Murphy, co-sponsor of H.R. 7725 the Embracing Anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act. Under The EDUCATE Act, medical schools must not establish, maintain, or contract with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) office, or any other functional equivalent. If enacted into law, noncompliant medical schools would no longer receive federal funding or be eligible to participate in guaranteed student loan programs.

Request to CMS on the expansion of coverage to allow anti-obesity medications (AOM)

AACE signed-on to a letter initiated by the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health (PACH) requesting the expansion of coverage by CMS to allow anti-obesity medications (AOM) treatment for all people with obesity.

March 2024

Obesity Resolution by Representative Cherfilus-McCormick to the House

AACE provided obesity resource links and endorsed the Obesity Resolution submitted in the House on March 1, 2024, by Representative Cherfilus-McCormick. The endorsement included a quote by AACE President Dr. Susan L. Samson that ”the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology has been a fierce advocate for recognition of obesity as a chronic disease and has worked tirelessly to address stigma and bias in this area. We, at AACE, wholeheartedly endorse Representative Cherfilus-McCormick’s Obesity Resolution.”