ASA Fellow Designation

In May 2017, the American Society of Anesthesiologists launched a New Fellow of American Society of Anesthesiologists designation (FASA™). ASA members who demonstrate and promote the highest standards in professionalism/leadership, advocacy for the profession, patient safety, and education may apply for the prestigious FASA designation.

TSA would like to congratulate the following members on receiving the FASA designation:

Raymond Lebron Cooper, M.D. Professor and Chair Department of Anesthesiology University of Tennessee Health Science Center

William Eric Cox, M.D. Assistant Professor Department of Anesthesiology University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville

Patrick O. McConville, M.D. Vice-Chairman Assistant Professor Residency Program Director Department of Anesthesiology University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville

Kip D. Robinson, M.D. Assistant Professor Associate Program Director Department of Anesthesiology University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville

To apply for the designation, members fill out an application and submit a one-time $350 application fee. More information can be found on the ASA website at:

http://www.asahq.org/member-center/fasa

2017 ASA Legislative Conference

The 2017 ASA Legislative Conference was held on

May 15th – 17th in Washington, DC.

Representatives from TSA were in attendance to discuss the preservation of safe health care for veterans, key health care reform provisions,

strategies to address the opioid epidemic in the United States and Medicare access and CHIP

Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists

E-Bulletin

ASA Key Issues

VA Preserves Safe Care for Veterans:

In the Final VA APRN Rule, VA recognized the patient safety implications and excluded nurse

anesthetists from the policy after a record-breaking comment period. ASA® commends VA for this decision which is a win for Veterans and upholds the standard of care for our nation’s Veterans. ASA

thanks those in Congress who supported the retention of VA’s current safe anesthesia policies.

To ensure that the health and lives of Veterans are not put at risk, please withhold your support from H.R. 1783 and ensure VA continues to provide physician-led, team-based surgical anesthesia care in VA medical facilities.

Key Health Care Reform Provisions

Maintain access to affordable health care services for all Americans.

Assure access to anesthesia and pain services by preserving coverage of essential benefits; continued insurance coverage should be provided for all patients with preexisting conditions.

Recognize the value of physician-directed care.

Assure choice of physician, insurer and type of health plan, including health savings accounts as well as

access to physician-led care regardless of the geographic location.

Ensure adequate funding for Medicaid and children’s health services.

Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic in the United States

Increase patient access to multimodal and multidisciplinary pain management, including insurance coverage of non-opioid therapies and team-based care.

Enhance physician education on multimodal, multidisciplinary pain management, including safe and effective opioid prescribing.

Support research for decreasing opioid use in the postoperative period.

Encourage safe storage and disposal of opioid medications by increasing ready patient access to drug

“take back” programs.

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)

Hold physicians who attempted to participate in PQRS in 2016 harmless from PQRS and VM negative

payment adjustments in 2018 – ASA advocates that CMS provide a smooth transition for physician anesthesiologists entering the QPP via MIPS.

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) (continued)

Continuation of the Pick Your Pace Option for MIPS reporting in 2018 – CMS should continue the Pick your Pace option in 2018 and spend additional time assessing if MIPS scoring truly reflects the quality and cost of care physician anesthesiologists provide to patients each day.

CMS should designate the MIPS Cost Component as 0% of the Composite Performance Score in 2018 –

ASA has concerns regarding whether CMS will have sufficient time to appropriately and accurately score physicians in the MIPS Cost Component this year. We therefore believe that CMS should delay scoring the MIPS Cost Category in 2018.

CMS should develop Advanced APMs that take into consideration how all specialties, including

physician anesthesiologists, can successfully participate.

Source: www.asahq.org

ASAPAC “DoC” Challenge The American Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee’s fourth annual day of

contributing, also known as “DoC” Challenge will take place on Thursday, August 10th. The challenge will begin at midnight central time and end at 11:59 pm.

This 24-hour special challenge is an event to allow ASA members from around the country to show support for the political arm of ASA, known as ASAPAC.

In 2016, Tennessee placed second in the challenge behind Alabama. We had a greater number of contributors (#92) to Alabama’s (#55), however they had larger dollar contributions. Tennessee

contributed $28,935.01 to Alabama’s $33,616.66. ASA will give recognition in ASAPAC publications and presentations to the state with the largest number of contributors, as well as, the state with the largest

amount contributed. An email will be sent to the TSA membership urging participation in the “DoC” challenge.

Will our state be this year’s winner?

Save the Date Reminder: 2018 TSA Annual Meeting – February 24-25, 2018

Volume 2, July 2017