American Association of Clinical Urologists, Inc.

AACU News & Notes

Budget Talks Impact Medicare Reimbursement

posted: February 8, 2018
As federal budget deliberations limp along, Congress is expected to vote this week on a Medicare funding proposal as part of the most recent FY 2018 spending package. Originally, this package... Read More

AACU Set to Participate in Urology Advocacy Summit

posted: January 29, 2018
The AACU is pleased to announce that it will be participating in the 2018 Annual Urology Advocacy Summit, a new event hosted by the AUA that aims to expand, strengthen, and unify the voice of... Read More

Tax Law May Threaten Medicare, Provider Pay

posted: January 22, 2018
Congress ended 2017 with its first big legislative win for the Trump administration: passing a sweeping tax bill that promises the biggest reform to the U.S. tax program in over 30 years. But... Read More

Vasectomy Coverage Mandates Under Consideration

posted: January 17, 2018
Progressive lawmakers in states across the country have introduced legislation to strengthen birth control laws in the last few years in response to gaps in insurance coverage and threats to the... Read More

UROPAC Advocates for You in Washington

posted: December 21, 2017
In addition to urologists delivering UROPAC contributions to influential candidates at local events, AACU staff recently undertook a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. to educate key incumbents... Read More

AACU Cosponsors Four AMA Resolutions at 2017 Interim Meeting

posted: November 21, 2017
From November 11th to 14th, Richard Pelman, MD, represented the AACU at the 2017 AMA Interim Meeting in Honolulu, where hundreds of physicians, medical students, residents, and fellows gathered to... Read More

Physicians Recommend Individualized, Multi-disciplinary Care for Children Born ‘Intersex’

posted: November 20, 2017
In a statement issued November 17, 2017, the AACU and several professional organizations reviewed the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on surgeries on children in the United States, I Want to Be... Read More

Senate Takes Aim at Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ Role in Rising Drug Costs

posted: November 3, 2017
Amid concerns about the escalating cost of prescription drugs, the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held hearings this summer to frame the Senate’s... Read More

Prominent Urologists Share Experience, Expertise at AACU Event

posted: November 2, 2017
A record number of urologists attended the American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU) 2018 State Society Network Advocacy Conference held Oct. 20-21. The inventive program included... Read More

AACU Supports Bill to Modernize Medicare Referral Law (Stark Law)

posted: November 2, 2017
In correspondence dated November 1, 2017, the AACU joined more than 20 organizations in support of H.R. 4206, the “Medicare Care Coordination Improvement Act of 2017.”Signatories detail... Read More

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@TheAACU

Advocacy Priorities

Prostate Cancer Screening and Awareness

Eliminating Misdiagnosis and Reducing Wasteful Medicare SpendingEvery 20 minutes an American man dies from prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 161,360 men were told they have prostate cancer in 2017. Early detection is critical because research shows the five-year survival...
IPAB Repeal

IPAB permanently repealed in a major victory for the AACU and urology communityThe AACU is pleased to report that the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (H.R. 1892) included provisions to repeal the Independent Physicians Advisory Board (IPAB), a 15-member panel of unelected officials that had the...
Graduate Medical Education and Physician Workforce Shortage

Ensuring a Well-Trained Physician Workforce Increase Federally Funded Physician Training ProgramsRequestUrologists urge Congress to acknowledge the importance of specialty medicine and address urological workforce shortages that jeopardize patient access to care. We urge lawmakers to support...
The Impact of Pharmacy Benefit Managers on Access to Affordable Treatment

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have a significant impact on prescription drug costs and the ability of patients to obtain the medications they need in a timely and affordable manner, and yet very little is known about their role. The AACU is dedicated to working with policymakers at both the...
Improve Preventive Task Force Recommendations, Preserve Access to Prostate Cancer Screening

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) plays a critical role in preventive care because its recommendations dictate what preventive services many health plans must provide without cost sharing. Currently, however, the USPSTF has little accountability. Task Force members are...
Medical Liability Reform: Protect Physician Volunteers During National Disasters

Protection for Physician Disaster VolunteersClinical urologists urge support for the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2017, introduced in the House by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-7) and in the Senate by Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA). This crucial legislation seeks to shield medical...
Modernize Law Restricting Coordinated Care (“Stark Law”)

When Congress enacted the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, it replaced a fundamentally flawed reimbursement framework with a program promoting value-based care delivery. Value-based care, as measured by the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and alternative payment...
Patients Over Paperwork: Reducing the Burden of Medicare Red Tape

Urologists across the country treat a high volume of Medicare patients and therefore deal with the program’s numerous requirements and complex payment structures on a near daily basis. The AACU is dedicated to working with legislators and policymakers to identify ways to simplify and...

State Advocacy

Fair Contracting and Medical Practice Freedom

Where We Stand Ensure openness and fairness in health care provider contacts. Prevent third-party payors from changing the terms of their provider contract without notice to the provider and without the consent of the provider. Ensure that physician licensure is based upon a physician's...
Medical Liability Reform — Expert Witness Qualifications

Strengthen expert witness standards Ensure that expert witness is from the same specialty as the defendant physician Prevent frivolous lawsuits Improve the practice environment for physicians in your stateWhenever a physician’s conduct is being called into question, it is only fair...
Prostate Cancer Awareness & Assessment

Where We Stand Continue the progress that has been made in the reduction of prostate cancer morbidity and mortality with the appropriate use of prostate cancer testing. Ensure that third-party payors provide for the reimbursement of prostate cancer testing when the patient and his physician...
Uniform Prior Authorization for Prescriptions and Health Services

Where We Stand Prior authorizations cost the health system $728 million in 2012. Prior authorization requests must use a single form, no more than two pages in length. Forms must available for both access and submission electronically. Requests are deemed approved if no response is...
Work Force — Scope of Practice

Where We Stand Allow the maximum patient-to-physician ratio to increase based on the number of physician assistants in a practice. Expand the ability of nurse practitioners and physician assistants to supervise medical assistants when doctors aren’t on the premises.Proactive Physician...