News Items

Download the meeting program for the ASCRS 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting and see the full agenda for this year's conference!

The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons are pleased to announce a shared scholarship open to U.S. members in good standing of both organizations.

This scholarship supports attendance and participation in the "Executive Leadership Program in Health Policy and Management," which will take place June 4-10, 2017, at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA. Additional details are available on the Brandeis University website.

For your convenience, the specific requirements for the Health Policy Scholarship are available in the scholarship flyer. The deadline for receipt of all application materials is February 1, 2017. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection committee's decision by early April 2017.

To Apply

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file via email to: [email protected].

ASCRS/ACS 2017 Health Policy Scholarship Information and Requirements (PDF)

ASCRS has formed an exciting partnership with the Colon Cancer Alliance. This leading national patient advocacy organization puts on the Undy Run/Walk nationwide and we’re helping get the word out to encourage participation, get people talking about colon cancer and raise money to support important research efforts. In order for this partnership to thrive, we need your support.

The Undy Run/Walk is a family-friendly 5K run and one mile walk, formerly known as the Undy 5000, and gets people talking about colon cancer prevention, with the ultimate goal of saving lives. By participating—whether to support a loved one, honor the memory of someone lost to the disease, raise awareness or simply run through the streets in a wild pair of undies—their community of survivors, families, healthcare professionals, runners, sponsors and friends are making a difference across the country.

In consideration of the Society’s efforts to promote the Undy Run/Walk and engage its members, the Colon Cancer Alliance will donate $1 of every paid event registration to the ASCRS Research Foundation. Based on current projections, these Research Foundation contributions could reach $15,000 to $20,000. The money raised will fund research focused on investigating the molecular basis of young onset colorectal cancer, a growing group of people being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Get registered for the Undy Run/Walk today! Click here to learn how you can get involved now!

ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Revision 10), the international standard for the definition of medical conditions, takes effect on Thursday, October 1. ICD-10 is a HIPAA code set requirement, so all services and discharges on or after that date must comply with the new codes. The new code set incorporates an expanded code format (three to seven digits), which will allow providers to include greater detail within the codes.

ASCRS encourages members to consult the following resources to prepare for this change:

• Crosswalk Between ICD-9 and ICD-10: Top Colon and Rectal Diagnosis Codes
• American Medical Association Implementation Tools and Tips
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid "Road to 10" Tools

Announcement Sent Jointly from the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Sent July 2015

The American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) jointly announced that agreement has been reached on important elements of a "grace period" for the October 1, 2015, implementation of the ICD-10 diagnosis code set.

In guidance the CMS announced that:

· For a one year period starting October 1, Medicare claims will not be denied solely on the specificity of the ICD-10 diagnosis codes provided, as long as the physician submitted an ICD-10 code from an appropriate family of codes. In addition, Medicare claims will not be audited based on the specificity of the diagnosis codes as long as they are from the appropriate family of codes. This policy will be followed by Medicare Administrative Contractors and Recovery Audit Contractors.

· To avoid potential problems with mid-year coding changes in CMS quality programs (PQRS, VBM and MU) for the 2015 reporting year, physicians using the appropriate family of diagnosis codes will not be penalized if CMS experiences difficulties in accurately calculating quality scores (i.e., for PQRS, VBM, or Meaningful Use). CMS will continue to monitor implementation and adjust the duration if needed.

· CMS will establish an ICD-10 Ombudsman to help receive and triage physician and provider problems that need to be resolved during the transition.

· CMS will authorize advanced payments if Medicare contractors are unable to process claims within established time limits due to problems with ICD-10 implementation.

This announcement demonstrates that CMS is responsive to physician concerns. The AMA will monitor and keep CMS apprised of any implementation issues that persist in 2016, and will urge the agency to make any needed adjustments to the grace period policy and time line based on new information that surfaces during the implementation process. We encourage the Federation to report to us any problems their members experience during the transition, to better inform our advocacy efforts on their behalf.

The October 1 deadline for implementation of the ICD-10 code set is fast approaching, and time is running out for physician practices to complete their preparation. The AMA has a broad range of materials available on its website to help physicians prepare for the October 1 deadline. To learn more and stay apprised on developments, visit AMA Wire.