Orthopaedic Surgeons Lobby to Keep In-Office Ancillary Services

Posted: Nov. 28, 2012

Orthopaedic surgeons are flying to Washington Thursday (Nov. 29) to lobby for preserving the in-office ancillary services exception to the Stark Law as Congress considers the “loophole” as a way to pay for avoiding scheduled Medicare pay cuts for physician services. The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons also is lobbying to override the looming 27 percent pay cut from the Sustainable Growth Rate formula.

“Cuts of this magnitude would force many of our members to reduce the number of Medicare patients they see or worse, shut down their practices altogether, which would compromise the care of those who need it the most,” AAOS President John R. Tongue states in a release.

AAOS also will be advocating for the preservation of the in-office ancillary services exception to the Stark Law. The exception allows physicians to provide advanced imaging and physical therapy services in their offices, but policy makers worry that it inclines physicians to use more of those services unnecessarily. Also, CMS included outpatient physical therapy services on its list of candidates for national coverage determinations, which could limit reimbursement for the services.

AAOS said the exception is key to caring for patients with musculoskeletal conditions. “The ability to quickly diagnose a musculoskeletal condition and initiate a treatment plan is integral to restoring patient mobility and preventing future injury,” the AAOS website states. “The in-office ancillary services (IOAS) exception to the Stark Law is essential to efficiently diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions by allowing orthopaedic surgeons to provide imaging and physical therapy (PT) services in their offices.”

-- John Wilkerson (jwilkerson@iwpnews.com