Advocacy News

Global surgical payments and values for MIGS, cataract surgery and strabismus codes are among the key targets of our latest effort to show CMS where it needs to adjust its proposed 2022 Medicare physician fee schedule.

The Academy and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery are calling upon Congress, members and their patients, and the public to support our efforts to ensure timely access to sight-restoring care.

The physician community is urging the VA to reconsider its project to establish national standards of practice.

The Academy questions Aetna’s new statement on the percentage of cataract surgeries that are unnecessary, while Academy members throughout the country validate the high level of disruption the policy has already caused their patients and staff.

You play a critical role in our multipronged effort to overturn these new prior authorization requirements. 

As Aetna refuses to change its harmful policy, the Academy and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery are ramping up efforts to get it rescinded and protect patient sight.

As concern grows about Avastin shortages, the Academy and the American Society of Retina Specialists this week are pushing health plans to halt step therapy and prior authorization requirements imposed on alternative therapies to avoid further patient care disruption.

Aetna recently announced, without proper notice and without educating Academy members, that it will soon require preapproval for all cataract surgeries (PDF) in ambulatory surgery centers and outpatient departments.

What Medicare reimbursement and physician payment reforms are on the horizon and how does Medicine break out and restore equity for physician payment?

At Mid-Year Forum 2021, health care leaders and Academy members discussed the burdens of step therapy and how we can advocate for change within the Biden administration.