2020 Updates

August 2020
ASDP is asking members for comments to help the Society draft a specific message to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its recently published CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule.  Please complete the survey. 

July 2020
ASDP signed on to a joint letter with AMA to strongly urge the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to utilize its authority under the public health emergency declaration to preserve patient access to care and mitigate financial distress due to the pandemic by implementing office visit reimbursement increases while waiving budget neutrality requirements for the new Medicare office visit payment policy.

Dermatologists and pathologists can also learn more about advocacy efforts through their primary membership organizations: American Academy of Dermatology  and College of American Pathologists.

Read the Medicare Payment Cuts fact sheet from CAP. 

June 2020
ASDP joined thousands of other professional and trade associations throughout the country in urging Congress to extend eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan program to include Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations in the final version of the next COVID-19 aid package. Although ASDP may not take advantage of this loan program due to its own adequate reserves, leadership thought it extremely important to support other professional organizations that might not have the means to survive the effects of COVID-19.
 
As the House and Senate continued work on the next COVID-19 relief package, ASDP signed on to a joint letter with AMA and a multitude of specialty societies to strongly urge Congress to include targeted and limited liability protections that are in the bipartisan bill, H.R. 7059, the “Coronavirus Provider Protection Act.”  The liability protections are not universal; they are intended to provide targeted and limited protections where health care services are provided or withheld in situations that may be beyond the control of physicians/facilities (e.g., following government guidelines, directives, lack of resources) due to COVID-19.
 
May 2020
The internal timeline and application for Dermatopathology Fellowships beginning July 2022 has been updated and can be accessed here. Dermatopathology fellowship training directors from across the nation have proposed using an internally devised timeline for applications to dermatopathology fellowship training programs in an effort to establish more uniformity and fairness for both fellowship applicants and fellowship programs.
 
April 2020
ASDP has assembled the COVID-19 Resources for Dermatopathologists on its website to assist members during the COVID-19 pandemic. The list is evolving and will be updated as new information and resources become available. Check back frequently. If you would like to suggest a resource for inclusion on this list, please email us.
 
ASDP signed-on to a joint letter with AMA to the Secretary of HHS requesting immediate financial assistance for physicians across the country who were taking action to treat patients with the novel coronavirus, providing ongoing care for patients with chronic conditions and urgent needs, and incurring significant financial losses due to postponing non-essential procedures and visits.
 
March 2020
To ensure that dermatopathology training directors are able to continue educating residents and fellow trainees during this challenging time ASDP created sets of slides centered around different dermatopathology topics for use by training directors. These sets of slides were created using vetted slides in ASDP's Virtual Slide Library for use by training directors.
 
ASDP signed on to a joint letter with AMA to the Speaker of the House, and the House Republican, Senate Majority and Senate Democratic leaders urging Congress to include in the final “stimulus” legislation specific provisions to help physicians sustain their practices and provide their patients with the best possible care during the COVID-19 emergency. Specifically, the legislation was requested to support and sustain physicians and their practices during this unprecedented national emergency through tax relief, no-interest loans, direct payments, payment for virtual visits including phone calls, and other measures.
 
January 2020
ASDP signed-on to a joint letter with AMA to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator supporting physician-led health care teams. Recommendations to change Medicare regulations that would weaken or eliminate physician supervision of non-physician professionals, we strongly urged the administration to rely on fact-based resources, including a thorough review of the education and training of non-physician health care professionals and the impact on the overall cost and quality of care. The administration was also urged to carefully review the true impact of state scope of practice laws on access to care across the country.
 
December 2019
ASDP wrote to Stephen Friedhoff, MD, Chief Clinical Officer at Anthem, Inc., to express concern regarding significant changes to the Anthem fee schedule for dermatopathology services. ASDP considers the practice of dermatopathology an essential consultative service necessary for efficient and effective dermatologic care. ASDP is concerned about the effect a material change in contract would have on independent laboratories and their ability to participate in the Anthem network. The ASDP strongly advised against creating an environment in which dermatopathology becomes a commodity to be selected based solely on price rather than quality or clinical accuracy and results in a lack of choice of dermatopathologist and increased costs for Anthem.