AAN Issues Statement Applauding National Payment Reform Report

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar. 5, 2013 - MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology (http://www.aan.com/) (AAN), the world’s largest association of neurologists, is applauding today’s “Report of the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform” for highlighting the importance of fair reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) services, also known as face-to-face care or cognitive care, for medical specialties such as neurology.

Evaluation and management services are used by neurologists to care for the estimated 50 million people in the United States affected by a brain disease. US doctors must use E/M, a series of medical procedural codes, to be reimbursed by programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurers for patient visits.

The report is also gaining praise from the AAN for acknowledging that the recent emphasis on E/M services provided only by primary care physicians misses the mark and excludes consideration of cognitive specialists such as neurologists.

“The commission reached out for broad input, and we are pleased the recommendations reflect many of the concerns the AAN shared several months ago about E/M services and the role of care coordination. We hope Congress and CMS act on these recommendations and reward the high-quality care that neurologists provide to their patients,” said Bruce Sigsbee, MD, FAAN, President of the American Academy of Neurology.

Sigsbee notes that neurologists are seeking fair reimbursement for face-to-face care of neurology patients in hopes of reducing wait times to see a neurologist and preventing a nationwide shortage of neurologists to care for people with brain diseases.

“The increasing number of people neurologists treat with complex, chronic brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, autism and epilepsy requires that new payment systems reward ongoing care management and coordination that will result in high-quality, efficient care,” said Sigsbee.

To learn more about brain disease, visit http://patients.aan.com.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, http://www.aan.com/ or find us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AmericanAcademyofNeurology), Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/AANpublic), Google+ and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/aanchannel).